Al Hajjaam means the cupper, hijaamah is the profession of cupping, and the word ‘mihjam’ is used to describe the vessel in which the blood is collected and the surgical blades used by the cupper. Hijama is also commonly known as ‘cupping’. Hijama refers to the extraction of blood from key point in the body by the mean of cupping using a suitable vessel or whatever modern equipment serves the same purpose.  

How Cupping Work

The cardiovascular system is made up of the heart and all of the blood and lymphatic vessels in the body. The heart acts as a pump to drive the blood; a complex fluid made up of digested food materials, respiratory gasses (oxygen being carried in, carbon dioxide being carried out), and protective and regulatory chemicals through the approximately 60,000 miles of vessels in the body.

Cupping (hijama) does not heal your body or have a direct effect on individual medical problems; per se. Cupping cleans the bodies’ cardiovascular system so disease never has a chance to develop.

Where disease already exists, cupping cleans the system to help the system better fight and recover from the disease. Noticeable benefits from cupping often come weeks, even months after a cupping (hijama) session. It is very foolish to wait till the point that your body is showing signs of problems.

Cupping is best utilized as a preventative maintenance procedure for your body. In short, it better enables your body to heal itself -- No drugs, no expensive treatment or therapy and above all, no operations.

Cupping removes dead blood cells from the cardiovascular system. It is a bit like getting your radiator flushed. It should be done before your car overheats and the damage to your engine block or hoses are done.

Practitioners who emphasize cupping as a cure are like auto mechanics who claim flushing your radiator will cure your cracked engine block. Of course, your radiator should be flushed, but if it were properly maintained no damage would have resulted to your engine in the first place.

Fortunately the body, unlike an engine block can often repair itself. In the case of some ailments and conditions cupping, most effectively if they are applied soon after the event, can have a very positive effect. Nonetheless, it is always better to use cupping as a maintenance and preventative procedure.

Three Types of Cupping

1. Dry cupping; this is the process of using a vacuum on different areas of body in order to gather the blood in that area without incisions
2. Dry moving cupping; this is similar to dry cupping but olive oil is applied to the skin, before applying the cups in order to allow easy movement of the cups. This process allows the blood to flow and reach all parts of the body
3. Wet cupping (hijama/oxidant releasing therapy); this is the process of using a vacuum at different key point on the body but with small incisions in order to remove ‘harmful’ blood which lies just beneath the surface of the skin. Wet cupping should only be administered by a cupping or hijama expert. This is the method I use in most cupping sessions

Wet Cupping (The Real Treatment)

Also known as, hijama. During your hijama session with me, we will be cupping you using this method.  Blood cupping is a very effective method and can be used for many of common diseases with high success rate.

This treatment removes blood stasis (stagnated or congested blood) comprising of acidic toxic waste which slow down or block the blood vessels (capillaries) and reduce supply of oxygenated and nutrient rich blood to and removal of carbon dioxide and metabolic waste from our body cells.  

Accumulation of this blood stasis (stagnated or congested blood) increase with age and will cause our cells, tissues and organs to weaken, feel pain, lose sensation and function at lower efficiency. Blood cupping helps the body to get rid of blood stasis (stagnated or congested blood) which the body is unable to do on its own. Each cupping point will be cupped one to two times for a total of 15 minutes finally.

Specific points are cupped to treat each disease. During any given session I cup about 5 points for generally healthy person and 10 points for someone with specific complain.

A total of more than 70 diseases may be prevented including stroke, heart disease, high blood pressure (hypertension), IBS, heartburn, arthritis, migraine, liver disease (hepatitis), kidney problem, gout, high fever, myopia, snoring, asthma, breathing problems, etc.

Cupping Methods

The mouth of the cupping vessel (nowadays we use glass or plastic cup) is placed on the skin at the site chosen for cupping. Then the cupper rarefies the air inside the vessel by using a pump, so that the mouth of the vessel will cling to the skin.

The vessel clings to the skin and is left for a period of three to three minutes. Then it is lifted off and few small superficial scratches (cuts) are made in the skin using a clean sharp instrument such as a single sided surgical blades (one knife for one patient).

Then the cup is put back in the same manner as described above, until it is collected with the bad blood that comes out. Then it is taken off, and may be put back once more if needed. When it is finished and the cup is taken away and disposed, a dry dressing is placed over the site of the wounds.