Wet Cupping / Hijama treatment after a rugby knee injury

Wet Cupping / Hijama treatment after a rugby knee injury by Dr Rizwhan Suleman MChiro of ICAHT

The following is a video by Dr Rizwhan Suleman (Mchiro) of ICAHT.

This is a video tutorial used as part of the course material for the Institute of Clinically Applied Hijama Therapy Diploma course taught in the United Kingdom. The video demonstrates some of the basic protocols of practice outlined in the course for wet cupping practitioners.






BELOW IS A ROUGH TRANSCRIPT OF THE VIDEO

0:00
Okay we have got Chris here, who has been suffering from some knee problems. He has had an operation on his knee
To patient: What was it exactly?
Patient:  It was an ACL hamstring graft and they cleaned up my miniscus as well

So Chris has been having some chiropractic treatment, we have been doing some Graston technique on the knee, with IAM tools rather. We have also been doing some dry cupping. And one thing he has been experiencing is every time he exercises he starts to get some swelling around his knee and he feels that there is still some residual swelling around the knee that hasn't gone. So we will be doing some wet-cupping to see if we can release some of that stagnant swelling or the blood around the knee that isn't clearing, and see if that helps him work and train better so that he can rehabilitate his knee more efficiently.

Health-screen Process prior to the Hijama treatment

00:50 So basically I just need to go through some health-screening with you to make sure you are suitable for this, as this is not for everyone.

Some standard health-screening/ medical history questions to the patient:

Have you ever:
 - Had a blood-borne virus?
-  Fainted ?
- Had seizures or epilepsy?
- Are you diabetic?
-  No blood-clotting disorder
- Ever had Anemia, less iron or blood in the body
- Are you okay with scarring (do you get keloid scarring) / do you have healing issues?
-  Are you ok when you see blood or  needles?

-  Have you ever had any form of cancer?

- or neurological disorders?
- Previous operations: ALC & Hamstring graft, shaving of miniscus
Patient's Consent
1:40 If I can have your signature here to say you are okay with it (proceeding with the hijama treatment)

Explanation of possible side-effects of Hijama
1:43 The possible side-effects: Scarring from the small scratches and small marks it is quite uncommon, but it is possible with some patients. Obviously as I mentioned, you can feel light-headed, and you can feel itchy for one or two days afterwards, and sometimes it can sting, so try not to scratch the area or anything like that. And that is pretty much it.

Taking the patients blood pressure.
2:08 Nice healthy blood-pressure 120/70 it's not particularly low, which means you are less likely to faint or anything like that during the treatment.

Explanation of the treatment procedure.
2:17  We are going to be using these cups and we will be applying them on the sides of the knee and we will create a negative pressure by using this pump which sucks the air out which will create the negative pressure. As you can see the blood is increasing around that area, so it increases the blood circulation in that area, and we will take the cup off after a couple of minutes. We will make small scratches, that are basically tiny nips. They are not deep cuts, and it is literally a tiny nip of the skin. We will then pop the cup back on, re-apply the suction and leave it there for a little bit. It can be quite uncomfortable having the suction done. If anything is too strong then let me know. Also the little nips, again some people find them quite painful, most people find them ticklish. But if there is anything uncomfortable, you can stop me at any time. During the treatment you can feel a little bit light-headed. We are going to treat you sitting up, as we are working on the knee and it is easier to work on the knee in that way. If you do feel light-headed or dizzy at any time, then just let me know straight away, and we will lay you down, because you can feel faint - but most of the time it is from seeing the blood rather than anything else, people feel faint, that is why ask the (health-screen) questions before (as to whether you are blood-phobic), but it (the treatment) is pretty harmless otherwise.

Hijama Treatment
3:23 Okay, so we are going to start with the procedure now. I am just going to apply a little bit of oil onto the surface of the knee, to prevent any air getting into the cup, so we get a nice attachment to the knee. We are going to apply oil on the sides here, just smoothing the hair down. These are all single use cups. Everything we use in the clinic is single-use for each patient. So there is no chance of cross-infection and these sorts of things happening.

