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. Ecco Scarpe Scontate . Perhaps Carroll was so prepared for a break because he believes there is very little the Seattle Seahawks need heading into the off-season. "I dont see anything that we need to add. We just have to get better," Carroll said. Ecco Scontate Outlet .Y. - General manager Billy King says the Brooklyn Nets are looking to add a big man and confirmed the team worked out centre Jason Collins, who would become the first openly gay active NBA player if signed. http://www.eccooutlet.it/ . Instead of dwelling on the negative, Oates focused on what was good about the clubs recent play. It worked. Ecco Scarpe Saldi . -- The Missouri Tigers might not have a roster full of superstars. Ecco Outlet Online . Belfort (24-10) needed just 77 seconds to down Henderson in the headlining bout of Saturdays "UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson" event at Goiania Arena in Goiania, Brazil. The fight served as a rematch of the pairs 2006 meeting, which Henderson won by decision. TORONTO -- The Houston Astros have a whole lot of rookies in the lineup right now.Two of them played a big part in Friday nights win at Toronto.Joe Musgrove pitched seven innings for his first major league win, Teoscar Hernandez homered for his first big league hit and the Astros beat the Blue Jays 5-3.Nine of the 25 players on Houstons current roster are rookies, tied with Oakland for most in the majors.Weve got a pretty young group now, manager A.J. Hinch said. This is fun to watch these guys come up and break in.Astros DH Evan Gattis had four hits, including two doubles. Hernandez had two hits and reached base three times while George Springer singled and walked three times.Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve had two RBI each as Houston extended its winning streak to four.Making his second career start, and facing the team that drafted him in 2011, Musgrove (1-0) allowed two runs and six hits.Its awesome, Musgrove said. Its definitely good to get that first one out of the way, get the nerves and stuff out of the way.The Blue Jays traded Musgrove to the Astros in July 2012, as part of a nine-player deal that sent left-hander J.A. Happ to Toronto.He used all four of his pitches, Hinch said. Seven strong innings is about as much as you could expect at his development curve right now.Hernandez found out Thursday that he was being selected from Triple-A, and was too excited to sleep before catching a 4:00 A.M. flight from Fresno. He finally arrived at Rogers Centre about an hour before the game, and didnt even have time to take any swings before his first at-bat, a walk. He homered in the sixth and singled in the eighth.Incredible day, a day that Im never going to forget, Hernandez said.Edwin Encarnacion hit his 300th home run and Michael Saunders hit his career-high 20th, but the Blue Jays lost for the first time in four meetings with the Astros.Good for Eddie, manager John Gibbons said. He puts himself in a different category with 300.Encarnacions 32nd home run tied him with Baltimores Mark Trumbo for the major league lead.Pat Neshek handled the eighth and Will Harris workedd around Encarnacions homer in the ninth for his 12th save.ddddddddddddBlue Jays left-hander Francisco Liriano (6-12) took the loss in his home debut with Toronto, allowing five runs and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings.I was behind in the count a lot so that didnt help, Liriano said through a translator.GURRIELS DEBUT DRAWS NEARCuban infielder Yulieski Gurriel, who signed a five-year, $47.5 million deal with Houston on July 16, is expected to make his major league debut against St. Louis on Tuesday. Gurriel defected in February after competing in the Caribbean World Series in the Dominican Republic. He entered play Friday batting .321 with one home run and nine RBI in eight games at three minor league levels.POWER TRIOToronto is the fifth team in the majors with at least three players with 20 homers (Encarnacion, Josh Donaldson, Saunders). The others are Baltimore, Colorado, Detroit and Seattle. The Orioles have four 20-homer hitters.TRAINERS ROOMAstros: OF Colby Rasmus had surgery Wednesday to remove a cyst from his right ear. He is expected back by mid-September. ... OF Jake Marisnick (right groin) was not in the lineup for a second straight game. He is day-to-day. ... OF Preston Tucker (right shoulder) was placed on the 15-day DL. ... Houston activated RHP Luke Gregerson (left oblique) off the 15-day DL and put RHP Ken Giles on the paternity list.Blue Jays: OF Ezequiel Carrera (left Achilles) went 0 for 4 and struck out three times in a rehab game at Triple-A Buffalo. Carrera is expected to come off the DL on Tuesday.UP NEXTAstros: RHP Collin McHugh (7-9, 4.69) has lost his past three decisions. McHugh matched a season-worst by giving up 10 hits in an Aug. 8 start at Minnesota.Blue Jays: RHP Aaron Sanchez (11-2, 2.85) lost at Kansas City in his previous start, his first defeat since April 22 against Oakland. Manager John Gibbons confirmed Friday Sanchez will be skipped in the rotation over the next few weeks in an effort to limit his innings. Wholesale Hoodies NFL Shirts Outlet Jerseys NFL Wholesale Cheap NFL Jerseys Free Shipping Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '