writen by: said sharbash
The Olympic Games, which were held in Rio de Janeiro 2016, witnessed cupping for the contestants, especially in swimming and gymnastics, including the American swimmer Michael Phillips; To treat muscle pain that afflicts them as a result of strenuous training for long hours, and some players made statements to the international press, in which they emphasized that cupping sessions are better than anything, and even stronger than steroids.
Watch on euronews (Arabic): “Cupping” grabs the spotlight at the 2016 Rio Olympics
The reliance of the competitors in the 2016 Rio Olympics on “cupping” raised a wave of questions about the benefits of this method of alternative medicine adopted by the world’s strongest athletes.
At the Rio Olympics, attention was focused on Olympic swimming legend, American Michael Phelps, who participated in 5 Olympic Games, including the current competition, and has achieved 23 medals, including 19 gold so far.
And Phelps was not the only American whose body appeared on the red circles left by the cupping process, but appeared on the body of fellow gymnast Alex Nadur, a participant in the Rio Olympics.
Cupping is done through a glass cup with a small flame inside, and the mouth of the cup is placed directly on the skin after a slight wound.
And when the small flame goes out, the pressure inside the cup decreases, so it tries to draw air from the outside, and it pulls the skin upward, and this causes some blood to come out of little density from the wounds made in the skin.
Watch: Rio 2016 champions use cupping
The site continued:
Athletes say they rely on cupping to relieve stress and pain, and to help them recover from muscular efforts during training and competition.
There are many techniques that athletes use to get rid of previous symptoms, such as ice baths, saunas, and sports massages, but cupping, Nador told USA Today, was “better than anything else he’s tried.”
“It was the secret that I used over the past year to maintain my health,” Nador added. “It saved me from a lot of trouble.”
It seems that Phelps has been adopting the cupping technique for a long time. About a year ago, he posted a picture of him on Instagram during the cupping procedure by the medical staff.
Cupping is one of the alternative medicine methods recommended by Islam, and the doctors who adopted it in the Middle East said that it removes corrupt blood from the body. Cupping was also known to the Chinese, and its practitioners say it opens the energy outlets in the body.
Athletes who practice cupping gather that it helps with recovery and treatment, facilitates blood flow in the body and relieves muscle pain resulting from continuous training and participation in sports competitions.
