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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. Reds Jerseys 2020 . The scientists believe the small earthquake during a Marshawn Lynch touchdown was likely greater than Lynchs famous "beast quake" touchdown run three years ago, which also came against New Orleans during a playoff game. Stitched Reds Jerseys . Paul Pierce couldnt believe he missed at the end. 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CALGARY, Alberta -- Somewhere out there in hockey coach exile, Bob Hartley is quite possibly giggling to himself.Fired after last season because management no longer could motivate the Calgary Flames, Hartley now watches from a safe distance as his old team stumbles out of the gate to start the 2016-17 season.Its been left to new head coach Glen Gulutzan to find a way to light a fire under a team that is off to a 1-3-1 start and in danger of heading into a brutal stretch in their schedule already in a hole.The Flames host the tough St. Louis Blues on Saturday night before they head out to play the Chicago Blackhawks and Blues again next week. Eleven of their next 12 games are against teams that made the playoffs last spring.Calgary is coming off a 4-2 home-ice loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday, which left Gulutzan standing in the same spot Hartley found himself after frustrating losses last season, being grilled during his post-game session in the media lounge.It was clear that Gulutzan would have spent Fridays off day trying to figure out how to fix his lame power play, which was 0-for-6 and pedestrian.I dont think were shooting the puck and winning battles enough, he said. You cant shoot the puck if you dont win battles.Gulutzan was then asked if frustration had already set in his dressing room.Just parts of our game are frustrating right now. Whats frustrating me is the specialty teams. It was 3-2 until the last five-on-three. The Hurricanes were one-for-six on the power play and we were zero-for-six. Thats the difference for me.The Flames sttumbled out of the gate under Hartley in October of 2015 and never recovered.dddddddddddd They were 3-8-1 after the first month. After Thursdays loss, a similar start appears quite possible.Whats going on?Were trying to make plays that arent there and weve got to just make those simple plays, said Flames center Sean Monahan, who signed a six-year, $40 million contract in August. It almost feels like were not on the same page. Its not working well right now and weve got to figure it out.Flames general manager Brad Treliving went out and got two veteran goaltenders to try and solve a problem at that position, but through five games nothing has changed.New No. 1 Brian Elliott is 0-3 and gave up three goals on his first 13 shots on Thursday. He was acquired from the Blues at the draft for a second round pick and conditional third round choice.Gulutzan will have to decide whether to go with Elliott against his former team Saturday or switch to Chad Johnson, a free agent signing from Buffalo and a winner against those Sabres in his only start of the season on Tuesday.(Brians) a pro. He will find whatever rhythm he needs. I dont know if he is lacking confidence or anything. I think the focal point is getting some run support for our goalie.The Blues arrive in Calgary with a 3-1-1 record. They got off to a perfect start but lost in overtime in Vancouver on Tuesday and fell 4-1 to the Edmonton Oilers in the Alberta capital on Thursday. ' ' '