Hijama in Islamabad, Pakistan

The following is a guest blog-post by Dr Sohail Qureshi, a male Hijama Practitioner in Islamabad, Pakistan

Hijama in Islamabad, Pakistan by Dr Sohail Qureshi of Islamabad Hijama Health Clinic

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

My name is Dr.Sohail Qureshi. By trade I am a Dental Surgeon. I was still in Medical Academy in my 3rd year when I was first introduced to Blood Letting. This too in Russia, the least of places where one would think of such treatment methods existing.

Basically, we were told by our Professors that Leech Therapy had been proven to have cured various forms of cancer. So we started to treat patients who had been diagnosed with Cancer using Leeches, those little creepy slimy blood suckers. (Just to point out, we used "Virgin Leeches" or also known as Pharmaceutical bred Leeches, which were single use and after treatment they were killed off by placing them in a solution of Ethyl-Alcohol or sometimes in a drink of Vodka)

All this was back in 2001.

For the next 4 years, I had no idea that the process that I was performing on myself and others was in fact a Sunnah, as there is a Hadith that mentions Leeches also.

It was only in 2005 when a Somalian Patient came for some Dental treatment, when I was in the UK, that she mentioned Hijama and how it being a Sunnah, that I was left shocked by the news, of this Method being an important part of our Religion!

Since then, I have never looked back and went from using Leeches to using the Traditional Cupping Method, in which cups are used with the help of a suction pump.

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

The question of a Hijama Therapist specializing in any illness in my humble opinion is rather invalid. Hijama is a method which covers nearly all illnesses and is not like allopathic methodology where a certain medic can study a specific area of the body to become a master of that illness.

As for my personal experience, I need a moment to think. Having treated more than 10,000 patients in the last 3 years of living in Pakistan, I would like to put 2 subcategories to this answer. 

1. Medical Illnesses: Patients who were cured which come to the top of my mind are those who were suffering from arthritis, skin diseases, allergies, general aches and pains. These are just some of the conditions that were successfully treated

2  Paranormal or Metaphysical Illnesses: These type of patients were suffering from unexplained problems which even medical doctors could not diagnose. The results from all the tests were clear but still the patient was in a terrible state. When treated with Hijama, it turned out that it was not a medical condition but rather a phenomena called Jinn Possession. 9 out of 10 Jinn cases were successfully treated, though I must say this is the most difficult of all cases to cure.

Q- 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?

The very common question I get asked by my patients is that how well do other patients respond to Hijama Therapy. In all honesty, this is a pretty difficult question to answer. Let me try to explain.

You see, Hijama is not like Antibiotics where you take a pill every few hours for a few days and you know that symptoms begin to disappear towards the end. In Hijama, because it is the removal of a certain amount of blood from a certain amount of points on the body, the results vary.

I have had certain patients who were complaining of chronic pain in knees, to the point that they were almost unable to walk, and after ONE SINGLE Hijama session, they not only were able to walk again without any pain, but its been a good 3 years now and they have not taken any pain killers.

Having said that, I have had another patient of same sex and similar age with the exact same problem of the knees, and it took them 7-8 Hijama sessions with one session per month. 

So as you can see, 2 patients with similar problems but one got cured by a single treatment while the other had to do it for 8 months.

But as a direct answer to your question, nearly all diseases are curable by Hijama. This I say with confidence because the Ahadith of Prophet Muhammad PBUH: "Whoever performs cupping (hijama) on the 17th, 19th or 21st day (of the Islamic, lunar month) then it is a cure for every disease."

[Saheeh Sunan abi Dawud (3861)].

As for specific illnesses that were cured through Hijama, I could say that they were:

• All aches and Pains
• Allergies
•  Skin Conditions
• Mental and Psychiatric illnesses
• Cardiac problems
• Asthma

I would also like to mention, that Hijama is not a fix for every issue. Diseases that cannot be treated by Cupping Therapy include:

Congenital (present at birth) and genetic diseases like down syndrome, cerebral palsy, cleft lip, hole-in-heart, congenital dislocation of the hip.

Trauma and accidents, broken bones and joints, open wound, torn muscles, tissue and organ damage, internal bleeding, and excessive bleeding cannot be treated and cured with Hijama.

 However Cupping Therapy can promote quicker recovery or healing of these conditions due to improved blood circulation.

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

I have loads and loads of very interesting case studies, but this one cannot leave my mind. A female in her 20's presented to me 3 months ago with a complaint of a chronic cough and with the cough she coughed up about 50-100 ml of blood a few times a day.

Though this type of condition is more widely known as Hemoptysis, the actual problem was not diagnosed by the many many many Specialists that she was taken to.

After 3 years of coughing up blood most of the day and night, she was told by the medical specialists that she had a very rare type of allergy, which apparently only 20 such cases exist in the world.

So, for 3 years this patient had lost all normality in her life, lost weight and also greatly affected her social life which in turn possibly triggered a depressive episode.

After going through her medical reports, all her tests were negative for Tuberculosis, Pneumonia, Cancer Etc, I was also not sure what I was looking at, as this was also something that I had heard for the first time.

So I recited Bismillah, and went ahead with the treatment. I chose 10 specific points on the body and performed with great care the Cupping Process.

