This year's Olympic Games did inadvertently highlight a trend where several athletes (notably the swimmers) were seen with red, circular marks on their skin attributed to "cupping." What is "cupping?" It is an ancient form of therapy used by the Egyptians, Chinese, and Middle Eastern cultures where suction is applied to various trigger points on the body (similar to acupuncture) in an effort to increase blood flow to that area. The process typically entails the placement of small, sometimes heated, glass jars on the skin with a vacuum suction effect thus raising the skin within the jar. The jars may also be made from other materials, such as silicone, and the application can be done "wet" or "dry." The potential claimed benefits of this practice include relief for sore muscles and decreasing inflammation, among other things.