Human dolphin Michael Phelps won his 19th Olympic gold medal in tonight's 4x100-meter men's freestyle swimming relay — a new record for most gold medals won by a male swimmer. But if you caught the dramatic race on TV, in which the US finished just a stroke ahead of the defending gold medal team from France, you probably noticed something about Michael besides his superhuman speed in the pool. Michael's upper body is dotted with circular bruises.
The bruises are a result of cupping, a treatment some athletes swear by to increase blood circulation. Cupping involves using tiny heated cups to apply suction-like pressure to the skin. Here's a picture of Michael getting, um, cupped several weeks ago.
A handful of other Olympic athletes practice cupping, and actresses such as Jennifer Aniston have experimented with it in the past. It's worth noting that not everyone (i.e., doctors) believes cupping actually works, as it's considered an alternative medicine rather than a science. But try telling that to the guy with 19 gold medals (and counting).
