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The Olympian gods, Michael Phelps and the suction cups

Introduction

The aliens at the Olympics have been incredible. We are fascinated with awe, admiration and respect for the incredible levels of sustained brutal training, laser focus, and genius skills exhibited by those who soared to Olympic heights, let alone scaled the summits called podiums. And then there are people like Katie Ledecky, Simone Biles, Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, and other super people, who in no way could have been born on this planet. Something is going on here, and I hope Donald Trump will soon ask direct questions, raising suspicions about these Promethean heroes and heroines who infiltrated among us mere mortals.

Speaking of Michael Phelps, let me ask a question: “What’s up with those circular bruises?” A little research reveals that “Michael The Great” might suffer from some gullibility regarding the New Age, BS of alternative / integrative / traditional Chinese medicine.

Suction cups are a fad that involves “the flow of one’s life force through the suction of hot glass bowls applied to the skin.” Holy hocus pocus. How is it that American Olympic officials or others pleased athletes by flaunting their cups on world television in prime time? Such appearances were free advertisements for pseudoscience. The exposure of the suction cup brands to the winners lent an air of legitimacy to unfounded and potentially harmful treatments, all transmitted to the consciences of impressionable children and gullible adults. Pity.

As for cupping, this nonsense has no medical or scientific basis, and it can be quite dangerous, as it often leads to burns and infections.

Olympic credulity

Did you observe the woo woo testimonial indicators during the interviews? No, I don’t mean the many signs of the cross before or after the races (is it a good luck charm or a request for help from a deity?). I mean the interviewees who stated: “I am so blessed” (unlike their rivals who were not blessed?), Fingers in the air pointing to a god in the sky watching the event or other indications that some athletes trust and believe in homeopathy, acupuncture, kinesiology tape, and yes, cupping.

What happened to the rabbit foot?

Cupping?

Suction cups basically involve someone sticking hot suction cups or glass bulbs on your skin. The Olympians said they used cupping to relieve pain in order to swim or run faster, jump higher, stay cooler, align their chakras and qi, and / or do whatever they wanted the cupping to do for them. But, of course, they had to believe, that is, have faith, as in religion.

In addition to the ancient Chinese, it seems that some North American Indians were engaged in suction cups, as did the Egyptians more than a thousand years before we reached 1 AD. It was part of the bloodshed at one point, which could now seen as another form of alternative medicine that could make a comeback one of these days, if recommended by a movie star, celebrity, or Dr. Oz or Deepak.

In recent days, ever since Phelps was shown before the 400 IM with cup marks on his upper body, images have surfaced online showing victims of bad suction cups. It can be dangerous to allow a charlatan to suck “poisons” or “toxins” from your body. Doctors consider some brands of suction cups second or even third degree burns. Such wounds can become infected and possibly septic.

Consider what a renowned physician named David Gorski wrote in “The Science Blog” on July 1, 2016:

Cupping is nothing more than an ancient medical practice based on a prescientific understanding of the body and disease, much like bleeding and ‘Four Moods’ based treatments. everything is risk without benefit. It has no place in modern medicine, or at least it shouldn’t. After all, we still don’t believe in the four humors that Hippocrates and ancient ‘western’ medicine invoked for many hundreds of years. Traditional Chinese medicine (traditional Chinese medicine) is largely based on the same concepts, only under different names, substituting, for example, the ‘five elements’ for the ‘four tumors’ and attributing the disease to imbalances in them , just as ancient Western physicians attributed the disease. to the imbalances in the ‘Four Humor’. However, “integrative medicine” rejects one and embraces the other when it should reject both.

Everyone hail the Olympians, anyway

Suction cups and other superstitions aside, in my opinion, there is nothing but awe and appreciation for the magnificent performances displayed by almost all of the competitors (Hope Solo? Maybe not so much). Olympians are truly amazing, even more so if not aliens after all.

Perhaps those who inadvertently promoted medical stupidity will use their platforms in the future to promote evidence-based medicine, scientific insight and skeptical research, and perhaps even REAL wellness, for years to come.

Be okay, enjoy the quest, and die healthy, but not until you’re okay and ready.

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