2 CUP OR NOT 2 CUP

Those purple rings that were all the rage this past week when they became visual to all watching the Olympics, what are they?

Cupping is a technique used along with acupuncture and other healing modes to enhance recovery.  The suction generated by heat or air removal will draw the skin up, inside the cup.  The ancient technique combines minerals with the suction and is part of detoxification of the area involved.

This mode used during these Olympics is more a physical treatment.  Drawing the skin up into the cup, results in a static massage of the area.  The suction is enough to break blood vessels within the skin layers and leave the now famous purple marks.  Your muscles and most certainly an Olympic athlete’s muscles are too dense to be drawn up into the cup

My opinion is that using cupping in this way is a form of physically releasing endorphins.  These are our natural hormonal response to pain and their release will reduce pain.  I do not think the technique is risky.  If you want to use this technique, please do so with an acupuncturist.  Then again, I have many other treatment techniques to do the same thing without leaving marks.