Cupping Therapy: A hope for patients ailing from Neuromuscular and Musculoskeletal disorders

Rafique Aziz

Aurangabad, Aug 25:

In the era of Western medicine, a trend of seeking solace in traditional medicine is catching up with patients, since the last decade. Accordingly, Unani medicine like Ayurveda is gaining popularity as low-cost alternate medicine with promising results. Encashing it, the Zilla Parishad has introduced Cupping Therapy (Hijama) at its dispensary level on a pilot basis, as a part of its golden jubilee anniversary year celebration.

Elaborating the operational part, Dr M A Raheman said," Hijama is vacuum-based cupping therapy. It helps to remove blood and tissue fluids mixed with potentially harmful substances in the body. Multiple cups are placed on key areas or points of the body and a vacuum is created by removing the air inside them. In Dry Cupping, the negative pressure (suction force) is applied to the skin surface by placing cups (on key areas) creates skin upliftment. Red-coloured rings with layers of blood clotting are formed above the surface of the skin and the waste plasma gets out through air follicles.

In Wet Cupping, small incisions are done in order to remove the harmful blood (through sucking) lying beneath the surface of the skin in the cups (around 15-20 cc blood gathers in each cup) placed at different key points on the body. The incision or skin is punctured with the help of a lancet pen (a set of three needles like the ones used in blood tests). The whole process of both cuppings takes 15-20 minutes. There are some 120 key points in the body from where the blood could be removed through the therapy."

Relief from several disorders

It is being claimed that Cupping Therapy is capable of overcoming Neuromuscular disorders (NMD) and Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD) including cervical spondylosis, sciatica, lumbar pain, slip disc, stomach ache, hair fall, skin disease, joint pain, depression, allergy, weak immunity system, migraine, weight loss, diabetes, etc. Patients suffering from frozen shoulder, muscular pain, low back pain, neck pain, etc also gets quick relief, underlines Dr Raheman of Juna Bazaar dispensary.

The therapy is available at the dispensary on Thursdays between 11 am and 1 pm. The desirous patients can register their names by Wednesday along with the reports of BT/CT (bleeding time, clotting time) and chronic diseases. After examination, the visits are fixed on a weekly, fortnightly, or monthly basis.

Do not risk by undergoing therapy from non-expert

The Zilla Parishad's District AYUSH Officer Dr Shakeel Ahmed said, " The therapy of Unani medicine is being advocated with the social commitment of providing health care facilities to patients at minimum cost. Hijama or cupping therapy is being promoted under the National Ayush Mission by the union Ministry of AYUSH since 2014. It gained popularity in the city

as well and many centres had come up in the last five years. It is the most-sought therapy amongst sportspersons on the national and international levels. It should be administered by an expert therapist and qualified person (holding BUMS degree) only."

" The ZP was established on May 1, 1962. Taking cue of the golden jubilee year celebration, the therapy has been introduced in Unani dispensary at Juna Bazar on a pilot basis, two months ago. Around 20 patients are undergoing treatment. The dispensary is old and exists before the formation of the ZP. There are six dispensaries of ZP in the district and the success of this pilot initiative will help the administration to introduce in other dispensaries at Pimpri Raja, Lasur, Chikalthana, Shivna (Sillod) and Gondegaon (Soyegaon)."

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Cupping therapy at just Rs 2/-

Generally, private practitioners charge between Rs 100 and Rs 200 per cup. A minimum of four cups is used in each sitting. The patient also has to pay laboratory charges for bleeding and clotting tests reports. On the contrary, the dispensary is charging Rs 2 per sitting of therapy. This sounds unbelievable but it is true, said Dr Shakeel. The therapy is not done on patients having contraindications like bleeding disorders, old age persons, and paediatrics or on pregnant

mothers, he said.