Development Of Hijama In US

By Edward Wright


HIjama refers to an Arabic word with the translation sucking in the English language. It is a process in Arabic traditional medicine which involves using suction to draw blood from the body through tiny incisions on the skin. Muhammad endorsed the process as being the best medicine according to Muslim religious writings. Hijama is now being practiced in all parts of the world even in western countries. The history of Hijama in US is still relatively young.

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.

The process starts by shaving the site where sucking will take place so that the cup can make a tight seal with the skin. Cups are usually made from various materials including metal, plastic, and glass. However, traditionally, horns were the main objects used for the purpose. The cup is placed on the shaved site to form a seal. Cotton or paper may be placed on the mouth of the cup to enhance clinging.

The practitioner then sucks on the free end of the cup using their mouth. Modern practitioners use machines instead of their mouths. More traditional practitioners still use fire for its curative element and benefits. The cup is left to stay on the site for a few minutes before being pulled out to make small incisions on the skin. The cup is then returned in place for blood to flow into it. The cup is only removed when blood flow subsides.

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.

The procedure is known to treat or reduce severity of many medical conditions including chronic tension, nonspecific low back pain, herpetic neuralgia, and migraine headache. A reduction in frequency and severity of headaches has been reported among patients of migraine headaches. There are also claims that this process can treat cancer. However, there is no scientific evidence in support of such claims, which makes them wrong.

Many people often confuse hijama and bloodletting, although the two are different techniques. In bloodletting, veins are cut to bleed blood from the patient whereas as hijama relies on suction to draw blood into the cup. Some of the practitioners that performed the process in ancient worlds include barbers, surgeons, and bath house attendants.

The major side effect of this process is pain due to skin cuts. Precaution needs to be taken in order to avoid infection. The tools used should be sterilized and kept in good hygienic condition for safety purposes.




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