What Hijama In US Entails

By Edward Wright


HIjama means sucking when translated into English from Arabic. It is a method of treatment used in Arabic traditional medicine. Blood is drawn from the body through suction. It involves cutting the skin for blood to come out through. This technique of treatment received endorsement from Muhammad, the Muslim prophet as a good way of treating disease. Many parts of the world now practice the technique. Hijama in US and other western countries has a short history but is being adopted fast.

The process of hijama can be done on any part of the body. In most cases, it is performed at sites where pain is being experienced in order to reduce of alleviate the pain. Over use of this procedure is warned against, with suggestions recommending only six points on the body as optimal for cleaning the whole cardiovascular system.

Before the process is started, site preparation is done by shaving it clean. Shaving allows the cup and skin to make a tight seal. Glass, plastic, and metal are some of the materials commonly used to make cups. Horns were the traditional objects used in ancient times. A seal is formed between the prepared site and the cup when it is placed in place. The mouth of the cup may be installed with cotton or paper to make clinging happen better.

The practitioner then uses their mouth to suck on the other end of the cup. Modern practitioners prefer using machines instead of mouths. The curative benefits of fire makes more traditional practitioners to continue using it. The cup stays in place for minutes before the practitioner pulls it off to make small incisions on the skin. When the cup is returned, blood flows into it. When blood subsides, the cup is removed.

In some cases, hijama can lower pain, according to research. This however works in certain incidents only. For example, it does not work on patients undergoing stroke rehabilitation. The technique needs to be used with therapies from conventional medicine for it to be effective. It was found to significantly reduce lab markers for illness.

Some of the medical conditions that the procedure is known to treat or reduce severity include chronic tension, migraine headache, nonspecific low back pain, and herpetic neuralgia. People who suffer from migraine headaches reported that the severity and frequency at which the headaches occurred reduced significantly. Some practitioners claim that the procedure can be used for the treatment of cancer. Such claims are unfounded since there is no scientific evidence to support them.

Even though bloodletting and hijama are two different techniques, some people often confuse them. Bloodletting involves bleeding the patient by cutting their blood veins. The same is not true for hijama because blood is only drawn through suction action. Barbers, bath house attendants, and surgeons were some of the practitioners who performed the process in ancient times.

Pain resulting from skin cuts is the main side effect of the process. Infection may also occur, which makes it necessary to exercise a lot of caution. The tools used should be cleaned and sterilized well to ensure safety.




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