REMOVE TOXIC BLOOD

Stagnation of body systems can be the result of lack of movement, injury, stress, a lack of blood or the invasion of cold into the body and joints. Cold drinks and foods or irregular feeding habits can also cause accumulation problems. All these impair the Spleen’s function of transformation and transportation. Clinical manifestations of this are restlessness, vomiting, and the production of phlegm, diarrhea, constipation, a hardened stomach and painful abdomen. Hijama relieves all these symptoms.

OEDEMAS (SWELLINGS)

What is oedema?

The definition of Oedema is observable swelling from fluid accumulation in body tissues. Edema most commonly occurs in the feet, ankles and legs, where it is referred to as peripheral edema. Edema of the foot is sometimes called pedal edema. The swelling is the result of the accumulation of excess fluid under the skin in the spaces within the tissues.

All tissues of the body are made up of cells and blood vessels, and connective tissues that hold the cells together called the interstitium. Most of the body's fluids that are found outside of the cells are normally stored in two spaces; the blood vessels (as the "liquid" or serum portion of your blood) and the interstitial spaces (not within the cells). In various diseases, excess fluid can accumulate in either one or both of these compartments.

The body's organs have interstitial spaces where fluid can accumulate, and there are a number of different types of edema. An accumulation of fluid in the interstitial air spaces (alveoli) in the lungs occurs in a disorder called pulmonary edema. In addition, excess fluid sometimes collects in what is called the third space, which includes cavities in the abdomen (abdominal or peritoneal cavity - called "ascites") or in the chest (lung or pleural cavity - called "pleural effusion").

Anasarca or extreme generalized edema refers to the severe, widespread accumulation of fluid in the all of the tissues and cavities of the body at the same time.

Cerebral Oedema is an accumulation of excess fluid in the brain.

DEEP VEIN THROMBOSIS (DVT)

What Is DVT?

Deep vein thrombosis is a blood clot that forms inside a vein, usually deep within your leg. About half a million Americans every year get one, and up to 100,000 die because of it. The danger is that part of the clot can break off and travel through your bloodstream. It could get stuck in your lungs and block blood flow, causing organ damage or death.

Symptoms

Swelling or redness and tenderness or pain in the area of the clot. But you won't always have these. Unfortunately, about half of people with DVT get no warning signs.

Pulmonary Embolism

This is a clot that moves into your lungs and blocks the blood supply. It can cause trouble breathing, low blood pressure, fainting, a faster heart rate, chest pain, and coughing up blood. If you have any of these, call 911 and get medical care right away.

What Causes DVT?

Anything that damages the inner lining of a vein may cause DVT -- surgery, an injury, or your immune system. If your blood is thick or flows slowly, it's more likely to form a clot, especially in a vein that's already damaged. People who have certain genetic disorders or more estrogen in their system are more at risk for blood clots, too.

Who Is Likely to Get DVT?

Some people with a higher risk are those who:

Have cancer

Have had surgery

Are on extended bed rest

Are older

Smoke

Are overweight or obese

Sit for long times, like on a long airplane flight

Pregnancy

Women are more likely to develop DVT during pregnancy and the 4 to 6 weeks after giving birth. That's when they have higher levels of estrogen, which may make blood clot more easily. The pressure of their expanding uterus can slow blood flow in the veins as well. Certain blood disorders can boost their risk even more.

Hormone Therapy

Like pregnancy, birth control pills and some treatments for postmenopausal symptoms raise the amount of estrogen in a woman's blood. That can increase her risk of DVT, even if she doesn't have a blood disorder.

Get a Diagnosis

Your doctor will check you for signs of DVT. He may also ask about your medical history, medications you're taking, medical problems of close relatives, and things that put you at risk. An ultrasound is the most common way to confirm a diagnosis. It uses sound waves to "see" the blood flow and reveal a clot. You might also need other tests, such as a blood test called a d-dimer.

Blood Thinners

Drugs called anticoagulants are the most common way to treat DVT. Although they're known as blood thinners, they don't really thin your blood. They make it less "sticky" to prevent new blood clots from forming. They can't break up a clot you already have, but they will give your body time to dissolve it on its own. You take these medications in a pill or by needle.

Side Effects of Blood Thinners

People who take these may get bruises often or bleed more easily. When you take certain ones, you'll need to watch what you eat. And you'll need to go to a lab regularly to get your blood checked to make sure you've got the right amount of the drug in your body. You don't have to do that for newer medications, but they make it harder to stop bleeding if you have an accident.

Let your doctor know if you bleed a lot from minor injuries.

Internal Bleeding

Blood thinners can also make it easier to bleed inside your body, where you can't see it. Bleeding in your belly can cause pain, vomit that's red or looks like coffee grounds, and bright red or black stools. Bleeding in your brain can cause severe headaches, vision changes, unnatural movements, and confusion.

Vena Cava Filter

If you can't take blood thinners or they aren't working, your doctor may recommend putting a filter into your biggest vein, called the vena cava. This filter catches breakaway clots and stops them from getting into your lungs and heart. It won't stop new clots from forming or cure DVT, but it can help prevent a dangerous pulmonary embolism.

Clot Busters

Medications that dissolve blood clots are called thrombolytics. They can cause sudden, severe bleeding, so doctors use them only in emergencies -- to dissolve a life-threatening blood clot in your lung, for example. You get thrombolytics by IV in a hospital.

Compression Stockings

These special socks put gentle pressure on your legs to keep your blood moving. They can help prevent clots from forming as well as reduce swelling and relieve discomfort in a leg where a clot has already formed. You can get compression stockings over the counter, but your doctor will need to write a prescription for ones with more pressure. Wear them even at home.

Long-Term Effects

Once a blood clot is gone, DVT sometimes leaves behind an unpleasant reminder. You may see long-term swelling or changes in skin color where the clot was. Or it could hurt. These symptoms, known as post-thrombotic syndrome, sometimes show up as much as a year after the clot.

Exercise

Use your muscles to promote blood flow. Work your lower leg muscles especially. When you're not active -- at your desk, for example -- take breaks to stretch your legs. Stand up. Step away for a bit. Regular exercise also helps keep you at a healthy weight, and that lowers your risk, too.

Prophetic Cures

Hijamah and Fasd(venesection)

Results of the latter treatments bring about natural homeostasis...Alhamdulillah!!

KNOWING SCIATICA

What Is Sciatica?................

Sciatica is a pain that radiates from the low back down a lower extremity; it is caused by irritation of the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve transmits sensation from the lower extremities and lumbar area of the low back. It is common for people to recover from sciatica without a surgical operation.

Sciatica Symptoms

Low back pain that radiates to the hip, buttock, and down a lower extremity is the most common symptom of sciatica. Sometimes sciatica pain worsens with bending at the waist, coughing, sitting, or sneezing. Sciatica can also cause tingling, numbness, or weakness of the leg. Sciatica symptoms can occur rapidly and persist for weeks.

Sciatica or Other Back Pain?

Back pain is extremely common. There are many causes of lower back pain that are not sciatica. Frequently, low back pain is caused by back strain of muscles and ligaments. The characteristic feature of sciatica is pain that radiates down the leg from the low back, often reaching the foot.

Who Is Likely to Get Sciatica?

Sciatica is common as we reach middle age. Pregnancy can lead to sciatica as a result of direct pressure on the sciatic nerve by the enlarging uterus. Other causes of sciatica are degenerative spinal arthritis and lumbar disk herniation.

