Methods of Wet Cupping Therapy (Al-Hijamah): In Light of Modern Medicine and Prophetic Medicine

Cupping therapy is a simple, effective and economic treatment. Cupping therapy is a formal treatment in Chinese hospitals and in some European countries. Here, we review history of wet cupping therapy and its two distinct methodologies. First method is puncturing and cupping (PC) method that includes five steps: skin demarcation, sterilization, puncturing, cupping and sterilization. Second method is cupping, puncturing and cupping (CPC) method that includes six steps: skin demarcation, sterilization, first cupping, puncturing, second cupping and sterilization. CPC method predominates in the Arabic world, while PC method has a worldwide distribution. We report here that our detailed evidence-based analysis of both methods reveals many novel advantages in the CPC method over the PC method. CPC method has a better analgesic effect and benefits more from the viscoelastic nature of the skin. During the first cupping step in the CPC method (not present in the PC method), a fluid mixture containing causative pathological substances (CPS) is collected inside skin uplifting due to the effect of negative pressure of sucking cups. CPS differs from disease to disease according to disease etiology and pathogenesis. That fluid mixture contains collected interstitial fluids with CPS, filtered fluids (from blood capillaries) with CPS, hemolyzed blood cells (hemolysed RBCs, WBCs and platelets). That fluid mixture does not contain intact blood cells as their sizes are much bigger than sizes of pores of skin capillaries and cannot be filtered. The fluid mixture is totally excreted in next steps. We review here that wet cupping therapy is a highly recommended treatment in prophetic medicine, medicine related to Prophet Mohammad peace be upon him who said: “The best among what you use in therapy is Al-hijamah (CPC method of wet cupping therapy)”. In conclusion, CPC method is better than PC method in clearing blood and interstitial spaces from CPS. Standardization of methodologies of cupping therapy seems essential to gain optimal therapeutic outcomes. Cupping therapy is a simple procedure in which negative pressure is applied to the skin through sucking cups (dry cupping therapy) [1]. Many types of cupping therapy are described in the literature including dry cupping therapy, wet cupping therapy, medicinal cupping therapy, moving cupping therapy and others [2]. The most important type of wet cupping therapy seems to be Al-hijamah (method of wet cupping therapy practiced in prophetic medicine). As we will show here, unlike most conventional treatment modalities, wet cupping therapy is an excretory form of therapy not an introductory one i.e. wet cupping therapy uses negative pressure suctioning and skin pricking to open the skin barrier and excrete a bloody mixture of fluids with soluble wastes and causative pathological substances (CPS). Second negative pressure suctioning completes the process of waste excretion. Unfortunately, medical research related to cupping therapy does not cover its importance. Cupping therapy is practiced officially in hospitals in China [3] and is considered very familiar in some European countries [4,5]. Current methodologies used for cupping therapy differ according to the type of cupping therapy e.g. dry cupping method differs from medicinal cupping method [6]. In this review article, we shed light on the two methods of wet cupping therapy reported in the literature to discuss which is more beneficial to be standardized in practicing cupping therapy in treating so many diseases as we will mention later in this article. Citation: El Sayed SM, Mahmoud HS, Nabo MMH (2013) Methods of Wet Cupping Therapy (Al-Hijamah): In Light of Modern Medicine and Prophetic Medicine. Altern Integ Med 2: 111. doi:10.4172/2327-5162.1000111