Cupping, the Rio Olympics Health Trend, Can Do More Harm Than Good
by Susie Neilson
Aug 09, 2016
3 minutes
Several days ago, when the Rio Olympics began hitting their stride, many athletes, including champion swimmer Michael Phelps, were sporting a unique look: Their muscled shoulders were spattered with, well, what? Giant purple chicken pox? Alien hickeys? Soon enough, however, the marks were demystified: They were evidence of cupping, a therapy that involves placing suction cups on the skin, then using the suction to pull the skin up off the muscles (not unlike the pressure caused by giving someone a hickey.)
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