4:01 Right so we are going to leave these cups on now for a couple of minutes (the initial dry-cupping stage), to just let any swelling or inflammation to be drawn to the surface, and then we will start with some small scratches.

4:15 Okay we will start with the small cuts now, and we are going to see how it feels. A lot of people ask if this is painful, so I would want you to give some feedback on this video, of how it is feeling. Okay we will start with the first cut, tiny little scratch

To patient: Is that okay?
Patient: Yes that is fine. Didn't really feel that

Okay tiny little nips, lots of them
Patient: Little spikes
That's fine? Wasn't too bad?
Patient: Not at all, felt like scratches
And we will pop the cup back on
And we will now go for the next cup, same thing again - tiny little scratches.
(Fourth cup): I think this is the one that is inflamed quite a lot.

5:23 All cups back on

How does it feel
Patient: Yeah fine. I am surprised, I was expecting it to be painful. I can't feel anything. I was expecting to feel light-headed

5:35 Okay so we have left the cups on for about 7-8 minutes. We are going to start taking them off now and you can see what happens. So I am just going to put some tissue under the cup, and pop the nozzle of the cup to release the air. Pressure starts to release and I have to try not to make a mess of this. As you can see the blood is kind of congealed up. And then wipe the area.

Was that okay? Did that sting?
Patient: It's fine.

I'm going to apply some wound wash, basically some anti-septic on the area. The bleeding is pretty much stopped straight away, you might get some tiny little drops still coming through, but that should stop in the next few minutes.

Treatment finished
7:10 Patient tries bending knee completely
Patient: Couldn't do that before (the treatment)! So whatever you have done has worked. It's strange isn't it?  Well not strange..  it makes sense

Post-treatment feedback
7:21
How was it?
Patient: It feels fine. I can feel like a release of pressure. There is a little bit of a tingling where the scratches are. Other than that, I don't feel light-headed and it feels good.

Institute of Clinically Applied Hijama Therapy (ICAHT)

Study the science of Hijama with qualified doctors.

Learn how to:

• Practice hijama within safe clinical remits
• Treat patients with effective treatment techniques
• Know the limits of care and how to deal with emergencies
• Practice infection control to a clinical standard
• Understand the important anatomy of the human body

Receive:

• Continued professional mentorship
• ICAHT membership
• Hands-on clinical training

ONLY 5 PLACES LEFT TO STUDY A HIJAMA DIPLOMA WITH ICAHT THIS JUNE!

Are you a Medical Doctor, Qualified Health Professional or some one deeply committed to learning the science of hijama?

Are you currently based in or able to travel to Leicester?

Are you passionate about reviving the Sunnah of our Prophet and helping people?

Well this is your opportunity to enrol on the ICAHT Diploma in Clinically Applied Hijama Therapy.

ICAHT - "Uniting Traditional Practice with Clinical Science" 


- 

FEATURED HIJAMA TRAINING PROVIDERS:
Institute of Clinically Applied Hijama Therapy (ICAHT)

CONTACT DETAILS:
Mobile:07533 446 373
Email: admin@icaht.co.uk
Website: www.icaht.co.uk

_________________________________________________


Our thanks to Dr Rizwhan Suleman of  ICAHT from UK for sharing the above post. If you have any questions or want to leave some feedback for them, then please do so via a comment* below.

If you are a hijama therapist or patient and are happy to share your knowledge or experience via a guest blog-post like the one above, please send me an email to: hijama.mail@gmail.com.

*Comments are moderated to prevent spamming so may take some time to appear

Varicocele treatment with Hijama & Tibb-e-Nabawi

This is a guest-post by Abu Abdul Wali - a male cupping therapist based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia


Varicocele treatment with Hijama & Tibb-e-Nabawi by Abu Abdul Wali

As the West says, Varicoceles are enlarged varicose veins that occur in the scrotum. They are fairly common, affecting 15% of men overall and 40% of men with known infertility. Varicoceles occur most often in the left testicle. Varicoceles are thought to raise the temperature of the testicles or cause blood to back up in the veins supplying the testicles. Although the mechanism by which varicoceles affect fertility is poorly understood, varicoceles seem to damage or kill the sperm.