Cause: Herniated Disk

Disk herniation is a common cause of sciatica. The disk cushions between the spinal vertebrae weaken and are more vulnerable to injury as we age. The weakened disk can herniate its gel-like centre to cause direct pressure on the nerves in the spinal canal that form the sciatic nerve.

Cause: Spinal Stenosis

Degeneration of the vertebrae of the spine can lead to narrowing of the spinal canal; this is called spinal stenosis. This can lead to pressure on the spinal nerve roots that form the sciatic nerve. Sciatica can be a symptom of spinal stenosis.

Cause: Spinal Tumors

Tumors are rare causes of sciatica when they put direct pressure on the sciatic nerve or its nerve roots.

Cause: Piriformis Syndrome

The piriformis muscle in the buttock can sometimes lead to irritation of the sciatic nerve. This is referred to as piriformis syndrome.

Cause: Infection or Injury

Rarely, sciatica can be caused by injury, fracture, infection, or inflammation. Any condition that leads to direct pressure or irritation of the sciatic nerve can cause sciatica. Sometimes, no specific cause of sciatica can be detected.

Diagnosing Sciatica: Exam

To detect the cause of sciatica, the doctor will ask about all the symptoms the patient is experiencing as well as their location and aggravating or relieving features. During the examination, the patient may be asked to do various manoeuvres with the lower extremities.

Diagnosing Sciatica: Imaging

Various tests, such as MRI scans, CT scans, and others, may be used to help detect the cause of sciatica. With a precise diagnosis, the treatment program can be optimized.

Complications Related to Sciatica

When sciatica is complicated by uncontrolled loss of bowel or bladder control, it is considered an emergency. These symptoms are evaluated rapidly to consider whether or not an immediate surgical operation is necessary.

Sciatica Relief: Use Ice and Heat

Home remedies for new sciatica include heat-pad or ice-pack applications. Each can be applied for approximately 20 minutes every couple of hours. Some benefit from alternating heat and ice applications.

Sciatica Relief: Medication

Medications that are over the counter and are used for sciatica include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and acetaminophen (Tylenol). Cortisone injections into the spinal canal can be helpful for selected patients.

Sciatica Relief: Stretching

Strict bed rest is recommended less often than in the past. Physical therapists are experts at designing optimal exercise programs for sciatica. Brief walking can be helpful for certain people with sciatica.

Sciatica Relief: Injections

Spinal injection of cortisone medication (steroids) can be beneficial for severe sciatica. This medication rapidly reduces the inflammation around the nerves.

Sciatica Relief: Surgery

For persisting sciatica that does not respond to medical management, surgical operation can sometimes be required. Various operations differ depending on the exact condition causing the sciatica. Sometimes disk material and bone is actually removed to free up the adjacent irritated nerves.

Complementary Therapies

Adjunctive therapies, such as massage, yoga, chiropractic, and acupuncture, can sometimes be helpful for back pain.

Preventing Sciatica

Sciatica can recur. To minimize the chances of recurrence, people should exercise regularly, maintain proper posture, and protect the back by bending at the knees to lift heavier objects.

Hijamah.

One of the best forms of treatment for Sciatica is hijamah...points administered in the lower lumbar region following a path to the sacral area and then all the way down to the leg towards the foot not forgetting the buttocks where the Piriformis muscle lies.

As ALWAYS results are superb!!

ARTERIAL PLAQUE- CLOGGED ARTERIES -

-ATHEROSCLEROSIS

Arteries are blood vessels that carry blood rich in oxygen throughout your body. They go to your brain as well as to the tips of your toes. Healthy arteries have smooth inner walls and blood flows through them easily. Some people, however, develop clogged arteries. Clogged arteries result from a buildup of a substance called plaque on the inner walls of the arteries. Arterial plaque can reduce blood flow or, in some instances, block it altogether.

Clogged arteries greatly increase the likelihood of heart attack, stroke, and even death. Because of these dangers, it is important to be aware, no matter how old you are, of the causes of artery plaque and treatment strategies to prevent serious consequences.

What causes arterial plaque?

Plaque that accumulates on the inner walls of your arteries is made from various substances that circulate in your blood. These include calcium, fat, cholesterol, cellular waste, and fibrin, a material involved in blood clotting. In response to plaque buildup, cells in your artery walls multiply and secrete additional substances that can worsen the state of clogged arteries.

As plaque deposits grow, a condition called atherosclerosis results. This condition causes the arteries to narrow and harden.

Although experts don’t know for sure what starts atherosclerosis, the process seems to stem from damage to the arterial wall. This damage, which enables the deposition of plaque, may result from:

High ''bad'' cholesterol and low ''good'' cholesterol

 High levels of ''bad'' cholesterol, or low-density lipoprotein (LDL), are major contributors to arterial plaque formation. But that doesn’t tell the whole story. Everyone also has ''good'' cholesterol, or high-density lipoprotein (HDL), circulating in the blood. HDL is believed to remove some of the bad cholesterol from plaque in clogged arteries and transport it back to the liver, where it is eliminated.

High blood pressure . Having high blood pressure increases the rate at which arterial plaque builds up. It also hastens the hardening of clogged arteries.

Cigarette smoke. Cigarette smoke seems to increase the rate of atherosclerosis in the arteries of the heart, legs, and the aorta -- the largest artery in the body.

Diabetes, or elevated circulating blood sugaris also a major culprit. Even people who have elevated sugars not yet at the level of diabetes, such as seen in the metabolic syndrome, also have increased risk of plaque formation.

Plaque often starts to develop during the childhood or teenage years. Then clogged arteries develop in middle age or later.

What are the dangers of arterial plaque and clogged arteries?

It depends on where arterial plaque accumulates. Clogged arteries in different parts of the body can lead to multiple medical conditions, including:

Coronary artery disease. When plaque accumulates in the arteries carrying blood to the heart, it results in coronary artery disease, or heart disease. This condition can lead to heart attacks and is one of the leading causes of death in the United States.

Carotid artery disease . The carotid arteries run up either side of your neck. They supply oxygen to your brain. The accumulation of arterial plaque in the carotid arteries can lead to stroke.

Peripheral artery disease. If plaque builds up in the blood vessels that carry blood to your legs, it can reduce the amount of oxygen delivered. The reduced blood flow can cause you to experience pain, numbness, or serious infection in your legs and feet.

Do clogged arteries cause any symptoms?

In many instances, clogged arteries do not cause any symptoms until a major event, such as a heart attack or stroke, occurs.

At other times, especially when the the artery is blocked by 70% or more, the buildup of arterial plaque may cause symptoms that include:

Chest pain

Shortness of breath

Heart palpitations

Weakness or dizziness

Nausea

Sweating

The first symptom, chest pain, is also called angina. It may result from reduced blood flow to the heart. That reduced blood flow is caused by plaque in the arteries leading to the heart.

Clogged arteries in carotid artery disease may cause stroke precursors known as transient ischemic attacks, or TIAs. TIAs may produce the following symptoms:

Sensation of weakness or numbness on one side of your body

Inability to move an arm or a leg

Loss of vision on one side only

Slurring of words

Clogged arteries in peripheral artery disease may cause:

Leg pain

Delayed healing of injuries to the feet

Cold feet

Gangrene

Are there tests for clogged arteries?

