![Michael Phelps and his bruises showing during his competition. [Source: South China Morning Post]](http://www.jstudentboard.com/reporter/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/1-16-cupping.jpg)
[Source: South China Morning Post]
Athletes have been using this method for quite some time, but it didn’t hit headlines until the 2016 Rio Olympic Games when Michael Phelps lined up to swim before his final games before retirement. The bruises on his shoulders and back were the topic of choice and many people even commented that it looked like he slept on his 29 Olympic medals. Cecilia Joung also commented that it was “quite extraordinary and fascinating” how Olympic athletes used this method considering most people think it’s “embarrassing to expose bruises in front of millions of people either watching at home or in the arena.”
Once cupping hit the headlines, it became more well-known and people were trying the cupping techniques, wondering if it was actually beneficial. Citizens around the Diamond Bar-Walnut area could be seen with cupping treatment bruises all over their body and people around the community also saw improvement in their overall health. Even if there haven’t been many scientific studies about this cupping method, reports have shown that it could help with skin problems and blood disorders.
Whether or not people believe in cupping therapy, neighborhoods and communities all over the world can use this therapy to their advantage. Instead of spending large sums of money on medical treatments at hospitals, trusting trained cupping therapists can be an alternative. Therefore, this cupping method has the potential to change the way society views medical treatment.
