Cupping is one of the most common therapeutic techniques in Iranian traditional medicine, performed with the aim of preventing and treating diseases. It involves creating suction in specific areas of the body and extracting blood from those areas.
History of Cupping Therapy:
Cupping therapy has been one of the most effective therapeutic methods in traditional and Iranian-Islamic medicine, well known among the Iranian sages for prevention and treatment of a wide range of diseases. Cupping is a medical practice that has been popular in Iran since ancient times, with various society classes benefiting from it, and it later spread to other countries.
In addition to the traditional medical sources that emphasize on cupping, Islam also places a great emphasis on performing cupping under specific conditions.
Around 3300 years before the birth of Christ, cupping was performed in Macedonia, and at that time, a physician was recognized by their practice of cupping. In other words, if a physician did not perform cupping, they were not considered a physician.
Alongside irrefutable documents in traditional medical sources and religious texts regarding the significant benefits and profound effects of cupping in preventing and treating many diseases, numerous scientific studies have been conducted by various research centers worldwide. Currently, due to these studies and research, cupping has been accepted in all countries as an effective scientific method for treating many diseases. Approximately 8000 scientific articles have been dedicated to the benefits and positive therapeutic results of cupping.
The official activity of "116 Cupping Clinics" in the UK / Opposition to cupping only in Iran!
Currently, 41 countries worldwide recognize cupping officially, and the largest cupping research institution is located in the United States. There are over 116 official cupping centers operating under the title of "Hijama Clinic" in the UK; these centers are established across the UK and are engaged in performing cupping on their patients and volunteers daily. Information, contact numbers, and addresses of these centers are available to the public on the official website of Hijama in the UK at http://hijamaclinic.net/therapists.php.
Definition of Cupping Therapy:
Cupping or Hijama is a method of bloodletting aimed at preventing and treating diseases. This nomenclature, possibly derived from the Arabic word "Tahjim", reflects its operational approach, which involves local constriction, dilation, and expansion.
Cupping essentially acts as an immediate and informed access to the body's general defense system, making it vigilant and active against all internal and external factors.
The effect of cupping on the body is akin to the effect of spring on the body and is considered as a vaccination.
Types of Cupping Therapy:
- Dry Cupping
- Wet Cupping
Dry cupping is of two types:
- Cold and Dry Cupping (performed with a suction cup, which is effective for warm temperaments)
- Hot and Dry Cupping (beneficial for phlegmatic dominance)
Wet Cupping:
Cupping accompanied by bloodletting.
Key areas for wet cupping:
Between the shoulder blades, head, sacral (lowest lumbar vertebra), shins, ankles, bottom, auricle, back of the ear, eye, lungs, liver, and so on.
General Benefits of Cupping Therapy:
- Boosting the body's immune system
- Improving shoulder and facial acne
- Reducing blood concentration
- Relieving spasms
- Increasing intelligence and memory
- Preventing heart and brain strokes
- Strengthening vision
- Removing toxins
- Controlling fat, glucose, urea, and...
Mechanism of Cupping Therapy from the perspective of conventional medicine:
- Regulation of the human body's immune system through general cupping
- Regulation of the environmental immune system through general cupping
- Regulation of secretion of endocrine and exocrine glands
- The effect of cupping on the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems
- The effect of cupping on lymphatic drainage
- The effect of cupping on toxin elimination and the resolution of local and environmental obstructions
- The effect of cupping on increasing endorphin secretion.
Mechanism of Cupping Therapy from the perspective of traditional medicine:
- Expelling blood impurities (reducing triglycerides, blood viscosity, blood sugar, uric acid, high blood pressure)
- Expelling toxins and body infections (stings, erysipelas, herpes, chickenpox, shingles, chemical poisoning, acne, scabies)
- Regulating the four humors of the body
- Alleviating vascular obstructions (assisting in the treatment of atherosclerosis, coronary artery spasm, neuralgia, migraine, sciatica).
Next there are further explanations regarding the mechanism of cupping therapy on the body:
✓ Cupping therapy, through localized inflammation, stimulates the body's immune system, enhancing the proliferation of defense cells.
✓ The practice of cupping helps regulate the body's coagulation and anti-coagulation system, promoting overall health.
✓ With its direct impact on the thymus, an essential center for educating immune cells, cupping aids in immune function.
✓ By controlling lymphatic traffic through the creation of negative pressure, cupping improves lymph flow in the system, supporting detoxification.
