The explanation for the mysterious red spots of Phelps and other athletes in Rio

It is likely that many of the viewers of the Olympic Games to have noticed the bodies of several athletes (mainly Americans) like Michael Phelps, a series of…
mysterious, red spots that look like circular designed bruises.
These curious circles but, as he explains the NBC, is just the result of a therapeutic technique called “cupping” and has its roots in ancient times, while in Greece this method is more known as “cupping”.
In accordance with the american network, the technique of “cupping”, dating from the time of ancient Egypt, China, and of the cultures of the Middle East. Many argue that this technique increases blood flow and helps to relieve tired muscles.
As CNN reports, the “cupping” has been used at times to treat many types of injuries or unrelated symptoms such as cough, local paralysis, shortness of breath, and even acne. However, most commonly used to treat body and muscle pain.
On the substance, the method using the athletes, the “mugs” connected with a pump, which removes the air and allows suction of the skin. This creates the bruises, which in many cases can hold up to two weeks.
The scientific basis and the specific treatment?
The CNN reports that in two clinical investigations conducted in 2011, with a random selection, the participants praised the effectiveness of cupping in the treatment of pain.
However, these two clinical studies with a very small sample of participants, something that led the researchers write in the report published in the scientific journal “Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine” that it is difficult to draw safe conclusions about the beneficial or non-properties of “cupping”.


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