Cupping is all the buzz because of the Olympics. Red and purple spots speckling the shoulders and backs of the athletes are making everyone wonder what they are doing, and why?

To anyone familiar with acupuncture and Chinese medicine, however, cupping is old news. Ancient news, in fact.

It's a massage technique that uses suction to achieve a much deeper release of the tissue. I use cupping in conjunction with acupuncture to release muscle tension, draw out toxins, and speed up recovery time. It works immediately to start improving pain and range of motion. 

Suction is usually created inside of a glass cup with a small flame, which burns off oxygen (about 20% of the air) before it is placed on the skin. Plastic cups with a hand pump are also widely used, but the former is more traditional and my personal preference.

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