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RIO DE JANEIRO -- Michael Phelps woke up on the morning of the first race of his fifth Olympic Games with some soreness in his right shoulder.At 31 years old, the swimming superstar could not afford to have anything slowing him down. So he went to a Team USA athletic trainer for some cupping therapy, a treatment he has been receiving for years to help relax his muscles and ease soreness.The trainer hit me pretty hard with one and left a couple of bruises, Phelps said.With large purple circles dotting his shoulder and back, Phelps delivered a performance for the ages to lead the 4x100-meter freestyle relay team to victory, giving him his 19th career gold medal. Phelps swam the fastest 100 meters of his life, a blazing 47.12 seconds on the second leg of the relay that turned a slim deficit in the race against France into a comfortable lead that teammates Ryan Held and Nathan Adrian were able to hold the rest of the way.The stirring victory -- televised in prime time back home in the United States -- put Phelps back on the podium and thrust cupping therapy into the spotlight. It dates back centuries and has enjoyed a bit of a renaissance over the past decade after athletes like Phelps and NFL star DeMarcus Ware and actresses Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Aniston started touting its benefits.Researchers have traced cuppings origins back to China and Greece somewhere around 1500 B.C., and Team USA gymnast Alex Naddour was among other Olympians who have been seen with the purple marks in Rio. And its not just for star athletes. Health spas often offer the service for a few hundred dollars and the cups can be purchased online for as little as $15 and applied at home.Some in the medical community believe its nothing but hocus pocus, the latest form of snake oil that tricks patients into paying for it again and again. Others insist that it aids recovery, relaxes muscles and helps an athlete maximize performance.Phelps certainly believes in it. In the end, that may be all that matters.Ive done it before meets at pretty much every meet I go to, he said.The treatment involves applying glass or plastic cups to the area of discomfort and either applying heat or suction to create a vacuum. The suction pulls the skin away from the muscle and draws oxygenated blood to the area. The suction also is what causes the bruising, like giant hickey without the fun that comes with it.I havent had bad ones like this in in a while, Phelps said on Sunday, a day after the relay.Steve Hamilton, a massage therapist for the Denver Broncos, has used the technique for years in working with players. He said the biggest benefits include increased circulation, decreased muscle tension, decreased inflammation, increased range of motion and improved blood flow.Its effectiveness is because its all part of the bodys natural healing process, Hamilton said. But cupping helps the body recover faster by keeping the process moving forward. Its awesome because its all natural.But there is a scarcity of accredited studies to prove cuppings efficacy, which has led to a fair amount of skepticism. Many doctors have called it nonsense, and others believe it is no more effective than a placebo.Russian state TV, after watching more than 100 of its athletes become embroiled in a doping investigation that excluded them from the Rio Games, took a dig at Phelps when it branded cupping as-yet legal doping in a lengthy feature on the treatment.Hamilton said cupping is no such thing.It helps enhance the bodys natural neurological and circulatory function, thus allowing the body to be pushed and perform at a higher competitive level, he said.Phelps even included the process, which can be painful, in a commercial he did for Under Armour on the rigorous training he puts his body through to get ready to compete. When he is competing in an event where victory is measured in fractions of a second, any little edge could make the difference.If he feels like he feels better, Hamilton said, thats never a bad thing.---(equals)AP National Writer Paul Newberry and AP Sports Writers Arnie Stapleton and James Ellingworth contributed to this report.Jonathan Celestin Jersey . Both players have lower body injuries that will keep them out of the lineup until at least January 31, which is the first game they can be activated from IR. Ian Thomas Jersey . Kozun faked to the forehand and beat Monsters starter, Calvin Pickard, pad side in the second round for the winner. Spencer Abbott also scored in the shootout for the Marlies (25-13-4). http://www.cheappanthersjerseyselite.com/?tag=cheap-dontari-poe-jersey . Only three players drafted by NHL clubs were included on the Czech selection camp roster on Wednesday. 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The candidates -- all previously announced in their own countries -- are: Almaty, Kazakhstan; Beijing; Krakow, Poland; Lviv, Ukraine; Oslo, Norway; and Stockholm.Socceroos players will not be asked to mute any goal celebrations against Thailand over the death of the countrys king.Thailand was plunged into a 30-day period of mourning following King Bhumibol Adulyadejs passing last month, prompting initial disruptions to Tuesday nights World Cup qualifier.After an early request to move the game to a neutral venue, the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) agreed to host the Group B tie on November 15 as scheduled, on the condition fans refrain from singing, cheering and drumming.However the restrictions were subsequently relaxed on the basis the match falls one day after the official mourning period ends on November 14.Supporters would be allowed to bring banners and instruments and sing cheering songs and appropriately conduct joyful activities.What is considered appropriate remains open to interpretation.But while both teams will wear black armbands as a sign of respect, Postecoglou signalled he had no intention of instructing his players to sway from their usual match routine or celebrations on the pitch.The game needs to run normally, and from our intent it will be, Postecoglou said.The information we have is that the game will run normally so Im not going to try and manufacture something in the game or the context to reflect the circumstances of the game.ddddddddddddIts been sanctioned to go ahead, so it goes ahead.A couple of thousand fans have made the trip from Australia, and coupled with a large expat community the match is expected to get the biggest turnout of any of the Socceroos away qualifiers.In terms of supporters its been well-documented, the expectations, Postecoglou said.Id be very surprised if the supporters arent respectful of that.We travel throughout the region and more often than not the supporters are well-behaved.Postecoglou was reluctant to call it a must-win game despite the implications the result could have on the second-placed Socceroos group standing.He was more focused on his team producing the right type of performance.We knew the first five games would be really tough because we had two trips to the Middle East plus this away game, and one of our home games against Japan, Postecoglou said.If we play well and claim maximum points well be on 11 points from five games.Regardless of what the others do well be in a good position with three home games next year plus Iraq at a neutral venue - so weve only really got one away game in the back half.Well let the others fight it at the others do well be in a good poale Baseball Jerseys[/url] ' ' '