Cupping for a gold medal
Bruises on Phelps, others are the result of an ancient therapy that is said to offer pain relief and healing — not from an octopus
If you watched the Olympic swimming competition, you may have noticed those oddly symmetrical hickies that Michael Phelps had on his body.
No, he is not in a romantic relationship with an octopus.
The perfectly round bruises on 19-time-gold-medalist Phelps and others are the result of an ancient therapy called “cupping,” which is supposed to offer pain relief and more rapid healing. Use of it may date as far back as 3000 B.C. in Egypt, but it was used in the Middle East and China as well. In Chinese medicine, it is said to improve the flow of qi. In recent years, its benefits have been touted by the likes of actress Gwyneth Paltrow.
Leila Mitchell uses cupping at the Center for Healing Arts and Sciences on Bissonnet in Houston, where she often treats musculo-skeletal pain using the traditional fire-cupping. She sees all sorts of patients, including armchair athletes, and while skeptics might cry placebo, she has no doubt of the benefits of the therapy. “It pulls out the stagnation and allows the blood and energy to flow smoothly,” she says.
Mitchell studied for four years to get a master’s degree in traditional Chinese medicine.
In cupping, small cups are placed strategically on the body, and, using air suction (as Phelps is using in Rio) or heat (as Mitchell does), the flesh is drawn up and away from the rest of the body for a few minutes. The action of cupping is the opposite of massage, which presses flesh down. Practitioners believe the increased blood flow to the affected area speeds healing.
During the process, tiny blood capillaries burst and leave the telltale bruising, which goes away in a few days.