Varicocele repair is performed by SURGERY to improve male fertility. A small incision is made in the abdomen close to where the testicles originally descend through the abdominal wall. The veins that produce the varicocele are identified and cut to eliminate blood flow to the varicocele.

We simply perform Hijamah as 8 points on the back & few additional points on the front (shown in the pictures).

And to improve sperm quality, we also give "Arad Khurma" for Spermatorrhoea & Oligospermia, & we ask the patient to wear loose clothes & keep the temperature controlled in the mid-section. Tight clothing is against the teachings of ISLAM because MODESTY needs loose clothes, here you can realize the importance of SUNNAH clothing, it is not only for the HAYA but also for a healthy body. And we give a well-balanced diet plan from Tibb-e-Nabawi foods / drinks with least amounts of animal proteins / fats ~ so as to avoid UTI, urine retention & constipation.

In 2012, I had a patient who had undergone Varicocele surgery during 2010 (with no results), he also tried IVF twice (test tube) but Allah's Will Over-ruled. I performed his Hijamah & the herbal medicine was given & I asked him to wear loose clothes. A diet plan was also advised to minimize urinary tract infections, & to eliminate urine retention & constipation.

I kept calling him for 2 months for any feedbacks but he had no results, & then I lost his number & it was like a forgotten story.

It was before 4 months from today when he suddenly appeared & came for Hijamah once again. I recognized him & it was a surprise for me that his wife was in 8^th month of her pregnancy, & we checked again with the family, Alhamdolillah that a child Has Been Gifted to them by Allah.

For building a firm belief on Nabawi medicine, such a success story helps the community.

 FEATURED HIJAMA THERAPIST:
Abu Abdul Wali

LOCATION:
Jeddah
Saudi Arabia

CONTACT DETAILS:
Email:shami@tibbenabawi.org
Website: www.tibbenabawi.org

_________________________________________________

Our thanks to Abu Abdul Wali from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for sharing the above post. If you have any questions for Br Hasan or indeed have been treated by him and want to leave him a testimonial, then please do so via a comment* below.

If you are a hijama therapist or patient and are happy to share your knowledge or experience via a guest blog-post like the one above, please send me an email to: hijama.mail@gmail.com.

*Comments are moderated to prevent spamming so may take some time to appear

---------------------------------------------

Hijama in Madina Al-Monawarah, Saudi Arabia

The following is a guest blog-post in the form of a written interview with Dr Emad Ahmed

Fathy, a male cupping therapist from Madina Al-Monawarah, Saudi Arabia.

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته

In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
Assalamu Alaikom Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakaatuhu

 Please give us a short introduction about yourself, and in particular how you ended up being a hijama therapist?


In the name of Allah

I graduated in 1992 from Cairo University with two Bachelors that I took concurrently; ( College of science, human anatomy and physiology, Faculty of medicine as well. I used to work as ICU resident then, till int. medicine diploma application. I came to KSA 10 years ago, starting soon to teach in the nursing institute, beside my clinical work. Then a pioneer cupper, sheikh Ahmed Hefney visited me as a part of "Daawa", talking to me for the first time in my life about: " Hijama!!".. Sheikh Ahmad is the trainer of most of the middle east practitioners. Actually he was very decent, patient with me, enthusiastic as well. With his advice and other professors esp. Prof. Yehia Khawaji, Prof. Abu Bakr El-Tibiqey, We could arrange for the first course on medical hijama ( Please see the link at the end of the article ).


And in this way the first medical center for wet cupping " Hijama" in Al Madinah Al Monawarah in the recent times started, called: Madina Center For safe Cupping . After that many modern hijama centers ensued in the city hospitals to replace the traditional practitioners.