Yes. There are several tests for clogged arteries. Your doctor will determine which tests to prescribe based on your symptoms and medical history. The tests may include:

Cholesterol screening

Chest X-ray

CT scan

Ultrasound

Echocardiogram and/or cardiac stress test

Electrocardiogram

MRI or PET scanning

Angiogram

How are clogged arteries or arterial plaque treated?

There are a variety of prevention and treatment options for clogged arteries. What your doctor prescribes to reduce arterial plaque and prevent clogged arteries will depend on the severity of your condition and your medical history. Your doctor may prescribe one or more of the following:

1. Lifestyle changes. A healthy lifestyle is essential for the management of arterial plaque and treatment of clogged arteries. This includes:

Eating a diet low in saturated fats and cholesterol, with less sugars and simple carbohydrates, and rich in fruits and vegetables

Maintaining a healthy body weight

Not smoking

Exercising regularly

Managing stress levels

Keeping blood pressure and cholesterol down

Maintaining low blood sugars

2. Surgical procedures. In some instances, surgery may be necessary to treat clogged arteries and prevent additional arterial plaque accumulation. Surgery may include:

Stent placement. A metal tube called a stent, which may contain medication, can be placed in an artery to maintain adequate blood flow.

Bypass surgery. In this operation, arteries from other parts of the body are moved to bypass clogged arteries and help oxygen-rich blood reach its target destination.

Balloon angioplasty. This procedure helps open clogged arteries that have become partially or fully blocked.

3. Medications. A number of medications may help control some of the factors that contribute to the accumulation of arterial plaque. These include:

Cholesterol-lowering drugs

Blood pressure-lowering drugs

Aspirin and other blood-thinning drugs, which reduce the likelihood of dangerous blood clot formation

Hijamah.

If performed correctly and at the systemic points coupled with a good diet Artherosclorosis can be kept to a minimum,,inshaAllah!!

ARTERIAL PLAQUE- CLOGGED ARTERIES -

-ATHEROSCLEROSIS

Arteries are blood vessels that carry blood rich in oxygen throughout your body. They go to your brain as well as to the tips of your toes. Healthy arteries have smooth inner walls and blood flows through them easily. Some people, however, develop clogged arteries. Clogged arteries result from a buildup of a substance called plaque on the inner walls of the arteries. Arterial plaque can reduce blood flow or, in some instances, block it altogether.

Clogged arteries greatly increase the likelihood of heart attack, stroke, and even death. Because of these dangers, it is important to be aware, no matter how old you are, of the causes of artery plaque and treatment strategies to prevent serious consequences.

What causes arterial plaque?

Plaque that accumulates on the inner walls of your arteries is made from various substances that circulate in your blood. These include calcium, fat, cholesterol, cellular waste, and fibrin, a material involved in blood clotting. In response to plaque buildup, cells in your artery walls multiply and secrete additional substances that can worsen the state of clogged arteries.

As plaque deposits grow, a condition called atherosclerosis results. This condition causes the arteries to narrow and harden.

Although experts don’t know for sure what starts atherosclerosis, the process seems to stem from damage to the arterial wall. This damage, which enables the deposition of plaque, may result from:

High ''bad'' cholesterol and low ''good'' cholesterol

 High levels of ''bad'' cholesterol, or low-density lipoprotein (LDL), are major contributors to arterial plaque formation. But that doesn’t tell the whole story. Everyone also has ''good'' cholesterol, or high-density lipoprotein (HDL), circulating in the blood. HDL is believed to remove some of the bad cholesterol from plaque in clogged arteries and transport it back to the liver, where it is eliminated.

High blood pressure . Having high blood pressure increases the rate at which arterial plaque builds up. It also hastens the hardening of clogged arteries.

Cigarette smoke. Cigarette smoke seems to increase the rate of atherosclerosis in the arteries of the heart, legs, and the aorta -- the largest artery in the body.

Diabetes, or elevated circulating blood sugaris also a major culprit. Even people who have elevated sugars not yet at the level of diabetes, such as seen in the metabolic syndrome, also have increased risk of plaque formation.

Plaque often starts to develop during the childhood or teenage years. Then clogged arteries develop in middle age or later.

What are the dangers of arterial plaque and clogged arteries?

It depends on where arterial plaque accumulates. Clogged arteries in different parts of the body can lead to multiple medical conditions, including:

Coronary artery disease. When plaque accumulates in the arteries carrying blood to the heart, it results in coronary artery disease, or heart disease. This condition can lead to heart attacks and is one of the leading causes of death in the United States.

Carotid artery disease . The carotid arteries run up either side of your neck. They supply oxygen to your brain. The accumulation of arterial plaque in the carotid arteries can lead to stroke.

Peripheral artery disease. If plaque builds up in the blood vessels that carry blood to your legs, it can reduce the amount of oxygen delivered. The reduced blood flow can cause you to experience pain, numbness, or serious infection in your legs and feet.

Do clogged arteries cause any symptoms?

In many instances, clogged arteries do not cause any symptoms until a major event, such as a heart attack or stroke, occurs.

At other times, especially when the the artery is blocked by 70% or more, the buildup of arterial plaque may cause symptoms that include:

Chest pain

Shortness of breath

Heart palpitations

Weakness or dizziness

Nausea

Sweating

The first symptom, chest pain, is also called angina. It may result from reduced blood flow to the heart. That reduced blood flow is caused by plaque in the arteries leading to the heart.

Clogged arteries in carotid artery disease may cause stroke precursors known as transient ischemic attacks, or TIAs. TIAs may produce the following symptoms:

Sensation of weakness or numbness on one side of your body

Inability to move an arm or a leg

Loss of vision on one side only

Slurring of words

Clogged arteries in peripheral artery disease may cause:

Leg pain

Delayed healing of injuries to the feet

Cold feet

Gangrene

Are there tests for clogged arteries?

Yes. There are several tests for clogged arteries. Your doctor will determine which tests to prescribe based on your symptoms and medical history. The tests may include:

Cholesterol screening

Chest X-ray

CT scan

Ultrasound

Echocardiogram and/or cardiac stress test

Electrocardiogram

MRI or PET scanning

Angiogram

How are clogged arteries or arterial plaque treated?

There are a variety of prevention and treatment options for clogged arteries. What your doctor prescribes to reduce arterial plaque and prevent clogged arteries will depend on the severity of your condition and your medical history. Your doctor may prescribe one or more of the following:

1. Lifestyle changes. A healthy lifestyle is essential for the management of arterial plaque and treatment of clogged arteries. This includes:

Eating a diet low in saturated fats and cholesterol, with less sugars and simple carbohydrates, and rich in fruits and vegetables

Maintaining a healthy body weight

Not smoking

Exercising regularly

Managing stress levels

Keeping blood pressure and cholesterol down

Maintaining low blood sugars

2. Surgical procedures. In some instances, surgery may be necessary to treat clogged arteries and prevent additional arterial plaque accumulation. Surgery may include:

Stent placement. A metal tube called a stent, which may contain medication, can be placed in an artery to maintain adequate blood flow.

Bypass surgery. In this operation, arteries from other parts of the body are moved to bypass clogged arteries and help oxygen-rich blood reach its target destination.

Balloon angioplasty. This procedure helps open clogged arteries that have become partially or fully blocked.