✓ Cupping reduces cellular density in capillaries, thereby enhancing oxygen delivery and easing the burden on the cardiovascular system.
✓ The purification of blood through cupping eliminates excess, harmful substances, and toxins, promoting holistic well-being.
✓ Cupping effectively balances the activity of body glands, contributing to overall hormonal equilibrium and wellbeing.
✓ By stimulating capillary wall cells, cupping triggers the secretion of essential defense factors, strengthening the body's immune response.
✓ Cupping plays a significant role in reducing factors associated with strokes and heart attacks, including the regulation of blood iron levels.
✓ The practice of cupping aids in improving allergic conditions by mitigating sensitizing factors like histamine.
✓ Cupping, through controlled local inflammation and congestion, activates internal blood purification systems, facilitating overall health and wellness.
✓ By increasing the secretion of brain serotonin, cupping contributes to emotional well-being and mental health.
✓ Cupping therapy serves a fundamental role in the reconstruction of acetylcholine, essential for efficient brain and nervous system communication and function.
who should avoid cupping:
- Individuals with an imbalance in bodily conditions or dominance of phlegmatic temperament (for these individuals, only warm dry cupping is beneficial).
- Women during menstruation.
- Individuals in a state of ritual impurity.
- Patients with high blood pressure or severe anemia (cupping may be beneficial for certain types of anemia).
- Avoid cupping during periods of anger as blood vessels are constricted.
- Two years after open-heart surgery (if necessary, cupping should be performed under the supervision of a skilled physician).
- Individuals with dominance of the melancholic temperament without the use of moderator and anti-melancholic.
- Patients with epilepsy, as there is a risk of seizures.
- Hemophiliac patients.
Note:
Cupping should be performed under conditions of inner calmness (the individual should not be excessively nervous, restless, or in a state of shock) and external tranquility (the environment should not be excessively snowy, cold, or at peak heat).
Differences between bloodletting trough cupping and blood testing:
- In cupping, impure blood is extracted, while in blood testing, clean blood is drawn.
- During cupping, a maximum of 50 milliliters of impure blood is taken, whereas during blood testing, 500 milliliters of clean blood is collected.
- Unlike blood testing, there is no age limit for cupping.
- Cupping enhances vision, whereas blood testing reduces eye brightness.
Appropriate and inappropriate times for cupping:
- The best times for cupping are during the spring season, especially in the months of May, June and October.
- Cupping is suitable during the full moon (15th of the lunar month), particularly on the 17th and 19th of the lunar month.
- Cupping should be performed on Tuesday afternoons and before noon on Fridays.
- The period from the 21st of June to 7 days after that is beneficial for cupping (not recommended in tropical regions).
- Cupping should not be done on Thursdays and Fridays.
- Cupping is prohibited during the initial days of winter (January) and from the 14th of July to the 14th of August.
Precautions before cupping:
- The individual should not be excessively hungry or completely full.
- Avoid sexual intercourse 12 to 24 hours before cupping.
- Cupping must be performed with ablution, and the individual should recite the Cupping Prayer and Ayat al-Kursi during the procedure.
- Sit on the ground cross-legged with the right foot placed over the left, in a position facing the Qibla.
- The individual should not carry an agate stone.
- Keep mobile phones away from the individual during cupping.
- Avoid consuming cold-tempered foods, especially dairy and pickled foods, approximately 8 hours before cupping.
- The individual should not be excessively tired as there is a risk of fainting.
- Refrain from smoking at least 12 hours before cupping.
- Melon should not be eaten 24 hours before cupping. (If the individual feels unwell, they will be unable to consume honey.)
- Consume a significant amount of liquids, such as pomegranate juice, barberry juice, honey syrup, bee venom, etc., during the week leading up to cupping to reduce blood viscosity.
- The use of dowsing is beneficial one week before cupping.
Post-cupping recommendations:
- Apply honey to the cupping site and bandage it to disinfect the area and help minimize any visible marks left by the procedure on the skin.
- Consume water, honey, or dowsing (dowsing promotes vascular expansion).
- Avoid engaging in heavy exercise and strenuous activities for up to 24 hours.
- Refrain from smoking for at least 12 hours.
- Avoid consuming eggs, fish, and dairy products for up to 24 hours.
- Avoid taking a bath for up to 12 hours.
- Refrain from sexual intercourse for 12 to 24 hours.
Note:
To achieve the desired results, it is advisable to perform cupping under the supervision of a skilled and knowledgeable practitioner, while adhering to the conditions and etiquette of cupping.