People of Madinah remember all hadith of Mohammad ( PBUH ), and how he did deal with hijama, they also have a special concern for the correct hadith, of Abdullah Ibn Omar in which meaning, rasoulullah mentioned that: " Hijama on waking without having eaten anything more ideal, and includes cure and "Barakat", increasing wisdom with information keeping, and increases "Hafez" memory. With "Baraka" from Allah, have hijama done to you, on 17th, 19th and 21st, not to have blood excited inside a man to kill him"..

- What particular illnesses/ conditions (if any), do you specialise / had the most experience in?

People of Madinah seek hijama to treat lethargy, all types of headache, migraine, back pain, sciatica, joint pain and weak vision.



- And do you find that in your experience, the conditions/illnesses that you have come across respond well to cupping (hijama) therapy? And if so, what are they?

I find interest in treating neck pain, migraine, facial palsy, hypertension and bronchial asthma using hijama and Indian costus ( Coleus Forskolii )..

In the following link is a schedule for statistics of different diagnoses in two cupping centers that I initiated in Madinah from the files of 1000 selected cases over 5 yrs. Approximately, success rate was 70% in most of the cases: ( Please see the link at the end of article ).



- Do you have any interesting case-studies that you can briefly share with us from your hijama treatments?



One of my most successful cases was when I received a 60 yrs old male patient, with Type II Diabetes Mellitus, essential hypertension on conventional ttt, who developed new onset dropping of upper eye lid ( ptosis ), on the left side and sought hijama to treat it. Haemodynamics were stable, but the blood sugar had a transient rise in the last few weeks, it was controlled by his diabetologist. I started hijama session with my patient in the sitting position, using the 12-cups disposable china cupping set. I took patient's consent on the sites I was going to use ( a combined approach including
sunna sites ( between the shoulders, behand the ears, and over the posterior fontanelle "Du20")).

From TCM, I added two sites on both sides above the eyebrows and beside the eyes.
Fulfilling an infection control procedure with disposable tools, I did 0.5-0.8 mm superficial scratches parallel to the skin crease and/or the meridians in the concerned point. When I just finished the supraorbital points I got surprised with patient opening his eyes!! He closed them again. He did not believe it. " I saw you , please open your eyes", I said. Then a permanent cure was obtained..
Finishing the session with everybody happy.. Thanks to Allah. Glucose tolerance, BP control, became better after hijama as well.


- Also what would you say about using cupping as a general preventative therapy and how often would you recommend this (once a month? once/twice a year?)


As a general preventative therapy, Rasoulullah ( PBUH ) mentioned that in correct (Saheeh) hadith, after he himself had hijama at the front of the head and between the shoulders. He then said that anybody who gets rid of that blood would not need a remedy for a disease.

So I have the impression that : a healthy person below 40 yrs old can make hijama once yearly during spring season to refresh his health. Over 40's do it every 6 months without a chronic disease for health maintenance, upto 65 yrs old , provided that there is no anemia of bleeding disorder..
In the hot equatorial countries you may double that rate. A tradition in Madina here is to have it once yearly for prophylaxis. From correct sunna, it is not known anyway that Rasolullah suggested one-year interval, nor anybody of "sahabah" had it more frequentlly that one month interval.

- As a hijama therapist, how often do you get hijama done yourself, and what for (if any specific condition) and who do you go to to get it done (since it is not an easy therapy to self-administer)?


For me myself I have hijama done every 6 months by a colleague physician at home.


- What is the status and overall prevalance of hijama therapy in Saudi Arabia? Is it available in hospitals and clinics as a valid alternative / sunnah therapy? 

Hijama status in KSA is favorable, as KSA is  the castle of Islam, and hijama is a "sunnah". High prevalence is there in Madinah and Makka, but still Madinah is ranking 1st. Here we have a lot of infection-controlled centers with non-medical career practitioners who work under governorate supervision. Inshallah, in the near future we will see hijama in the clinics, according to the good news we hear from friends in the ministry of health.

