Development Of Hijama In US

By Edward Wright


HIjama is an Arabic word that translates to sucking in the English language. It is practiced in Arabic traditional medicine and it involves drawing blood from a small incision made in the skin for therapeutic purposes. Muslim spiritual writings hold that the process was endorsed by prophet Muhammad as the best medicine that Muslims have. Hijama is now spread in the whole world including western countries. Hijama in US has a relatively young history.

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.

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 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.

Bloodletting is often confused with hijama, but the two techniques are very different. Whereas bloodletting works by opening veins to bleed the patient, hijama only draws blood through suction to a specific location. During ancient times, these process was performed by different practitioners including bath house attendants, surgeons, and barbers.

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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