Abu Yaqoob, a Hijama (Cupping) Therapist in Toronto, Canada

This is a guest-post in the form of a written interview with Abu Yaqoob - a male cupping therapist based in Toronto, Canada.

- Please give us a short introduction about yourself:

As Salam Alaikum

Al Humdulillah I've learned Hijama(cupping) while I was in Egypt from a doctor of natural medicine, and have been helping people with this blessed practice for many years now.

I have my diploma in Natural health with horns, so if you are interested in Hijama please e-mail me abuyaqooob@yahoo.ca. I'm located in Toronto Canada.

- What particular illnesses/ conditions (if any), do you specialise / had the most experience in?

Praise be to Allah and peace and blessings be upon His messenger Muhammad.

Cupping is a blessed medicinal cure for the one who has faith in it, and is especially effective when they have faith in it from the start, and not as a last resort when all else fails as is the case with most people.

I have performed Cupping for many different ailments, but also being a natural health consultant I've found that the ones who try living a healthier lifestyle with regular cupping treatment will get the best results.

- And do you find that in your experience, the conditions/illnesses that you have come across respond well to cupping (hijama) therapy? And if so, what are they?

Well in my experience cupping is a very effective treatment for migraine headaches and high blood pressure, and a person can get cured with just one session, but can also be effective for one with knee or back injuries.

- Also what would you say about using cupping as a general preventative therapy (which by getting rid of bad blood/ toxins in the body may help prevent conditions like high cholesterol/ heart disease / cancer in the long term)? And how often would you recommend this (once a month? once/twice a year?)

The motto of most general natural health consultants is Health is wealth so don't waste yours.

We must know that the companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon Him) were not a people who regularly ate to satiety, but these days people have the least bit of control over their stomachs and as a result causes a great many diseases in their bodies, so a healthy diet with regular fasting and exercise along with cupping especially on the recommended day of the month of the lunar calender i.e. 17, 19 21 will do a body a lot of good.
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FEATURED HIJAMA THERAPIST:
Abu Yaqoob

LOCATION
Toronto
Canada

CONTACT DETAILS:
Email: abuyaqooob@yahoo.ca
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Our thanks to Abu Yaqoob from Toronto, Canada for sharing the above post. If you have any questions for Abu Yaqoob or indeed have been treated by him and want to leave him a testimonial(!), then please do so via a comment* below.

If you are a hijama therapist or patient and are happy to share your knowledge or experience via a guest blog-post like the one above, please send me an email to: hijama.mail@gmail.com.

*Comments are moderated to prevent spamming so may take some time to appear

Is Cupping Therapy (Hijama) effective for the Treatment of Lower Back Pain?

My experience of Cupping Therapy with a Therapist from Natural Health Nature's Finest - by Sandra Naeem from Manchester.

INTRODUCTION:
I was lucky enough to try the ancient therapy of hijama (Arabic word) also known as wet cupping or blood letting. This type of therapy is a recognised form of treatment for many illnesses and has been used in Chinese medicine for centuries. However it is still largely unknown in Western society. It was one of the forms of medicine recommended by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) who used to have hijama regularly. So for that reason itself I wanted to experience this therapy. It is also a recognised therapy amongst Western medicine but not well known to the average member of the public.

THE THERAPIST:
The lady who performed the treatment was very experienced and has set up her own clinic in London. She was invited to do a talk on Hijama at a local event I attended and although I don't have any major health problems I was interested and intrigued to know more about Hijama as an alternative to Western medicine which is based on diagnosis and prescribing drugs.

INITIAL TREATMENT:
Anyway back to the Hijama. The therapist came back to do another talk and offered to do a few appointments for local women so I jumped at the opportunity. She asked me about any illnesses or medical conditions I have so she could know how to treat me. As this was my first time, she performed Hijama on my neck which is also a sunnah spot (this is a part of the body which the Prophet Muhammed used to have done) It is also done on your neck initially as it is hard to tell how a person will take the treatment so doing it on the neck first is a good idea.

THE PROCEDURE:
She explained what she was going to do (I have a strong threshold for pain after having three children so I wasn't too nervous) before making very small cuts on the back of my neck. This didn't hurt, it sort of tickled. A small plastic cup was then placed on the back of my neck, and air was taken out of the cup using suction to create a vacuum, blood was then released through the incisions and into the cup. In the olden days they had to use a candle/flame and small glass cup or bamboo to create heat when placed on the skin in order to create the suction. Nowadays with modern technology the lady who treated me had disposable needles, gloves and cups. An ancient method being updated using modern technology.