A research medical Islamic cupping clinic is working now in Tibah University.

- Whereabouts is your clinic or practice located and what services do you offer?

From 10 years, I stayed 5 years practicing both medicine and hijama in 2 centers of Madinah. Now regulations here are more strict for health professions to wait till Ministry of Health permit us to do it. So if a patient needs my service I have to see him at his home.


- Is there anything else you would like to add?

I wish that hijama takes the position it deserves inside the hospitals, for sure it will save pain, time and money for the patients and community.

I saw that a lot of times, read on Ovid evidence based articles, I expect every human being will live a happy life, suffer less if he if he knew hijama.

For more information see my sites:
In all languages: www.emadahmed.tk
Also see: مقالات الدكتور عماد احمد فتحي - الحجامة وكل ما يتعلق بها
http://www.nawiseh.com/Medicine/dremad/index.htm
Much Obliged.
Dr. Emad Ahmed Fathy.

FEATURED HIJAMA THERAPIST:Dr. Emad Ahmed Fathy.

PRACTICE LOCATION:
Madina Al-Monawarah
Saudi Arabia


CONTACT DETAILS:

Email: emadahmed202@gmail.com
Website: www.emadahmed.tk

Our thanks to Dr Emad Ahmed Fathy for sharing the above post. If you have any questions or want to leave some feedback, then please do so via a comment* below.

If you are a hijama therapist or patient and are happy to share your knowledge or experience via a guest blog-post like the one above, please send me an email to: hijama.mail@gmail.com.

*Comments are moderated to prevent spamming so may take some time to appear

---------------------------------------------

The use of cupping as a therapy for post stroke rehabilitation

The use of cupping as a therapy for post stroke rehabilitation - by Dr Joy Saville.

The following is a guest blog-post in the form of a written interview with Dr Joy Saville, a female cupping therapist from South Africa. 

Please give us a short introduction about yourself, and in particular how you ended

up getting involved with cupping?

I studied Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) at the University of the Western Cape and specialized in Unani-Tibb as it is the foundation of conventional medicine, shares roots with African Traditional Medicine and parallels can be drawn between the philosophical principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda. I was introduced to Cupping therapy whilst studying Tibb. As I had never previously been exposed to CAM I found the system of medicine and the therapies, including cupping therapy, fascinating.


Have you researched any illnesses/ conditions with regards to treatment with hijama/ wet-cupping?

I have not performed any formal research studies in cupping therapy. As a Tibb practitioner I see a vast array of illness conditions and record my clinical findings as best possible. Conditions that I have a special interest in include many common chronic illness conditions. This includes diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, chronic tension headaches, asthma, back ache and stroke to mention a few.

- You have written an article on the use of cupping as a post-stroke therapy.  What is the background of that? If applicable, how many patients took part and how long did it take?

I wrote an article for a health segment in one of the local newspapers of the benefits of cupping therapy in Post stroke debility after reviewing many case studies compiled by myself and my colleagues at the Tibb Medical Centre in Cape Town. I used the Tibb philosophical principles as a basis, the rationale and clinical benefits of cupping therapy and the numerous case studies I received to complete the aforementioned article.


- What was the outcome/conclusion of the article?
Cupping therapy is an effective therapy in the treatment of many illness conditions including post stroke debility. Its efficacy is enhanced if a holistic approach to treatment is adopted. Therefore, adjusting your lifestyle to be in accordance with your temperament and illness condition is imperative for successful disease management.



 - Are you planning any other hijama-related studies in the near future?

Definitely! I believe that cupping is one of the most effective and beneficial therapies available. It is non invasive, relatively painless and it works at both the emotional and physical level. It not only assists in the treatment of disease, but it can also be used in the maintenance of health. I have just read a study on the “Immunomodulatory Effects of Bloodletting Therapy in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis” by Drs Sahbaa Ahmed, Nour Madbouly, Soheir Maklad and Eman Abu-Shady. The study shows an improvement in the biochemical markers of this autoimmune disorder. In future, I would like to do more research in the use of cupping therapy in various autoimmune conditions as I feel that there is a great need for a complementary treatment option.




