London - As she posed for the photographers on the red carpet, Hollywood star Jennifer Aniston looked every inch the A-lister. Shiny hair, immaculate make-up, a glowing tan – not to mention revealing shorts that showed off her perfectly toned legs.
But having paid such attention to her appearance, why did Aniston choose a low-backed top that succeeded only in showing off a series of unsightly circular marks on her back?
Aniston was modelling the latest celebrity must-have. Forget Kabbalah bracelets and coconut water: every Hollywood star worth her salt knowsher health routine must include cupping.
Those round marks on Aniston’s back are a telltale sign of an ancient Asian therapy where heated cups are placed on to the skin, creating suction that supposedly improves blood flow.
Practitioners claim it helps everything from muscle pain to cellulite and depression. It was Gwyneth Paltrow who set the trend for cupping when she attended a film premiere in 2004 with the circular welts visible on her back.
Victoria Beckham was spotted walking through Heathrow Airport with the trademark bruises, and tennis star Andy Murray has also declared himself to be a cupping devotee, even though his girlfriend Kim Sears said it made him “look like a reptile”.
So – apart from leaving you looking like a well-used coaster – how does cupping actually work?
Dating back 5 000 years, the therapy is a form of acupuncture, and is based on the idea that suction from the cups draws the skin up and mobilises blood and energy around the body.
“If someone is under stress, or they’ve suffered a physical trauma like a pulled shoulder, the energy in their body can become stagnated,” explains Ian Stones, an acupuncturist , who has been practising cupping for six years.
“Cupping enables the blood and energy to move again and travel to the area to begin the healing process.
“It can also have good results if someone is coming down with a cold. The suction can help to stop the cold penetrating further into the system.’
Typically, a flame is first placed inside a glass or rubber cup, so the heat can create a partial vacuum, before the flame is removed and the cup held to the skin for about three minutes. Although the resulting marks can look alarming, they are temporary, and this kind of cupping should not hurt in any way as the cups used are thick-rimmed and do not heat up.
A leading cupping practitioner is Dr Nish Joshi, a Harley Street holistic doctor who was held in high regard by the late Princess Diana. His website recommends cupping “to aid the lymphatic flow, reduce fluid build-up, increase the blood circulation which will help give the skin a healthier appearance and reduce cellulite”.
It was Joshi who was responsible for Paltrow’s introduction to cupping, and other patients include Sadie Frost, Patsy Kensit and Ralph Fiennes. The photographs of Aniston sparked speculation she may be trying for a baby, as some supporters of cupping say it can be a useful aid to fertility.
Cupping specialist Saud Hadi says,
“From the look, she’s (Aniston) had cupping in the right spots for fertility treatment. The marks are likely to extend right down to her lower back. If the patient is in good health and has a good diet – like Aniston – then cupping fertility treatment can work within about five days. It also complements IVF treatment.”
But Stones is doubtful.
“I do a lot of fertility treatment and cupping wouldn’t be my first port of call,” he says.
“The location of the cupping marks on Jennifer Aniston would indicate some kind of musculoskeletal injury, such as back pain.”
And he adds that while cupping is perfectly safe, he would not generally use it on pregnant women. “It can be a fairly strong treatment, and in pregnancy we like to keep things gentle and light.” In China, cupping is such an integral part of mainstream medicine that it is practised at hospitals for a variety of conditions.
The country’s hugely successful Olympic swimming squad are regularly photographed with cupping marks, as it is thought to be helpful with muscular pain.
But while Gwynnie and Jennifer are clearly fans,
many medical experts are scathing, and warn that fads such as this can become dangerous if people start to use them in place of seeing their GP.
“Cupping doesn’t make any sense at all,” said David Colquhoun, professor of pharmacology at University College London.
“Putting a suction cup on the body may cause the skin to constrict and there could be some increased blood flow, but the idea that this could treat any medical condition is laughable.
“It’s just another ingenious way of relieving the rich and gullible of their money.” –
Daily Mail