3. Medications. A number of medications may help control some of the factors that contribute to the accumulation of arterial plaque. These include:

Cholesterol-lowering drugs

Blood pressure-lowering drugs

Aspirin and other blood-thinning drugs, which reduce the likelihood of dangerous blood clot formation

Hijamah.

If performed correctly and at the systemic points coupled with a good diet Artherosclorosis can be kept to a minimum,,inshaAllah!!

UNDERSTANDING HEART DISEASE

What Is Heart Disease?

The topic of heart disease usually centers on heart attacks but there are many other problems that can compromise heart functions, injure the heart tissues, or cause heart disease. Most of the major problems include coronary artery disease, heart failure, arrhythmias, and cardiomyopathy. The following slides will present these heart problems and their warning signs.

What Is a Heart Attack?

A heart attack occurs when a coronary artery becomes blocked (usually in a coronary artery by a blood clot) resulting in loss of the blood supply to an area of heart tissue. Loss of the blood supply can quickly damage and kill heart tissue; quick treatments in the emergency department and/or the catheterization suite have reduced deaths from heart attacks in recent years but still more than a millions individuals have a heart attack each year all around the world.

Warning signs of a heart attack include the following:

Chest pain

Pain that may spread to the back, arms, neck, and jaw

Shortness of breath

Nausea, vomiting

Rapid or irregular heartbeats

Other symptoms such as weakness, anxiety, indigestion, and heartburn may occur

Heart Attack Symptoms in Women

Heart attack symptoms in some women may differ from those usually seen in men. For example, many women may have predominant symptoms of heartburn, malaise, heart beat abnormalities (heart flutters), cough, and loss of appetite. Ignoring such symptoms may cause treatment delays and more damage to heart tissue.

Coronary Artery Disease Signs

Coronary artery disease (CAD) occurs when plaque, a sticky substance, narrows or partially obstructs coronary arteries (like sticky material stopping up a straw) and can result in reduced blood flow. This reduced blood flow may cause chest pain (angina), a warning sign of potential heart problems such as a heart attack.

Inside a Heart Attack

Plaque in coronary (and other) arteries maybe hard or firm on the outside but soft, mushy, and sticky on the inside. If the hard shell-like area cracks open, then blood components exposed to the sticky areas collect and can form a blood clot and quickly block most or all of the blood flow through the artery. The heart tissue downstream from the clot then suffers from lack of blood and becomes damaged or dies.

Sudden Cardiac Death

Sudden cardiac death occurs when the heart's regular electrical signals become erratic and cause the heart muscle to contract and relax irregularly which results in the inability of the heart to pump blood. Unless this situation is quickly altered by CPR and/or a restoration of organized electrical activity occurs that allows the heart to function as a blood pump (done by an electrical shock from a defibrillator), death can occur in a few minutes.

Arrhythmia: Erratic Heart Beat

Normal heartbeats that pump blood rely on regular electrical impulses. Irregular electrical impulses, termed arrhythmias, can alter, reduce, or even stop the heart's ability to pump blood. If a person notices their heartbeat is abnormal (fast, slow, or irregular), they should seek medical care if the arrhythmia persists or causes chest pain.

Cardiomyopathy

Cardiomyopathy is a disease that causes changes in the heart muscle that reduce the heart’s ability to pump blood and usually leads to chronic heart failure. Other conditions (high blood pressure and heart valve disease) may be associated with cardiomyopathy

Heart Failure

Heart failure means that over time, the heart's pumping action cannot meet or “fails” the body’s demand for blood. For example, heart failure patients have difficulty doing work or climbing stairs. Most people develop heart failure due to heart muscle damage from coronary artery disease (CAD) and heart attacks that can weaken the heart muscle. Over time, hearts with heart failure enlarge and may pump faster to try and meet the body’s demand for blood. Heart failure does not mean the heart stops functioning. It means there is a failure in an aspect of its function.

Congenital Heart Defect

A congenital heart defect is a defect in the development of the heart as an organ that is usually first noticed at birth although some are not found until adulthood. There are many types of congenital heart defects and a few need no treatment but others may need surgical repair. Congenital heart defects put those patients at higher risk to develop arrhythmias, heart failure, heart valve infections, and other problems. However, this risk can be reduced by specialized treatments.

Testing: Electrocardiogram (EKG)

The heart's electrical activity can be seen with an EKG (also termed ECG or electrocardiogram). EKGs are tests that provide important information to the physician about the heart rhythm, damage to the heart, or a heart attack, and may provide several other important pieces of information or clues to the patient's condition. In addition, EKGs can be compared to past and future EKGs to see changes in the heart’s electrical activity.

Testing: Stress Test

A stress test measures the ability of a person's heart to respond to the body's demand for more blood during stress (exercise or work). A continual measurement of the heart's electrical activity (a continual EKG or rhythm strip) is recorded along with the heart rate and blood pressure as a person's stress (exercise) is gradually increased on a treadmill. The information helps to show how well the heart responds to the body's demands and may provide information to help diagnose and treat problems.

Testing: Chest X-ray

Chest X-rays are used to provide the doctor with a view of both the heart and lungs to help determine if any abnormalities are present.

Testing: Echocardiogram

An echocardiogram is a real-time moving picture of a functioning heart made by using sound waves (ultrasound) to generate images. Echocardiograms use the same noninvasive technology used to examine the fetus during pregnancy. It can show how well heart chambers and heart valves are functioning, before and after treatments, as well as other features.

Testing: Cardiac CT

Specialized cardiac computerized tomography (CT) scans or cardiac CTs can provide detailed 3-D images of the heart. The images can be manipulated to look for calcium buildup (plaque) in coronary arteries or provide images of such internal structures of the heart such as the valves. The information can provide information about several heart disease problems.

Testing: Cardiac Catheterization

Cardiac catheterization is a technique that may provide both diagnostic information and therapeutic methodology during one procedure. The technique is invasive. A thin tube is placed in a blood vessel in the leg or arm and threaded into the heart and into the opening of a coronary artery. Dye is put into the tube and goes into the artery. A special X-ray machine images the dye that can show narrowing or blockage of the artery. The same tube may be used with special tips to open the coronary artery by angioplasty (small balloon is inflated) or used to place a wire mesh (stent) that expands to hold the artery open.

Living With Heart Disease

Most types of heart disease are chronic but slowly progressive. They begin with minor symptoms that often slowly worsen and require long-term medical treatment. In many patients when the heart begins to fail, such symptoms as fatigue, shortness of breath, ankle swelling, fluid retention, and other symptoms may become refractory to treatments. Lifestyle changes may become necessary (for example, home oxygen, limited activity) or even surgery or a heart transplant may be needed for the patient.

Treatment: Medicines

Advances in medicines that can help reduce the symptoms and slow the damage of heart disease have helped the majority of heart disease patients. Drugs are available to do the following:

Lower blood pressure

Lower heartbeat rates

Lower cholesterol levels to reduce plaque

Help stabilize abnormal heart rhythms

Treatment: Angioplasty

Other treatments for heart disease involve special techniques as previously mentioned -- angioplasty and stent placement. A thin catheter or tube is placed in a coronary artery and is threaded through an obstruction like a clot. A balloon is inflated and pushes aside the obstruction. The balloon is then deflated leaving the artery unblocked thus allowing good blood flow. Often, after angioplasty, an expandable mesh tube is then inserted, expanded, and then reinforces the artery and keeps it from collapsing as illustrated by this slide.

