Raising our “Cups” to Olympians

If you have been watching the Olympics, I’m sure that you’ve seen and/or heard about “those strange purple marks” on Michael Phelps and some other Olympians. Those marks are not hickies. Those are marks from a technique known as “Cupping.” Cupping is a form of holistic medicine that has been around for centuries. It has been claimed to help improve circulation and reduce pain. As horrible as the marks may look, they are not actually painful like a bruise. The bruising that occurs is due to capillaries breaking just beneath the surface of the skin, however, unlike the compressive trauma that is preceded by a bruise, cupping bruises do not typically hurt. As a matter of fact, unless you see them, you will forget they are even present. In other words, what you are seeing LOOKS much worse than how it FEELS. However, when you take something as strange and odd like cupping and plaster it across the airways to millions who only see and can’t feel what it is, the natural reaction is horror and disbelief that someone would allow someone else to actually do this to them. Well, don’t knock it until you try it. In this case, not seeing, but feeling is believing.

In 2008, the world was confused about “that strange magic tape” when Kerry Walsh was wearing it. This Olympics, the “performance enhancer” is cupping. The skeptics will be quick to point out, as they were about kinesiology tape, that there is absolutely no science to back its validity and any effects it may have are placebo at best. I love this about western medicine followers. They are always quick to debunk anything that is not backed by science, yet when newer science debunks the old science we hear nothing of it. So while athletes are getting the relief they need (or winning 23 gold medals), the media cries “quackery”.

Based upon the logic of the skeptics, we should still be icing injuries and injecting cortisone into painful joints (both of which have been shown to retard the healing process as well as damage connective tissue repair1,2). Ultimately, if the athlete/patient is getting results from the therapy, it’s working (for them). This is not a blanket statement for any approach or particular injury (at first, do no harm). If my 8 year old says she need a band aid for her finger because it hurts, I’ll give it to her knowing full well that the band aid won’t “scientifically” do anything, but yet it will make her feel better. Case closed.

1 Khan KM, Cook JL, Taunton JE, Bonar F. Overuse tendinosis, not tendinitis, part 1: a new paradigm for a difficult clinical problem (part 1). Phys Sportsmed. 2000;28(5):38–48. PubMed #20086639.

2 Collins NC. Is ice right? Does cryotherapy improve outcome for acute soft tissue injury? Emerg Med J. 2008 Feb;25(2):65–8. PubMed #18212134.

Ready to #feelbetter?

You're just a click away from a wicked good massage!

Book Now!

Energy Boosters

Energy Boosters Ways to Get You Through the Day No amount of coaxing, pleading, or pedal pumping could get the engine in the rental car to turn over. It was going nowhere. The travelers had filled the car with unleaded fuel, but it had a diesel engine. It had been able to run a little…

Read More

What is Qi?

What is Qi? A fundamental concept of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) dating back over 3,000 years, qi (pronounced “chee”) is the Chinese word for energy, which also carries with it connotations of “air,” “breath,” and “life force.” In TCM, it is understood that everything from humans and animals to rocks and trees is filled with…

Read More

Why Buy Organic?

Why Buy Organic? Is the Higher Price Worth It? While shopping in your grocery store’s produce section, you may notice the organically grown apples are pocked and not as big and perfectly round as the conventional produce, but they are more expensive. What’s the difference, and which do you choose? Your decision may significantly impact…

Read More
MFR

Are You Making the Most of Your Massage?

Are You Making the Most of Your Massage? How to Prolong the Benefits of Bodywork A massage works in wonderful ways, easing stress and pain, calming the nervous system, increasing circulation, loosening tight muscles, stimulating internal organs, and enhancing skin. The multiplicity of physiological responses sends a simple, clear message to the mind: Massage feels…

Read More

The Case for Chocolate

The Case for Chocolate New Studies Show Health Benefits  It’s not like we need a specific reason to eat chocolate, but it doesn’t hurt that studies are finding increasing health benefits associated with the popular indulgence. While chocolate is high in sugar and saturated fat, it does contain chemical compounds with proven benefits, so enjoy–in…

Read More

The Wonders of Water

The Wonders of Water For Skin Health and More Shelley Burns, N.D. Creams, nutritional supplements, treatments, lotions, and potions. We are always looking for the next miracle product to keep skin looking healthy and young. However, there is one essential, inexpensive, and often overlooked nutrient right at your fingertips:water. Just as a car cannot function…

Read More

Invest In Your Health

Invest in Your Health Massage Offers Excellent Return onInvestment “Invest for the long term” is great financial advice, but it’s also great healthcare advice. Never is investing for the long term more important than  when you are making day-to-day decisions about your health. There are short-term gains from taking care of your health, to be…

Read More

Life Hack: Iced Cubes

Life Hack: Coffee Cubes (Redux) As usual in New England, we have gone from Winter to Summer, with Spring being an absentee season (again). Since it feels like Summer is already here, I thought it best to give you a Life Hack that is an oldy, but a goody! Iced Coffee…..CUBES! #mindblown Yes. I have offered this…

Read More

Make a Great Save to Avoid Back Pain

Make a Great Save to Avoid Back Pain 7- Stretches in 7-Minutes I was speaking the other day with one of our therapists and we were discussing our role in helping our patients.  I was explaining that a comment I often tell new patients is; “These are hands, not magic wands”.  Patients often seek out…

Read More

Time for Sleep

Time for Sleep As a nation, we may be divided, but there is one common bond that unites us all around the world; sleep. We all need sleep in order to be capable of performing every day tasks.  Sleep is an imperative part of the human experience.  Without a good night’s sleep, our bodies will slowly…

Read More