What Hijama In US Entails

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.

Hijama is capable of being done on any section of the body. Since the process is meant to reduce pain, it is done in places where one is experiencing pain. Overuse is often warned against. There are six parts of the body where the process is recommended to be done. Performing the process in this six parts leads to thorough cleaning of the cardiovascular system.

Site preparation is the first step in this process. It involves shaving the site clean to allow for formation of a tight seal between skin and cup. Most modern cups are made from synthetic materials like metal, plastic, and glass as opposed to horned cups that were used traditionally. Placing the cup onto the skin forms a seal. The ability to cling is improved by placing cotton or paper at the mouth of the cup.

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.

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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