Therapeutic Application of Cupping Therapy ( Hijama ) : A Brief Review

How to Cite: Niazi, M. K. ., Hassan, F. ., Zaidi, S. Z. U. H. ., Ghaffar, S. ., Sohail, Z. ., Noor, T. ., Aamir, Z. ., & Ismail, M. A. . (2023). Therapeutic Application of Cupping Therapy (H ama): A Brief Review: Application of Cupping Therapy. THE THERAPIST (Journal of Therapies &Amp; Rehabilitation Sciences), 4(02). https://doi.org/10.54393/tt.v4i02.132

H ama is a form of Unani medicine that involves using heat or suction to partially vacuum a H ama glass placed on the surface of the body in order to remove disease-causing material or divert it from the diseased area, return displaced organs to their proper positions, and encourage blood ow to the intrusion site. The cups used to administer h ama therapy gave the treatment its name. For sucking purposes, glass or wooden cupping glasses are employed, and a vacuum pump creates the suction. H ama involves placing a cup to a speci c area of the body and sucking blood from there. H ama is a method of Istifragh that removes the disease's root cause.

Classi cation of cupping therapy sets
Standard cupping therapy equipment should include a suction device, six or more cups in varying sizes, and more [6]. The three main categories of cupping therapy sets are as follows: the initial group is "cupping sets related to the types of cups" and it comprises silicone, silicone rubber, silicone glass, rubber bamboo, ceramic, and metal cupping sets. "Cupping sets related to the methods of suction" is the second classi cation, which comprises manual, automatic, and self-suction cupping sets. "Cupping sets related to uses" is the third classi cation as shown in gure 2, which comprises face, male, female, and sets for massage cupping [7].
· Sterilized medical scalpel · A pack of cotton and medical sterilized gauze pieces · Micro pore adhesive tape · A razor to remove the hair of site to be cupped if needed Classi cation of cupping therapy types Initial classi cations for cupping therapy included dry and moist, but six new categories were added in 2016: technical types, power of suction, method of suction, materials inside cups, and area treated, sports, cosmetic, and aquatic cupping as depicted in gure 1 [4]. Aquatic cupping was included in the fourth category. This update provides a precise taxonomy of the many types of H ama [5].

C O N C L U S I O N S
Traditional and alternative medicine practitioners have used cupping therapy for centuries. There is mounting evidence that it may be helpful in treating various disorders, particularly those connected to pain. The practise of cupping therapy includes adhering to infection control procedures. This paper proposed three new classi cations: one for cupping therapy sets, one for cupping therapy adverse events, and one for cupping therapy kinds.

Mechanisms of action of cupping therapy
Cupping therapy has been shown to increase blood ow, alter the biomechanical features of the skin, increase pain thresholds, improve anaerobic metabolism locally, reduce in ammation, and alter cellular immune response [8]. The mechanics of the cupping action are explained by a variety of ideas, such as the immune modulation theory and the genetic theory. Clinical research is needed to understand the processes underlying cupping therapy's effects [9,10].

Indications
The objectives of cupping therapy include health promotion, treatment, and prevention [11,12]. Numerous conditions have been claimed to bene t with cupping therapy [13,14]. The two categories of these situations are localised conditions and systematic conditions. The location of cupping therapy is selected based on the disease being treated [15]. The back, followed by the chest, belly, buttocks, and legs, is the body part where the product is most frequently applied [16]. Other areas, including the face, can be treated using cupping [17].

Contraindications
People with cancer and organ failure should not have cupping therapy, pacemakers, haemophilia, acute infections, anticoagulants, serious chronic illnesses, puberty, pregnancy, menstruation, anaemia, a recent blood donation, recent wet cupping session, unanticipated medical issues, and refusal of the procedure [18,19].