Treatment: Bypass Surgery

Some patient's coronary arteries are not good candidates for angioplasty and/or stents. Such patients may benefit from another treatment technique termed bypass surgery. Bypass surgery occurs when a surgeon removes a blood vessel from one part of the body (chest, legs, or arms) and uses it to connect one open part of a coronary artery to another open part thus bypassing the area that has blocked blood flow. Often the surgeon may need to bypass more than one artery.

Who Is at Risk for Heart Disease?

Although men (even at a younger age) have a higher risk for heart disease than women, heart disease is still the number one killer of both sexes. People with a family history, who smoke, and who are obese have a higher risk of developing heart disease. Other risk factors are listed in following slides.

Risk Factors You Can Control

Common risk factors for heart disease include elevated cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, and lack of physical activity. These risk factors can be reduced by making healthy lifestyle choices and by medications. A doctor can help you with your choices and medications.

Life After a Heart Attack

If a person suffers a heart attack, it is still possible to develop a healthy lifestyle. Many doctors recommend that their patients participate in a cardiac rehab program and learn how to avoid cigarettes, develop a healthy diet, and to become more active. All of these changes may help a person’s heart recover and function better.

Heart Disease Prevention

Heart disease prevention and risk reduction is possible by living a healthy lifestyle. Basic components of a healthy lifestyle are as follows:

Never smoke or stop smoking cigarettes

Eat a nutritious diet (many vegetables and fruits, less fats, sugars, and meats)

Get at least 30 minutes of exercise almost every day

Avoid alcohol or consume no more than 1 drink per day for women and no more than 2 drinks per day for men

If needed, achieve medical control of diabetes, high blood pressure, and cholesterol

Hijamah

Regular detoxification by way of hijamah,,,will assist in removal of plaque being formed in the major blood vessels combined with a healthy diet.

Vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes as basic foods to get good heart health. Plant oils, nuts, and seeds may help reduce cholesterol levels while eating fish about twice a week is a good source of protein without the fats found in red meat.

While heart disease is treatable by many methods, prevention or healing by reasonable lifestyle changes seems to be one of the best ways to handle this widespread health problem.

BIOMECHANICS OF HIJAMAH-THE CAPILLARY BED

What Is a Capillary?

A capillary is an extremely small blood vessel located within the tissues of the body, that transports blood from arteries to veins. Capillaries are most abundant in tissues and organs that are metabolically active. For example, muscle tissues and the kidneys have a greater amount of capillary networks than do connective tissues.

Capillary Size

Capillaries are so small that red blood cells can only travel through them in single file.

Capillaries measure in size from about 5-10 microns in diameter. Capillary walls are thin and are composed of endothelium (a type of simple squamous epithelial tissue). Oxygen, carbon dioxide, nutrients and wastes are exchanged through the thin walls of the capillaries.

Capillary Microcirculation

Capillaries play an important role in microcirculation. Microcirculation deals with the circulation of blood from the heart to arteries, to smaller arterioles, to capillaries, to venules, to veins and back to the heart.

The flow of blood in the capillaries is controlled by structures called precapillary sphincters. These structures are located between arterioles and capillaries and contain muscle fibers that allow them to contract. When the sphincters are open, blood flows freely to the capillary beds of body tissue. When the sphincters are closed, blood is not allowed to flow through the capillary beds. Fluid exchange between the capillaries and the body tissues takes place at the capillary bed.

Capillary Beds

Your body contains miles of arteries and arterioles, yet these structures are nothing more than the vascular highways that provide a pathway for your blood. It's only when your blood reaches the tiny capillaries that nutrients and wastes can be exchanged. Capillaries are microscopic blood vessels that connect the arterioles with the venules.

Capillaries are grouped together in capillary beds, which are simply a network of capillaries. Capillary beds are too small to see, but if you could see them, they would look like endless alleyways leading to virtually every tissue in your body. The rate of blood flow within a capillary bed is slow because there are so many different alleyways through which blood can travel. This slow speed limit, along with the very thin walls of the capillaries, means that capillary beds are an ideal place for the exchange of gases, nutrients, hormones and wastes between the blood and tissue cells.

This is why it is important that incisions for hijamah are not deeper than 1mm,,,so to exhume this blood stasis and other waste matter,

If incisions are deeper than venous blood will also be removed,,causing the patient to feel weaker  rather than yielding any beneficial results.

CHARGING FOR HIJAMAH?? FEES OF A CUPPER FROM AN ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE!!

ANSWER............

In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,

With the exception of a few, the position of the overwhelming majority of classical scholars (jumhur) – which includes the four main Schools of Islamic law – is that it is permitted to charge a fee for cupping (hijama), and the earnings of a cupper would be lawful (halal). (Al-Mawsu’a al-Fiqhiyya 18/17, Radd al-Muhtar ala ‘l-Durr al-Mukhtar 6/52, Al-Mughni 6/133, & Al-Muntaqa sharh al-Muwatta 4/425)

This view is based on the following hadiths:

1) Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) relates, “The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) had cupping performed on him, and he paid the person who cupped him. If it had been unlawful, he would have not paid him.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1997 and Sahih Muslim 1578)

2) Sayyiduna Anas ibn Malik relates, “Abu Tayba cupped the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace); so he ordered that a sa’ [a specific weight] of dates be given to him, and ordered his owners to reduce his levy.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1996 and Sahih Muslim 1577)

3) Sayyiduna Anas ibn Malik relates, “The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) would be treated with cupping, and he never withheld anyone’s wages.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 2160)

As such, the position of all four Schools of Islamic law is that it is permitted to charge a fee for cupping, and this includes the Hanbali School according to the more relied-upon and famous opinion within that School. There is, however, another less famous opinion that it is only permitted for a slave and not a free person. Some others said that it is not permitted neither for a slave nor a free person. This position is due to some other hadiths which indicate impermissibility; for example:

1) Sayyiduna Rafi’ ibn Khadij (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said, “The earnings from [selling] a dog is not pure (khabith), the wages of a prostitute is not pure (khabith), and the income of a cupper is not pure (khabith).” (Sahih Muslim 1568)

2) Ibn Muhayyisa al-Ansari relates from his father that he asked permission from the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) to accept payment for cupping, but he refused him from doing so. He continued to ask and seek his permission until he (Allah bless him & give him peace) said, “Feed [of its earnings] your water-carrying camel and your slave.” (Sunan Tirmidhi 1277, Musnad Ahmad 5/435, Abu Dawud 3/266 and others)

In explaining the correct context of these hadiths, Imam Nawawi (Allah have mercy on him) states:

“The scholars disagreed in relation to the earnings of a cupper. The majority of them, from the early (salaf) as well as later (khalaf) ones, state that the earnings of a cupper and consuming from such earnings is not unlawful – neither for a free person nor a slave. This is the famous (mashhur) opinion of Imam Ahmad [as well]. However, his opinion as narrated in one narration from him – which is [also] the opinion of the jurists from the hadith scholars – is that it is unlawful for a free person but not a slave, and their reliance is on these [above mentioned] and similar hadiths. The majority of the scholars base their opinion on the hadith of Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) that “the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) was cupped, and he paid the person who cupped him. If it had been unlawful, he would not have paid him.” (Recorded by Bukhari and Muslim) They [the majority of scholars] understood the hadiths of prohibition to indicate that it is somewhat disliked (makruh tanzih), and that the hadiths encourage abstinence from lowly occupations, and encourage good manners and noble professions. Had it been unlawful [to charge a fee], the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) would not have differentiated between a free person and slave, for it is [generally] impermissible for one to feed one’s slave that which is not halal.” (Al-Minhaj sharh Sahih Muslim, p: 1199)

