Jennifer Aniston and Jessica Simpson first tried cupping years ago, followed by Gwyneth Paltrow and Gisele Bündchen. Now it seems a number of Olympians – including the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time, Michael Phelps – are jumping on the acupuncture bandwagon.
Yesterday the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time, Michael Phelps, was photographed with cupping marks^
Cupping is speculated to date back to circa 3000 B.C. and involves placing glass domes on the body before using either heat or an air pump to suction up sections of skin. The former technique involves lighting flammable liquid in the glass. Once the flame goes out, the drop in temperature creates suction, which sticks the cup to the body.
By pulling the skin away, practitioners claim that cupping promotes blood flow, leaving red spots, which typically last for three or four days. However, current scientific studies are limited and while some evidence links cupping to muscle-tension relief and lessened symptoms of osteoarthritis, critics claim that a placebo effect is probably responsible for instant pain relief.
Nonetheless, several Olympic athletes have claimed the technique eases aches and hastens recovery after gruelling training sessions. US gymnast Alexander Naddour told USA Today that it's "the secret that I have had through this year that keeps me healthy," adding that "it's been better than any money I've spent on anything else."
