That'll leave a mark: Michael Phelps sucks it up for Rio, may boost cupping
You saw those circular marks on Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps and wondered if they were: a) nicotine patches of some sort; b) very bland tattoos; c) extraordinarily precise hickeys; d) ports used to feed software updates to this gold-medal-winning aquatic machine.
Turns out, as NBC explained, Phelps' marks are the residual bruises from cupping therapy, an ancient healing practice of China, Egypt and other cultures popular among some of this year's U.S. Olympic athletes, including gymnasts Chris Brooks, Sam Mikulak and Alexander Naddour.
Proponents say the use of specialized vacuum-cups to suck up flesh, a kind of reverse massage, promotes healing and relieves tension, among other benefits, but they caution it's not for everyone in every situation. Those less enthusiastic say users receive a placebo effect, if that.
But cupping's telltale spots in the spotlight got prime promotion as Phelps won his unprecedented 19th career Olympic gold medal with the United States' victory in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay Sunday night. It was the sort of exposure prescription drugs can only hope for, even with a paid campaign.
The question is what kind of mark it will leave in the alternative health care world.
Will Phelps launch cupping into a new orbit from the medal platform in Rio, compelling people out to try this alternative treatment after the Rio games, the way they might be inclined to buy a box of Wheaties?
"There's an uptick whenever there's positive press, because cupping looks very scary," said Midwest Acupuncture Group's Dana Hoffman, a licensed acupuncturist. "It looks like, 'Oh my God, what did they do to this guy?' But it can very relaxing."
Lauren Goode, cupping and massage specialist at Chicago Spine and Sports, didn't expect Phelps to boost awareness or interest among athletes if only "because most of them already know about it, especially runners," but it may be an eye-opener among the general public.
There were no reports of mobs storming therapists' offices Monday in hopes of being cupped. Rebecca Gemperle of Healing Foundations in Chicago said that is not necessarily how to measure the impact, however.
"People will call, ask questions," Gemperle said. "If there's more education for what (cupping) can do, the effect may not be immediate, but it will help in the long run for sure."
People have no problem understanding how massages help. Cupping isn't that different, the therapists said.
In the summary of their peer-reviewed paper recently published in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, Israeli researchers Evgeni Rozenfeld and Leonid Kalichman said they found "initial scientific evidence that dry cupping is able to reduce musculoskeletal pain."
The Israelis called dry cupping "inexpensive, noninvasive and low-risk" so long as it's "performed by a trained practitioner." But, they noted, "It is essential to perform additional studies clarifying the biological mechanism and clinical effects."
This amused Hoffman.
"Traditional Chinese medicine has been in clinical trials for thousands of years," Hoffman said. "With respect to cupping, it's not just a Chinese thing. It's been done all over Asia, Italy. … Anybody whose grandmother is from eastern Europe or further east has had cupping done when they were starting to get a cold, every single one. It's been around forever."
Celebrities reportedly into cupping have included Jennifer Aniston, Victoria Beckham, David Arquette, Lady Gaga, Jessica Simpson and Gwyneth Paltrow.
"We saw a lot of patients when Jennifer Aniston was in the news" for showing her cupping marks on a red carpet," said Alicia Cohler of Chicago's Division Chiropractic and Acupuncture.
"It looks painful, but actually it feels amazing and it's very relaxing, and it feels terrific," Paltrow told Oprah Winfrey in 2004. "It's just one of the alternative medicines that I do instead of taking antibiotics or the more kind of Western (treatments). ... It gets the blood circulating back through whichever point that is and to, you know, clear the energy and get the toxins out."
British tennis star and Olympian Andy Murray talked up the treatments several years ago but said his girlfriend thought the bruises made him look like a reptile. "It's not the best," he said of her response.
One of Phelps' pre-Olympics promotional videos for sponsor Under Armour showed him preparing for Rio by getting fire cupping, using a flame to create a vacuum by removing oxygen before application. That's just one way the therapy is administered.
Team USA gymnasts Brooks and Naddour told USA Today about a do-it-yourself cupping kit available on Amazon for $15.
"You're like, 'OK, I'm sore here,'" Brooks, the team captain, told the paper. "Throw a cup on, and your roommate will help you or you can do it yourself."
But Goode didn't think that was so smart. "If you don't know the lymphatic system, it's actually possible to increase the swelling rather than decrease it," she said. "There are a lot of things that can go wrong, so it's not the best idea."