Likewise, Imam Hafiz ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (Allah have mercy on him) states in his celebrated Fath al-Bari that the majority of scholars are of the opinion that the income of a cupper is lawful due to the hadith of Abdullah ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) recorded by Bukhari [quoted above]; and in it, Abdullah ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) refutes those who say the earnings of a cupper is unlawful [when he said, “If it had been unlawful, he would have not paid him”]. As such, although a cupper’s profession is unfitting, it is not unlawful; and thus the scholars consider the rebuke in the hadith to indicate somewhat dislike-ness (makruh tanzih). Some scholars are of the opinion that the prohibition is abrogated, some say it is only unlawful for a free person, whilst others say it is only unlawful when the job is not properly defined. (Adapted from Fath al-Bari 4/579)

The great Hanbali jurist, Imam Ibn Qudama (Allah have mercy on him), says that it is permissible to hire a cupper to treat one with cupping, and his earnings are lawful. This is the view of Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Abbas, Imam Malik, Imam Shafi’i and the Hanafis… However, some scholars regard the earnings of a cupper to be impermissible, because the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said, “The earnings of a cupper are evil (khabith)”, and he said regarding the earnings of a cupper, “Feed it to your water-carrying camel and your slave.” The proof that it is permissible and not unlawful is the hadith narrated by Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) who said, “The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) had cupping performed on him, and he paid the person who cupped him. If it had been unlawful, he would have not paid him.” As for the Messenger of Allah’s (Allah bless him & give him peace) statement “Feed it to your slave”, it is [actually] a proof that the cupper’s earnings are lawful, because it is not permitted for one to feed one’s slave that whose consumption is unlawful… As for terming the earnings as “evil (khabith)”, it does not necessarily mean that it is unlawful, because the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) called garlic and onion “khabith” even though they are both lawful. Rather, the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) disliked it somewhat for a free person, due to the lowly nature of this profession… There is no clear text from Imam Ahmad (Allah have mercy on him) regarding the prohibition of a cupper’s earnings… (Adapted from Al-Mughni 6/133)

In conclusion, there are ‘apparently’ contradictory hadiths regarding the charging of a fee for cupping others. The overwhelming majority of classical jurists give preference to those that indicate its permissibility; and as such, they agree that it is permissible to charge a fee and that one’s income would be halal. As for the hadiths that indicate its impermissibility, they interpret them in the following ways:

1) The hadiths merely show that charging a fee is somewhat disliked and better to avoid; but nevertheless lawful.

2) They merely indicate that the profession of cupping is a lowly profession.

3) They indicate that cupping, by nature, is a voluntary chore; and thus it is best not to charge for it, especially when others are in need.

4) They are in reference to the job of a cupper which is not properly defined, in which case his earnings would be unlawful (haram) due to the uncertainty.

5) The hadiths are abrogated. This was the view of Imam al-Tahawi (Allah have mercy on him).

6) They are in reference to the practice found during the pre-Islamic days of ignorance (jahiliyya) of cupping animals and thereafter selling the blood to those who consumed it.

As such, there is no sin on you if you charge a fee for providing the service of cupping (hijama) to others, and your earnings would be lawful (halal). Moreover, since your service includes patients being seen by a qualified doctor, using clean clinical equipment and other related aspects, it will not even be disliked. It is best, however, if you charge primarily for your time, the doctor’s time and the usage of equipment; but offer the very act of cupping free, with the intention of helping others and seeking reward from Allah. But note that even charging for cupping itself is not haram or sinful.

And Allah knows best

WHAT DOES HIJAMAH,, QURAN AND FASTING HAVE IN COMMON??

A brief scientific approach

Muslims find themselves in the middle of an important month. This month is sacred to us. We do not only cleanse our soul, it’s also good for both your body and your health. Science finally backs this as well. You can rejuvenate your entire immune system by fasting for three days, according to new research. By fasting, the body is stimulated to produce new white blood cells. Scientists speak of a “remarkable breakthrough” according to the magazine Cell Stem Cell.

By fasting, a button will be switched on in your body, after which stem cells will start producing new white blood cells, with the result that the whole immune system recovers. “The whole system is as it were rebuilt.” says Professor Valter Longo of USC. “And the good news is that your body will throw out old or damaged parts of the system when you’re fasting.”

During the experiment, test subjects had to fast a number of times in a period of six months, varying between two to four days. Scientists discovered that the people who fasted had less pKa in their blood, an enzyme which is commonly linked to aging. Fasting also leads to a decrease in the hormone that increases the risk of cancer and tumor growth.

The funny thing is that Hijama does something similar to our body. Studies have demonstrated that, after a treatment with Hijama, there is a remarkable increase of white blood cells in our blood. These blood cells are as mentioned crucial to our immune system.

Complications and contraindications for wet cupping

Wet cupping is contraindicated in :

# Tuberculosis of the lung.

# Neoplasms.

# Hypotonia.

# Hemophilia.

# Anemic conditions.

# Menstruation.

# Deficiency of fluids, for example, in severe diarrhea.

# Children, adolescents, the elderly, very sensitive person with tendency to fainting.

# Arrhythmia.

# Coronary insufficiency with anginal complaints.

# Great care is necessary in patients with a tendency to stronger bleeding than normal. It is even better in such cases to refrain from wet cupping.

Due to the performed scarification of the skin, mild pain is possible and scars can form.we should not forget that the formation of scars, even if they are only small, is basically not a harmless side - effect for the organism. According to the principles of Huneke therapy, scars can have such a strong effect of permanent stimulation on the neuro vegetative system that it is disturbed.

Before reaching for the scarification, the therapist should consider these points and educate the patient accordingly.

Rheumatoid arthritis - Cupping therapy

Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory disease without a known cause, which affects usually more than one joint and may lead to severe deformity and disability.

Rheumatoid arthritis is three times more common in females than males, it usually occurs between the ages of 40 -60, but it may also affect any age.

Hijaama Cupping therapy is a type of alternative and complementary medicine. It is one of the corner stones of Islamic medicine. Cupping therapy reduces pain and increases blood circulation. It also eliminates body toxins and inflammatory substances. Cupping therapy is a very effective natural treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. This therapy reduces pain and inflammation of the affected joints.

Topic: Urinary incontinence and Hijama

Urinary incontinence is loss of bladder control. Symptoms can range from mild leaking to uncontrollable wetting. It can happen to anyone, but it becomes more common with age.

Most bladder control problems happen when muscles are: too weak or too active.

*If the muscles that keep your bladder closed are weak, you may have accidents when you sneeze, laugh or lift a heavy object. This is stress incontinence.

*If bladder muscles become too active, you may feel a strong urge to go to the bathroom when you have little urine in your bladder. This is urge incontinence or overactive bladder.

* Causes of temporary urinary incontinence:

Certain foods, drinks and medications can cause temporary urinary incontinence. A simple change in habits can bring relief.

• Alcohol: Alcohol acts as a bladder stimulant and a diuretic, which can cause an urgent need to urinate.

• Overhydration: Drinking a lot of fluids, especially in a short period of time, increases the amount of urine your bladder has to deal with.

