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A modern version of the ancient practice of cupping
The Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo are scheduled to kick off on Friday, July 23rd — one year late due to the pandemic. You may remember the last Summer Olympics in 2016 in Rio when swimmer Michael Phelps ended his professional career with 23 gold medals. Phelps garnered attention not only for his athletic achievements but also for his appearance at the Games. He had many dark circular marks all over his body. This was the first time I was introduced to cupping.
What is cupping?
Cupping dates back to ancient Egyptian, Chinese, and Middle Eastern cultures. One of the oldest medical textbooks in the world, the Ebers Papyrus, describes how the ancient Egyptians used cupping therapy in 1,550 B.C.
Many cultural traditions identify a “vital energy” that guides someone’s physical and mental processes. In Indian culture, it’s called prana. In Greek culture, it’s called pneuma. In Chinese culture, it’s called qi.
There is an old Chinese medical maxim:
Where there’s stagnation, there will be pain. Remove the stagnation, and you remove the pain.
When injuries occur deep in the muscle, bleeding often occurs, causing deep bruises. There will also be edema in the area and coagulation of sticky proteins. This combination usually…
