About Those Purple Spots on Michael Phelps

If you've been keeping up with our Olympians down in Rio, you may have noticed what appear to be perfectly round bruises spotting the shoulders of some swimmers and gymnasts. You may even have read an article about this "new fad". These marks are the result of a procedure called cupping, a practice that is actually rooted in ancient Chinese Medicine. Acupuncturists employ cupping for many reasons, but its main use is to relieve conditions featuring stagnating blood or fluids in the body.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why blood or fluids commonly stagnate in the body
• Circulation and how it affects the way our muscles feel
• Fascia – what is it and how does it affect our muscles?
• The relationship between cupping and acupuncture
• Those spots - do they hurt…?
• Conditions that can be treated with cupping
• Tools used in cupping