• Caffeine: Caffeine is a diuretic and a bladder stimulant that can cause a sudden need to urinate.

• Bladder irritation: Carbonated drinks, tea and coffee — with or without caffeine — artificial sweeteners, corn syrup, and foods and beverages that are high in spice, sugar and acid, such as citrus and tomatoes, can aggravate your bladder.

• Medications: Heart medications, blood pressure drugs, sedatives, muscle relaxants and other medications may contribute to bladder control problems.

* Easily treatable medical conditions also may be responsible for urinary incontinence such as:

• Urinary tract infection: Infections can irritate your bladder, causing you to have strong urges to urinate. These urges may result in episodes of incontinence, which may be your only warning sign of a urinary tract infection. Other possible signs and symptoms include a burning sensation when you urinate and foul-smelling urine.

• Constipation: The rectum is located near the bladder and shares many of the same nerves. Hard, compacted stool in your rectum causes these nerves to be overactive and increase urinary frequency. In addition, compacted stool can sometimes interfere with the emptying of the bladder, which may cause overflow incontinence.

* Causes of persistent urinary incontinence

Urinary incontinence can also be a persistent condition caused by underlying physical problems or changes, including:

• Pregnancy and childbirth: Pregnant women may experience stress incontinence because of hormonal changes and the increased weight of an enlarging uterus. In addition, the stress of a vaginal delivery can weaken muscles needed for bladder control. The changes that occur during childbirth can also damage bladder nerves and supportive tissue, leading to a dropped (prolapsed) pelvic floor. With prolapse, your bladder, uterus, rectum or small bowel can get pushed down from the usual position and protrude into your vagina. Such protrusions can be associated with incontinence.

• Changes with aging: Aging of the bladder muscle leads to a decrease in the bladder's capacity to store urine and an increase in overactive bladder symptoms. Risk of overactive bladder increases if you have blood vessel disease, so maintaining good overall health — including stopping smoking, treating high blood pressure and keeping your weight within a healthy range — can help curb symptoms of overactive bladder.

After menopause women produce less estrogen, a hormone that helps keep the lining of the bladder and urethra healthy. With less estrogen, these tissues may deteriorate, which can aggravate incontinence.

• Hysterectomy: In women, the bladder and uterus lie close to one another and are supported by many of the same muscles and ligaments. Any surgery that involves a woman's reproductive system — for example, removal of the uterus (hysterectomy) — may damage the supporting pelvic floor muscles, which can lead to incontinence.

• Prostatitis: Loss of bladder control isn't a typical sign of prostatitis, which is inflammation of the prostate gland — a walnut-sized organ located just below the male bladder. Even so, urinary incontinence sometimes occurs with this common condition.

• Enlarged prostate: In older men, incontinence often stems from enlargement of the prostate gland, a condition also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

• Prostate cancer: In men, stress incontinence or urge incontinence can be associated with untreated prostate cancer. However, more often, incontinence is a side effect of treatments — surgery or radiation — for prostate cancer.

• Bladder cancer or bladder stones: Incontinence, urinary urgency and burning with urination can be signs and symptoms of bladder cancer or bladder stones. Other signs and symptoms include blood in the urine and pelvic pain.

• Neurological disorders: Multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, stroke, a brain tumor or a spinal injury can interfere with nerve signals involved in bladder control, causing urinary incontinence.

• Obstruction: A tumor anywhere along your urinary tract can block the normal flow of urine and cause incontinence, usually overflow incontinence. Urinary stones — hard, stone-like masses that can form in the bladder — may be to blame for urine leakage. Stones can be present in your kidneys, bladder or ureters.

So how is it that Hijama can come in handy in this situation?

Well first of all, most of the causes mentioned above are due to an external factor for example alcohol, caffeine, medications and so on. What Hijama does is that it negates the side effects of these external factors. So the damage that is being caused by these elements are extradited from the body through the detox process of Hijama.

Once that is done, fresh oxygenated blood arrives at the treated site which inturn brings with it all the anti-inflammatory elements that the human body naturally produces and thus healing starts of that organ, in this case the male or female bladder area.

However, as for the other naturally occurring causes of Urinary incontinence, such as Child-birth or ageing factor, then I can confirm that Hijama is not a direct answer. Or for example, there is a tumor growth causing an obstruction, then Hijama will not directly help. These are things which people have to go through such as ageing or pregnancy and by applying Hijama Therpay will not solve your issues though it will make its symptoms better.

As for my personal experience treating Urinary incontinence with Hijama, then I can however, confirm that I had a few cases of males and females who were suffering from this embarrassing illness and they all felt a difference in that they stopped leaking urine.

Some patients felt better in a couple of days, others it took a few good months, but there was for sure a significant difference.

The treatment plan through Hijama should be such that it should be diagnosed first. Once that is done and depending no doubt on the factors causing it, cups are/can be applied to the pubic region, right on top of the pubic bone and 2 cups to the sides in the medial (adductor) compartment of the thigh or also known as the inguinal canal which are the two creases at the junction of the torso with the legs.

For this, it is best to have shaven off the pubic hair ( seriously, going to the doctors with pubic hair the length of a football field and then asking him to shave it off for you, is one good way of getting yourself kicked out of the clinic with your pants still half way down).

Its sometimes a bit stingy in this region, but I apply some anaesthetic to numb everything up.

After a month, I then advise patients to have it done on the opposite side, from the back area. This region where the cups are applied is called the Lumbar Region. Infact, I try to place it with accuracy where the Lumbar Vertebrate ends and the Sacrum starts.

In some patients I have even managed to place it on the coccyx itself which was a pleasant surprise. Again, 3-4 cups are more than enough.

This should be repeated initially every 4 weeks for 3 months. After which it should go back to having it done every 3 months. That’s when the miracles start Insha’Allah.

I hope I have done justice to this topic and I hope that no one suffers from this unpleasant illness but if they do, than Thank Allah swt for he has made a way for a treatment and a cure Insha’Allah.

PS: Like i tell everyone, dont wait till you start to have a leak program! Why not do it when you are healthy and young without an illness then to wait till you are 59 years of age, dripping every where you go and then everyone starts to look for alternative treatments such as Hijama.

Dr.Sohail. Islamabad Hijama Health Clinic

www.hijamacups.com

www.cuppingtherapy.co.in

An Unusual Skin Allergy Post Wet Cupping

Ebtisam Elghblawi

Ebtisam Elghblawi, Clinical Dermatology and cosmology, Senior staff Dermatologist, Private practice (STJ Hospital) uptodate, Tripoli, Libya

Correspondence to: Ebtisam Elghblawi, Clinical Dermatology and cosmology, Senior staff Dermatologist, Private practice (STJ Hospital) uptodate, Tripoli, Libya.
Email: ebtisamya@yahoo.com
Received: December 18, 2015
Revised: February 12, 2016
Accepted: February 17, 2016
Published online: April 23, 2016

 ABSTRACT

Cupping is one of the oldest natural healing therapies worldwide and is well known as a complementary treatment and remains in use for many ailments, including dermatological conditions. Cupping involves applying a heated cup to generate a partial vacuum that mobilizes the blood flow and promotes effective healing. I report a case who presented with an interestingly allergic skin reaction post cupping on her back. Using search words of "cupping," "complication," and "skin allergy", did not yield any reports were found on PubMed. Therapeutic efficacy was claimed but not scientifically documented in these reports due to poor clinical evidence. I am reporting this case report for its exceptional presentation.

