Effect of cupping therapy in treating chronic headache and chronic back pain

Effect of cupping therapy in treating chronic headache and chronic back pain at "Al heijamah" clinic HMC
Reslan Hssanien MM et al. – The total number of the participants was eighty six, slightly more than half of them were male (51.2%). The majority were non Qatari (72.1%); thirty seven of them had headache and forty nine of them had back pain. Most of the participants were treated with wet cup therapy (98.8%) and only one of them was treated with dry cup. Fifty two of the participants had only one session of cupping while only five of them completed the four sessions. The pain score for patients with headache was decreased from eight to four after cupping therapy followed by intermittent periods of fluctuation of pain, scored from four to five for around five weeks, then it maintained constant at four score till the end of the follow up period. Meanwhile the pain scale for patients with low back pain decreased from seven to three after two weeks and stayed constant till the end of the twelve weeks. The effect of cupping therapy (Al heijamah) for chronic headache and back pain has been studied and the results revealed significant improvements in participants as a result of cupping therapy. Further studies with larger samples, for longer duration of follow up and use of a comparison group are recommended.
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PERSONAL CUPPING EXPERIMENT: USING DU 14

PERSONAL CUPPING EXPERIMENT: USING DU 14

Yesterday morning I woke up early with only 4 hours of sleep. I had been on the computer most of the day doing research and working on Dr. Tamer’s lesson assignments steadily for the last several days. My neck was extremely sore and tender on both sides with the left a bit more tense. I also had some upper back tension and pain in my upper shoulder area near my neck with an acute headache as well. I have been studying various points and I have noticed the strong use of point DU 14. I referred to my various charts and I knew Du 14 can be used for: headaches, back aches, neck aches, and many more problems so I was confident that cupping DU14 on myself most likely would be a good idea. Although, I could have cupped other various points for my symptoms I thought I would just try cupping DU 14 and see what happens.

I went to my cupping kit and grabbed the largest size cup in my set. I placed the cup directly over the bone on the DU 14 point. I applied medium pressure suction and waited to see what would happen. I felt slight discomfort and a few weird sensations down my neck through my back. After about a minute the discomfort still persisted and I began to wonder if I should take it off. I decided to time it for a minimum of 3 minutes and watched the clock patiently with some discomfort. After the 3 minutes I released the pressure and went to a mirror to see the coloring. Because of the discomfort and pain I had, I was assuming the circle would be dark and full of bad blood. To my surprise there was next to nothing, but, my body began feeling strange. I felt thirsty so I proceeded down the hall to go downstairs to get water. While walking I felt a tingling slightly cloudy feeling and my body did not feel normal. I immediately sat down near the stairs just in case fainting might occur. I sat there for a moment and took several deep breathes repeating, “Bismillah” which in my faith means in the name of God. I still felt strange and did not want to stand up so I scooted, sitting, slowly down the stairs. When I reached the downstairs to get water I drank 3 to 4 small glasses of water which felt a bit relieving. I noticed from my education in Psychology that my body was in, “Flight Response.” I touched the top of my head and it was wet. I felt my neck and it was wet also, as if I put water on it. My arms were also perspiring and I knew I was going through cold sweats. I took a towel wiped my head, neck, and arms. I was feeling a bit normal again so I stood up went upstairs. Once upstairs I decided it was best to rest for a bit so I laid flat on my back resting for about 15 minutes.

Once I got up I noticed an immediate change in my neck pain and my overall body in general. I had a boost of natural energy and I felt absolutely great. My overall pain in my neck had resided to probably 10% or less. I also, felt less overall back tension. For the rest of the day my body and neck felt good. I was still full of energy despite the lack of sleep the night before and when my wife returned home she said, “why are you in such a good mood?”

