cupping

[Victor Steinbok]

Latest celebrity gossip posts pictures of Jennifer Aniston with
off-color circular blotches on the back. It seems that, like Gwyneth
Paltrow earlier, Aniston is a practitioner of "cupping".

Cupping is in the OED as cupping n. 1. The latest example is from
1886--which seems a bit out of date. There is also a "surg." notation
and the distinction between "wet cupping" and "dry cupping". I'm not
entirely sure if "wet cupping" is still practiced /anywhere/. And
"surg." seems to be superfluous.

What's listed as "dry cupping", however, passes for traditional medicine
in some parts of the world. People Magazine article on Aniston's
appearance http://goo.gl/H24ST described it as "an ancient Chinese form
of alternative medicine". Oddly enough, in East European countries this
is not even considered "alternative medicine"--it's a common treatment
for the common cold, among others. Because of heat and vacuum involved,
immediate appearance of the affected skin resembles pepperoni pizza.
After a while, the dark circles change to a muted red color. With
Aniston's spray tan they actually seem to be lighter than the rest of
her skin.

In any case, the entry seems to be in need of an update.

     VS-)

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