 - If you have hijama done yourself, how often do you get it done, and what for (if any specific condition) and who do you go to get it done (since it is not an easy therapy to self-administer)?
As a result of me relocating, I have not yet found a suitable cupping practitioner. I usually ask my husband to do dry cupping over the health maintenance points on my back. These points cover the 3 main organs i.e. brain, heart and liver as well as the reproductive organs and small and large bowel. These points are really common cupping points for many illness conditions, but also help with disease prevention. I also have cups placed over my trapezius muscles to relieve the strain and inflammation that often happens due to poor desk posture.



- Do you have any other interesting case-studies that you can briefly share with us from your hijama treatments?
I am not sure if the conditions I have seen can be defined as interesting as they are relatively common chronic diseases. Like I have mentioned before I have had great success in the management of illness conditions like hypertension, diabetes, tension headaches, menopausal symptoms, and inflammatory muscle and joint conditions.




- Also what would you say about using cupping as a general preventative therapy and how often would you recommend this (once a month? once/twice a year?) And do you think that can be a preventative therapy for stroke and if so, can you briefly explain how that would work.
 Cupping is a fantastic therapy for health maintenance and disease prevention. I would suggest having cupping done once a month for this purpose. However, this will depend on the availability and affordability of this therapy. I believe cupping can assist in preventing strokes. Again a holistic approach needs to be adopted, but I do think that it can either delay the onset or prevent strokes completely. About 85% of strokes are Ischaemic strokes. This results when the blood vessels in the brain are completely or partially blocked and the brain receives an insufficient amount of oxygen. Cupping therapy prevents plaque formation by facilitating blood flow and acting as a means of elimination for waste matter and excess humours which are causative in atherosclerotic plaque formation. This is just one mechanism of action of cupping therapy in the prevention of stroke.



- What is the overall prevalence of hijama therapy and Tibbe Nabawi in South Africa ? Is it available in hospitals and clinics as a valid alternative / sunnah therapy?

Currently we have about 70 registered Tibb practitioners in the Country. Tibb medicine is still based within the private sector and not available in hospitals. The same applies for cupping therapy. There are slightly more practitioners offering cupping as practitioners from other modalities of medicine have access to this therapy, but I cannot say how many exactly. 




- Whereabouts is your clinic or practice located and what services do you offer?

Currently I am not in full time practice. I work for a non-profit organization, The Ibn Sina Institute of Tibb, which was set up to facilitate the promotion and training of Tibb in South Africa. I practice cupping mainly on the Sunnah dates, after hours and over weekends. I also offer therapies like massage therapy and have recently become a Tissue Salts Consultant, in addition to being a Tibb doctor.


-Link to Article of Cupping as a post-stroke therapy:

The use of cupping as a therapy for post stroke

By: Dr. Joy Saville - Tibb Practitioner, 
Published: The Criterion
Jan 2012

FEATURED HIJAMA THERAPIST:
Dr Joy Saville

Tibb Practitioner BSc.BCM (Unani-Tibb) 
Ibn Sina Institute of Tibb

PRACTICE LOCATION:
Johannesburg
South Africa


CONTACT DETAILS:
Email: joy@tibb.co.za

            joysaville@gmail.com
Website: www.tibb.co.za

Our thanks to Dr Joy Saville from Ibn Sina Institute of Tibb in South Africa for sharing the above post. If you have any questions or want to leave some feedback on their training, then please do so via a comment* below.

If you are a hijama therapist or patient and are happy to share your knowledge or experience via a guest blog-post like the one above, please send me an email to: hijama.mail@gmail.com.

*Comments are moderated to prevent spamming so may take some time to appear
---------------------------------------------