Finally there were a few things I feel I did wrong that I would do differently next time. The first mistake I feel I made was my lack of sleep from the night before. Because cupping does involved healing of the body it is probably best to be well rested before a cupping therapy session. Second, slightly after Fajr (sunrise,) I drank coffee with breakfast. Only 2 hours after this I placed the cup on DU 14. Caffeine should not be consumed before cupping. Next time I will think a bit more and plan before cupping myself. Third, it was a big mistake for me to get up right away and walk around. I really did not think cupping one point for 3 minutes would affect me the way it did. Next time I will sit or lay resting for 15-20 minutes with water available needed. These were a few mistakes I feel I made with my experimentation in this cupping session on myself.

In conclusion, from this experiment I really learned the power of DU 14. Just dry cupping this point for only 3 minutes totally changed my tension and neck pain. I really was excited to find it worked so well on me. I have definitely gained a valuable experience to how Du 14 works and why it is used so often for many problems.

Mr A. Ibrahim

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Thanks Mr A. Ibrahim for Sharing this article with us

A perspective on the effects and benefits of the ancient art of Hijama (Cupping) therapy - By David Parker ND

A perspective on the effects and benefits of the ancient art of Hijama (Cupping) therapy - By David Parker ND



As a naturopath, nutritionist and healer I was intrigued to explore the scientific reasons why the ancient art of cupping or Hijama therapy was so effective in treating a whole host of ailments and illnesses.

The wet cupping I found particularly fascinating and was curious to know more about the blood which was being extracted via the cup from various areas of the body.

From this viewpoint I started analysing the blood under dark field and light field microscopy.

This proved very insightful and proved to me something I had suspected.

The dry layered blood sample viewed under light field microscopy consistently showed high concentrations of toxic metals and chemicals, as well as showing evidence of bacterial and parasitic activity.

The appearance of the live blood under the dark field microscope showed that there were high concentrations of acids and inflammatory proteins often referred to as fibrin.

These phenomena were more frequently present when the blood was removed from an area where the patient was experiencing pain and inflammation. I conclude from this that the area of pain appears to act like a magnet for acids, toxins and pathogens.

It is therefore very logical to assume that removal of these from the local area will bring about symptomatic relief, while encouraging fresh circulating blood to deliver healing nutrients and oxygen to the affected tissue, thus providing healing and resolution.

Together with dietary change, cleansing and detoxification therapy, along with education regarding the avoidance of toxins within the patient’s environment, I see Hijama wet cupping as a very effective adjunctive therapy on the path to wellness.

Proteinous waste found in live blood sample viewed under dark field microscopy
(This is often found when the diet contains too much cooked food and lacks enzymes for complete digestion)

Rouleaux and Fibrin appearing in Live blood under dark field microscopy
(This formation of red blood cells and inflammatory proteins are always present in blood which is overly acidic and infected)

The ideal live blood picture under dark field microscopy
Observe the red cells sitting separately in their own space therefore having the freedom to travel around the body network of capillaries, which in some cases are one red cell in diameter. Observe the free floating white blood cells known as neutrophils, again having the freedom to patrol around the body searching out toxins and pathogens)

Toxic metals appearing on edge of dried blood sample under light field microscopy.
(The thicker and denser the grey band, the more metals there are in the blood)

Degenerative processes evidenced under light field microscopy
(The white lakes seen here indicate that tissues associated with the vascular system have become inflamed and are harbouring atherosclerotic plaques, toxic metals and cholesterol)

How the dry layered blood sample should look under light field microscopy
(Observe the absence of any white lakes, the clean finely cut edge showing no toxic metals and the black lines all joining together like a matrix)

David Parker works in the field of clinical nutrition, naturopathy and the research of the effectiveness of both modern and ancient healing techniques.

Microscopic assessment of blood is one means of determining the nutritional status as well as the toxic elements present in a person’s blood.

A before and after assessment is useful in determining the changes occurring as a result of the therapy being applied.

