Commentators and the public were intrigued during the Olympics swimming coverage this year. Competitors like American swimming superstar Michael Phelps appeared to be covered in precise, round bruises, mostly on their backs and shoulders – painful looking marks that had audiences scratching their heads.
The apparent injuries, it was revealed, had been sustained through cupping – an ancient alternative medicine technique that involves attaching glass suction cups to the skin, drawing blood to the surface. The idea is to improve circulation to the area, boosting recovery.
It’s generally thought to have originated in China some 3,000 years ago, and it’s still popular in the country, especially with older generations.
But many Arabs have disputed those claims of its provenance – arguing that the Middle East should claim the credit for cupping.
White Olympic athletes just "discovered" cupping #smh #WeveBeenDoingThisForCenturies #CantColumbusThis https://t.co/jZQ8puIaJQ
— نورالعين شاحد (@YxxngHippie) 10 August 2016
In Arabic, the practice is called Hijama, and its earliest documented use is in the Ebers Papyrus, the Egyptian medical textbook of 1550 BCE. It’s also mentioned in Hadiths – collections of sayings from the prophet Mohammed – where several commentators specifically recall the him extolling the virtues of cupping for health and wellbeing.
Yaar, the Prophet Muhammed encouraged cupping, known as "hijama" in Arabic, way before it got trendy at the Olympics https://t.co/btPVZIqscb
— Zab Mustefa (@ZabMustefa) 8 August 2016
Still, it’s not quite clear whether cupping is a practice the Middle East really wants to take credit for. Plenty of doctors and scientists have been keen to hammer home the point that cupping carries absolutely no proven medical benefits, and can even do more harm than good.