© 2016 The Author. Published by ACT Publishing Group Ltd.

Key words: Complementary medicine; Alternative medicine; Allergy; Skin

Elghblawi E. An Unusual Skin Allergy Post Wet Cupping. Journal of Dermatological Research 2016; 1(1): 19-21 Available from: URL: http://www.ghrnet.org/index.php/jdr/article/view/1529

Introduction

Cupping is a form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) that is used in the Muslim world, as well as in North Africa, the Far and Middle East, Eastern Europe and Latin America. It is proposed to be used initially by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Chinese and it is dated back to nearly 200 AD.

The technique involves the application of ignited alcohol-soaked cotton in a glass cup or jar. The container is then applied to the skin over the area of interest. The area of skin can either be left as is (dry cupping) or it may be scratched and otherwise incised with a sharp object, such as a knife (wet cupping).

The cup is left over the site and on cooling, generates a partial vacuum. This is said to draw “spoiled stagnant blood and toxins” and other “contaminants” as well as eliminating sluggish flow which manifest in the skin surface as a bruise. Moreover, cupping is performed over acupuncture spots in the belief that this stimulates the body's vital energy.

Clinical presentation

A healthy Libyan lady in her 30s presented with acute itchy red beefy, non scaly, non oozing skin lesions over her back, mainly over both shoulders girdles and lower mid back for the last three days (Figure 1, 2, and 3). She gave a history of wet cupping performed by a pious woman in a medical clinic, and was not her first time to have it done for a pain she has on her lower back. She claimed that the skin allergy developed straight away after the session and the only thing her medic applied was an olive oil as a moisturizer after the cupping session. She did not follow up on treatment though the call centre of the hospital called her many times to come for a follow-up, but never replied back and thus dropped out.

She was reporting bad backache and seeking complementary treatment (Figure 1), which resulted in multiple red, well-defined, rounded red skin lesions over the shoulders and lower mid back. She never came back for a follow up as instructed.

On examination, there are multiple red, blanchable erythematous, well-defined, rounded none oozing red skin lesions over both shoulders girdle and the lower mid back at the exact places where the cupping was applied. A punch 4 mm was taken and sent for histopathology which revealed findings coincides with sub-acute spongiotic dermatitis. 

Discussion

Cupping or Hijamaah is a term given ('Hijama' in Arabic is derived from 'hajm' which means 'sucking'), and is old modality of complementary treatment which is usually carried out by non medical individuals, such as village elders and “pious” men, who have learnt the technique from their ancestors, eventually passing it on to the next generation. Some claimed it is like the Chinese acupuncture where certain points should be triggered. It has been as well recommended by prophet Mohamed for its vast benefits.

Cupping therapy as a curative skill has been developed and applied throughout history and believed to be not an irritant to the skin. This therapy is considered to be relatively safe with no systemic reviews documenting negative side effects.

Cupping has a distinctive physical appearance: round areas of erythema which may become oedematous and ecchymotic due to capillary leak. In order to cover a larger surface area, the cup can be moved around over lubricated skin: this creates the effect of linear purpuric streaks. If the physician is not aware of this practice, these benign lesions can be mistaken for injuries seemingly inflicted through abuse.

Cupping can cause significant dermatological issues. The practice has been purported to induce Köebner phenomenon, commonly seen in cases of psoriasis[1], as well as keloid formation at cupping sites[2]. Cupping may also exacerbate eczematous areas[3], and may trigger post inflammatory hyperpigmentation[4], and skin burns locally[5]. Additionally cupping found to lessen post-herpetic neuralgia through its influences on substance P[6].

When cupping was utilized for non-specific neck and back pain, it was found to improve symptoms significantly. There is no definitive conclusion due to high dropout rates[7].

Most of the RCTs in the existing literature demonstrated no serious adverse effects[8].

This unique case cannot further explored or investigating due to lack of controlled studies on such cases, plus what the lady stated could be a mix up about her story and the application of the olive oil after that.

In the present case, this acute reaction could be explained as secondary to the cupping maneuver carried out itself (vigorous suction), breakage up of the skin capillary, an unexplained body immunological reaction toward the cupping, Olive oil and possibly other oils associated application ways, skin cutting technique, or simply due to the repeated cupping and trauma. Although no immunological tests were performed as no similar history of the incident was reported before in the existing literature, thus the exact cause remains mystery.

Searching however the existing literature did not yield a single case report about such a similar incident. Olive oil is well-known to be therapeutic for many ailments as prophet Mohamed said and as stated as well in the Holy Quran, and known to be safe on skin. So how this encountered incident happened remains a mystery to resolve. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first Libyan lady to be reported of such incident post wet cupping.

The argument here is that cupping can be used for treating eczema, atopy and contact dermatitis and what had happened in this case is contact dermatitis post cupping which mandate a careful consideration when such cases seeking such a therapy.

In conclusion, evidence based foundation is lacking and needs a robust research and controlled studies to affirm the claim. Also the benefits of cupping are difficult to analyse and interpret as there are no randomized control trials which prove or disprove its efficacy[9].

Clinicians should also be attentive of diverse alternative treatment modalities and be prepared to offer evidence-based advice to the patients when needed in order to not miss such cases.

CONFLICT OF INTERESTS

The authors declare that they do not have conflict of interests.

REFERENCES

1 Yu RX, Hui Y, Li CR., Köebner phenomenon induced by cupping therapy in a psoriasis patient., Dermatol Online J. 2013 Jun 15;19(6):18575.

2 Park TH., Keloid on scapular area secondary to therapeutic dry cupping. Int Wound J. 2013

3 Hon KL, Luk DC, Leong KF, Leung AK., cupping Therapy May be Harmful for Eczema: A PubMed Search., Case Rep Pediatr. 2013;2013:605829

4 Lee SJ, Chung WS, Lee JD, Kim HS., A patient with cupping -related post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation successfully treated with a 1,927 nm thulium fiber fractional laser. J Cosmet Laser Ther. 2013

5 Jing-Chun Z, Jia-Ao Y, Chun-Jing X, Kai S, Lai-Jin L. Burns induced by cupping therapy in a burn center in northeast china. Wounds. 2014 Jul;26(7):214-20.

6 Tian H, Tian YJ, Wang B, Yang L, Wang YY, Yang JS., [Impacts of bleeding and cupping therapy on serum P substance in patients of postherpetic neuralgia]., Zhongguo Zhen Jiu. 2013 (8):678-81

7 Lauche R, Cramer H, Langhorst J, Dobos G., cupping for chronic nonspecific neck pain: a 2-year follow-up., Forsch Komplementmed. 2013; 20(5):328-33

8 Cao H, Li X, Liu J. An updated review of the efficacy of cupping therapy. PLoS One. 2012; 7(2):e31793.

9 Chen B, Li MY, Liu PD, Guo Y, Chen ZL. Alternative medicine: an update on cupping therapy. QJM. 2015 Jul;108 (7):523-5.

Peer reviewers:Lin-feng Li, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Dermatology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, 95 Yongan Road, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100050, China; Kozo Nakai, MD, PhD, Department of Dermatology, Kagawa University, 1750-1 Ikenobe, Miki-cho, Kita-gun, Kagawa, 761-0793, Japan.

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