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Entity explains what you need to know about cupping.

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a hickey? These questions have probably run through your head once or twice, whether you were watching the 2016 Rio Olympics or seeing a holistic health junkie change clothes in the gym.

What are we really talking about? The red marks that result from a therapy known as cupping. Maybe you’re a cupping expert or still laugh when you try to say the word – either way, here is everything you need to know about the alternative medicine that dominated the 2016 Olympics.

Cupping History

Now, let’s take a trip back to high school history – though it’s doubtful you were ever quizzed on this subject. Cupping therapy is an ancient alternative practice, deriving back to early Egyptian, Chinese and Middle Eastern cultures. The earliest mention of cupping seems to appear in 281 CE in China, but Hippocrates also mentions cupping as a way to balance the “humours” in the body. According to ScienceMuseum.com, cupping occurred in Chinese, Native American, Egyptian and Islamic cultures and, depending on the time period and location, cups could be composed of buffalo horn, glass, bronze, tin or bamboo. In Europe, female practitioners often performed the cupping routine, and in the 1500s to 1800s, cupping commonly occurred at public baths. China’s Tang Dynasty used cupping as the main treatment for tuberculosis while European cupping traditionally treated everything from chest pains to indigestion.

Cupping Basics

So how does this therapy work? First, as Mindbodygreen.com explains, glass, bamboo or plastic jars are placed on the skin to create a localized suction. With heat, hands or an electrical pump, a “vacuum” is formed so that the tissues and muscles of the body are partially sucked into the jar. This suction mobilizes blood flow and removes toxins.

As a result of the suction, you’ll be left with painless, tattoo-like spheres on the treated area. Their color will vary – ranging from red to purple to blue – depending on how many toxins were in the skin, as will how long the marks last (ranging from a few days to a couple weeks).

Who Does It and Why?

Now, if you watched the Olympics this summer, you can name at least one famous “cupper”: Michael Phelps. There are countless other famous figures who cup, however, and they all their own motivations:

  • Sports Performance Expert Ralph Reiff told USA Today that he has worked with over 100 members of the US Olympic team. He also mentioned that the US Track and Field team, including LaShawn Merritt who set the fastest time in the 400 meters this year, is especially fond of cupping because it “increases motion and gets rid of what we call subtle tissue lesions.”
  • Nationals players like first baseman Clint Robinson, pitcher Sammy Solis and left fielder Jason Werth have been using cupping to treat everything from neck and shoulder issues to muscle soreness for years.
  • E-online reports that Gwyneth Paltrow has used cupping to fight back pain (and her first “cupping appearance” happened way back in 2004!). Jessica Simpson has also tweeted about using cupping, likely for its detoxing effects.

What about regular folk – do they use cupping, too? ENTITY talked to Tammy Tigner, who has been cupping for over ten years, to get a girl-next-door perspective. Tigner first discovered cupping when she caught yellow fever and visited her acupuncturist. While she acknowledges that the marks left behind by cupping aren’t ideal, she thinks the benefits – such as treating back and neck pain, detoxifying the body, lowering stress and encouraging sleep – far outweigh the drawbacks. In fact, she’s excited that, thanks to the Olympics, “cupping has gotten a lot more mainstream” in terms of awareness.

Bottom Line

Although Michael Phelps didn’t start the practice of cupping, he has made people more aware of this ancient alternative medicine. The bottom line? For some people – ranging from professional athletes to celebrities to the common woman – cupping seems to provide a variety of benefits and, according to Tigner, feels “better than a massage.”

However, it’s important to be cautious when starting a new medical routine, even if it’s an alternative option like cupping. Start off with a less-intense cupping treatment and see how your skin reacts. Cupping is also not recommended for men or women who bleed easily or have skin condition like edema or a skin ulcer.

If you do try cupping and fall in the love with it, though? Rock those cupping marks with pride – just like a certain multi-medal Olympic champion did this last summer.

Edited by Casey Cromwell
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