Check with your health care specialist to see if cupping is right for you. If not, there's always Wheaties.
You saw those circular marks on Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps and wondered if they were: a) nicotine patches of some sort; b) very bland tattoos; c) extraordinarily precise hickeys; d) ports used to feed software updates to this gold-medal-winning aquatic machine.
Turns out, as NBC explained, Phelps' marks are the residual bruises from cupping therapy, an ancient healing practice of China, Egypt and other cultures popular among some of this year's U.S. Olympic athletes, including gymnasts Chris Brooks, Sam Mikulak and Alexander Naddour.
Proponents say the use of specialized vacuum-cups to suck up flesh, a kind of reverse massage, promotes healing and relieves tension, among other benefits, but they caution it's not for everyone in every situation. Those less enthusiastic say users receive a placebo effect, if that.
But cupping's telltale spots in the spotlight got prime promotion as Phelps won his unprecedented 19th career Olympic gold medal with the United States' victory in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay Sunday night. It was the sort of exposure prescription drugs can only hope for, even with a paid campaign.
The question is what kind of mark it will leave in the alternative health care world.
Will Phelps launch cupping into a new orbit from the medal platform in Rio, compelling people out to try this alternative treatment after the Rio games, the way they might be inclined to buy a box of Wheaties?
"There's an uptick whenever there's positive press, because cupping looks very scary," said Midwest Acupuncture Group's Dana Hoffman, a licensed acupuncturist. "It looks like, 'Oh my God, what did they do to this guy?' But it can very relaxing."
Lauren Goode, cupping and massage specialist at Chicago Spine and Sports, didn't expect Phelps to boost awareness or interest among athletes if only "because most of them already know about it, especially runners," but it may be an eye-opener among the general public.
There were no reports of mobs storming therapists' offices Monday in hopes of being cupped. Rebecca Gemperle of Healing Foundations in Chicago said that is not necessarily how to measure the impact, however.
"People will call, ask questions," Gemperle said. "If there's more education for what (cupping) can do, the effect may not be immediate, but it will help in the long run for sure."
People have no problem understanding how massages help. Cupping isn't that different, the therapists said.
In the summary of their peer-reviewed paper recently published in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, Israeli researchers Evgeni Rozenfeld and Leonid Kalichman said they found "initial scientific evidence that dry cupping is able to reduce musculoskeletal pain."
The Israelis called dry cupping "inexpensive, noninvasive and low-risk" so long as it's "performed by a trained practitioner." But, they noted, "It is essential to perform additional studies clarifying the biological mechanism and clinical effects."
This amused Hoffman.
"Traditional Chinese medicine has been in clinical trials for thousands of years," Hoffman said. "With respect to cupping, it's not just a Chinese thing. It's been done all over Asia, Italy. … Anybody whose grandmother is from eastern Europe or further east has had cupping done when they were starting to get a cold, every single one. It's been around forever."
Celebrities reportedly into cupping have included Jennifer Aniston, Victoria Beckham, David Arquette, Lady Gaga, Jessica Simpson and Gwyneth Paltrow.
"We saw a lot of patients when Jennifer Aniston was in the news" for showing her cupping marks on a red carpet," said Alicia Cohler of Chicago's Division Chiropractic and Acupuncture.
"It looks painful, but actually it feels amazing and it's very relaxing, and it feels terrific," Paltrow told Oprah Winfrey in 2004. "It's just one of the alternative medicines that I do instead of taking antibiotics or the more kind of Western (treatments). ... It gets the blood circulating back through whichever point that is and to, you know, clear the energy and get the toxins out."
British tennis star and Olympian Andy Murray talked up the treatments several years ago but said his girlfriend thought the bruises made him look like a reptile. "It's not the best," he said of her response.
One of Phelps' pre-Olympics promotional videos for sponsor Under Armour showed him preparing for Rio by getting fire cupping, using a flame to create a vacuum by removing oxygen before application. That's just one way the therapy is administered.
Team USA gymnasts Brooks and Naddour told USA Today about a do-it-yourself cupping kit available on Amazon for $15.
"You're like, 'OK, I'm sore here,'" Brooks, the team captain, told the paper. "Throw a cup on, and your roommate will help you or you can do it yourself."
But Goode didn't think that was so smart. "If you don't know the lymphatic system, it's actually possible to increase the swelling rather than decrease it," she said. "There are a lot of things that can go wrong, so it's not the best idea."
Check with your health care specialist to see if cupping is right for you. If not, there's always Wheaties.