David Parker ND, DIP ION, DIP EAV
www.stepstoperfecthealth.co.uk
stepstoperfecthealth@yahoo.co.uk
50 Malvern Road
Hampton
Middlesex
TW12 2LN

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Our thanks to David Parker from London, England for sharing the above post. David Parker is a naturopathic practitioner from Steps to Perfect Health, who provides among other services, dried and live blood analysis.
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Source: Hijama cupping Blog UK London
http://hijamaexpertsalliance.blogspot.com/2009/07/perspective-on-effects-and-benefits-of.html

Professional Guide To Cupping Therapy

By Dr Tamer Shaban

This is the second edition of the complete guide to cupping therapy book. This book is a complete cupping therapy professional course, to help to understand cupping therapy and how to use this effective therapy for various diseases. It is an illustrated book for complementary and alternative medicine professionals, students and supporters.

Publication Date:Sep 12 2009

ISBN/EAN13:1448645786 / 9781448645787

Page Count:122

Binding Type:US Trade Paper

Trim Size:6.69" x 9.61"

Language:English

Color:Black and White

Related Categories:Health & Fitness / Alternative Therapies

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Website: https://www.createspace.com/Customer/EStore.do?id=3391746

New Trials Support the Effectiveness of Cupping Therapy

New Trials Support the Effectiveness of Cupping Therapy

There are many published clinical trials and scientific papers in 2009 about the effectiveness of cupping therapy. Three papers from Germany, South Korea and Iran support the use of cupping therapy and give new scientific evidence to this old therapy.

What is cupping therapy?

Cupping therapy is one of the oldest natural healing therapies in the world, and was a very popular therapy for more than 2500 years. Cupping therapy was used by all civilizations around the world, including the Ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Chinese. It is one of the corner stones of Traditional Chinese Medicine. There are many types of cupping therapy. Wet cupping, herbal cupping, dry cupping and massage cupping are examples of cupping therapy types.

Cupping therapy for carpal tunnel syndrome

The first trial was a German study, published in the Journal of Pain in 2009. The researchers investigated the effect of the cupping therapy as a treatment for the carpal tunnel syndrome. There were 52 participants in this trial. The patients were randomly assigned to either a treatment group or a control group. The treatment group experienced pain relief and a decrease in other symptoms. The researchers concluded that "Cupping therapy may be effective in relieving the pain and other symptoms related to CTS (carpal tunnel syndrome)."1.

Cupping therapy for pain

The second trial was a South Korean study, published in the Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in 2009. The researchers searched 14 medical databases. Cupping therapy trials investigating a pain condition were included. Trials investigating unproven therapy or combining cupping with unproven therapy were excluded. The researchers found seven randomized clinical trials that met the previous inclusion criteria. The researchers concluded that "The results of our systemic review provide some suggestive evidence for the effectiveness of cupping in the management of pain conditions."2.

Cupping therapy for low back pain

The third trial was an Iranian study, published in the Complementary Medicine in Therapies Journal. The researchers investigated the effectiveness of wet cupping therapy for the treatment of nonspecific low back pain. The researchers concluded that "Wet-cupping is associated with greater short- term clinical benefit than usual care. No adverse effects were reported."3.

Conclusion

Cupping therapy is a good natural treatment with a promising effect for many diseases. It is used successfully to treat all types of pain. More randomized controlled trials are needed to assess its effectiveness in other diseases. Please, consult a health care professional before using any type of alternative or complementary medicine therapies.

References

1.Andreas Michalsen, et al., Effects of Traditional Cupping Therapy in Patients with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial,The Journal of Pain, ,June 2009, Vol. 10, No. 6, pp. 601-608.

2.Jong-In Kim , Myeong Soo Lee , Dong-Hyo Lee , Kate Boddy , and Edzard Ernst -, Cupping for Treating Pain: A Systematic Review, eCAM Advance Access published on May 7, 2009, DOI 10.1093/ecam/nep035.

3.K. Farhadi, D. Schwebel, M. Saeb, M. Choubsaz, R. Mohammadi, A. Ahmadi, The Effectiveness of Wet-cupping for Nonspecific Low Back Pain in Iran: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Complementary Therapies in Medicine, Volume 17, Issue 1,pp. 9-15.