The first time I did the suction, the Operative Points were bleeding heavily, but on the second and third round, it was more normalized and fresh clotted blood was observed.

Now, 3 months later, I went to the patient’s home last night. Personally I had no idea what to expect.

To my surprise, the parents of the young lady told me that since that day when she had Cupping Therapy done, she has NOT BLED A SINGLE TIME!!!

Then I met the patient and we talked for a good half an hour, and noticed she was not coughing nor having any asthma like symptoms.

Her facial appearance was much full and did not look worn out and exhausted.

Not only were the family very thankful for the help but also I was very thankful to Allah swt for the Shifa and blessing on this patient and also I was given the chance to change the life of a young lady who was not able to lead a normal life.

I ask Allah swt for Good Health for all of us, Ameen, as Good Health is a Blessing from Lord Almighty!

Q- 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?)

Hijama as Preventative Measures is one of my favorite rules. I like this rule because if this is practiced when a person is young and healthy, it means that down the line, say when he/she is in the 50s or 60s, they wont suffer any serious ill health like most of the old aged people in this day and age do.

As for the time duration for general well health or detox of the body, I have a personal rule which I like to mention to my patients. If you are fit and healthy and have not had Hijama done prior, than it would be a good idea to have it done every 3 months for the first year. Thereafter, it can be done every 6 months or so. Even once a year can do.

But, if someone is suffering from any ill health, depending on the illness, I suggest that it should be done every month for 3 months and thereafter it should be done every 4 months for the first year. Thereafter,  it should be done every 6 months.

Q- 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)?

As a Hijama Practitioner, I tend to get it done on average every 3 months. However, if I get patients who needed Hijama for Jinn Possession, then in that case I have to do have it done ASAP. The best way to explain this is that having treated someone with any metaphysical condition, then it is possible and very likely that I get affected by that metaphysical condition. So to get rid of any of its effects from my body and soul, I need to have Hijama done on myself, especially on top of the head.

As there aren’t any professional Hijama Therapists available in Pakistan that I can happily go to, I decided that it would be best if I trained a family member, who then does all my Hijama points on me for me.

Q- What is the status and overall prevalence of hijama therapy in Pakistan? Is it available in hospitals and clinics as a valid alternative / sunnah therapy? 

I have noticed a general revival of Hijama Therapy since shifting back to Pakistan. It is getting more and more common in almost all the major cities of Pakistan which is a good thing but it also gives me nightmares. Problem is that learning Hijama is such an easy thing to do. Watch a couple of Youtube videos and then you become a Hijama Specialist like many people claim and write on their clinics. I have been doing this for almost 13 years now and I still consider myself a layman. I dare not call myself a specialist as this term is best suited for those who are doing this through generations. Those specialists have accumulated nearly a million patients and who know the fine detail of Hijama which one cannot learn through books alone.

Yet, when I come across clinics, they all are unquestionable masters of Hijama. When I ask them about their level of hygiene, I get threatened with police arrest and at one point was called a kafir or infidel even because I asked them if they used the 1 Hijama pump that was present in the clinic on every single patient or if patients all got their own pumps.

Hospitals don’t believe in Hijama. This is a sad state of affairs. I went to a few of the large, highly profiled Hospitals here in Islamabad. After explaining to them what Hijama was and how it would help the Hospitals own patients, they simply said that I was going to spoil their business by treating patients instead of giving patients medicines. So Hospitals in reality, don’t want this technology as it will cure patients and they need sick patients to come again and again to rip them of their money.

The same applies to private clinics. I have lost most of my Doctor friends simply because they say that by treating and curing a single patient in my clinic means that they lose one prescription. Apparently, they get paid commission for prescribing drugs to patients, so no patients means no commission.

I am trying to make this official. I am trying to get the Pakistan Medical and Dental Counsel to get Hijama officially recognized so that if anyone wishes to practice Hijama, it should be done after getting registered. Registration will include a basic exam or test to determine how well the therapist is aware of the risks involved in Hijama when it comes to prevention of cross-infection and if they are capable of such a sensitive task, they may get licensed. This is and will be more safer for the public as a whole and will ensure that quacks won’t be able to run Hijama clinics labeling themselves as Specialists.

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

My Clinical Setup is based in Islamabad. It is right opposite the Islamabad High Court for those who know where the court is. For those who don’t know, here is the complete address:

Islamabad Hijama Health Clinic,

Street 35,

Barrister Arcade,

I & T Center,

Sector G-10/1,

Islamabad, Pakistan.

The clinic is based on the ground floor so it has easy access for patients who are not able to climb stairs. As I am not practicing dentistry right now, I only offer Hijama at this clinic, that too wet Hijama.  I did partake in home visits before but as the clinic is now running at high-speed, I simply cannot take time out and visit patients at home.

For further information, please do a quick search on Facebook for: Islamabad Hijama Health  Clinic

FEATURED HIJAMA THERAPIST: 
Dr Sohail Qureshi
 
PRACTICE LOCATION:

Islamabad Hijama Health Clinic,

Street 35,

Barrister Arcade,

I & T Center,

Sector G-10/1,

Islamabad, Pakistan.

CONTACT DETAILS:

Telephone: 0092 333 512 47 05
Website: Islamabad Hijama Health Clinic


Our thanks to Dr Sohail Qureshi 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

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