RESULT:
After the treatment I didn't feel any pain and the scars on my neck healed within a week. I was told that the blood was quite thin ( a good sign) although not a lot of it was coming out. I did feel very tired though for a week after the treatment.

SECOND TREATMENT:
A week later she came up for another visit so I took the opportunity to do it again this time in two spots on my lower back (as I have lower back pain for the last few years).

This time more blood was drawn and I got to look at the blood which was disturbingly thick and dark (not a good sign, thick blood is usually toxic and since it was my second treatment the blood was coming out better). This time I felt a bit of pain where the cuts were, but overall I didn't feel lethargic after treatment as I was a bit more prepared for what to expect.

YOUTUBE VIDEOS
If you look at the videos on Youtube they are quite scary which is why I didn't want to post them. If you cannot stand the sight of blood then this is probably not for you. Also the videos on Youtube are extreme. I saw a video of this guy he had 3 cups on his head and about 4 on his back which must be very painful, I felt queasy watching that. Some people left comments saying it is barbaric. It is an alternative therapy. Don't knock it though until you have tried it!

LOGIC OF HIJAMA THERAPY:
The idea behind hijama therapy is that a lot of energy is not being used properly by our bodies. Our blood is getting clogged up and not being able to travel through our bodies properly leading to illnesses so the hijama releases the toxic blood allowing the blood to flow better. Depending on your body and the illness you have you may need a few more sessions before you see any overall improvements. An increase in circulation is also very important which is why the therapist asked me to do some moderate exercise every day (although I am not overweight I could do with increasing my circulation and keeping fit!)

AFTERTHOUGHT:
Having the hijama done has made me realise how lucky I am in terms of having a reasonably healthy body (I do have some minor health problems but nothing too serious) so I need to start looking after myself before it packs in through old age.

AFTERCARE:
I am also more aware of my eating habits now and have made a few minor changes to improve my diet. Everything the therapist told me to do I am aware of but unfortunately I am not good at implementing and sticking to dietary advice.
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FEATURED HIJAMA THERAPIST:
Anisa Kissoon of Natural Health Nature's Finest

LOCATION
27 Georgia Road,
Thornton Heath,
Croydon,
England
CR7 8DU.

CONTACT DETAILS:
Telephone: 0207 060 7166 / 07877541990
Email: info@nhnf.co.uk
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Our thanks to Sandra Naeem from Manchester for sharing the above post. If you have a question for Sandra or if you have had experience of hijama therapy for the treatment of back pain, then please share it via a comment* below.

If you are a hijama therapist or patient and are happy to share your knowledge or experience via a guest blog-post like the one above, please send me an email to: hijama.mail@gmail.com.

*Comments are moderated to prevent spamming so may take some time to appear

Code of Ethics of the International Cupping Therapy Society

A comment by Anas on a recent post highlighted a very important point: "Do you need to be certified or approved by a professional body to practice cupping therapy (hijama) in this country?" The answer to that, as explained by a couple of therapists in subsequent comments, is that so far there is no governing body for its certification (if anyone knows any different please leave a comment*), but it goes without saying that you obviously need to be qualified and trained to practice!

Well, the good news is that it seems that Cupping or Hijama Therapy is gaining wider acceptance in recent years and has even been accepted as a complementary therapy with the Complementary Medical Association (CMA) by the efforts of Natural Health Nature's Finest (NHNF). NHNF are currently running courses approved by the CMA and providing certification for the therapy.

Apart from that, on an international scale, The International Cupping Therapy Society has recently been set up by Dr Munir Ravalia of www.zhijama.co.uk in conjunction with Dr Shaban Tamer, the author of The Complete Guide To Cupping Therapy, inviting therapists to join and be affiliated.

Among it's stated aims are to "Support, Make and publish well designed trials to gain the support of medical professionals" as well as "Develop well structured and recognized training programs". All good stuff!

So if you are next in the market for a cupping therapist in the UK, make sure you find one certified by Natural Health Nature's Finest, as well as a member of The International Cupping Therapy Society, just to be doubly sure that you are in a safe pair of hands!

At the very least you can then rest assured that they subscribe to the high standard and Code of Ethics of The International Cupping Therapy Society (see the current version (March, 2009) as reproduced below from their website):

Code of Ethics of the International Cupping Therapy Society

The International Cupping Therapy Society has the right to expect that all of its members conduct their professional activities in accordance with the Code of Ethics of the Society.

All practitioners and therapists must have appropriate Training and follow appropriate cross infection control procedures, to ensure a safe and hygienic environment for themselves, their colleagues and their clients.

The following are some of the basic standards required and are considered the minimum standards expected by the Society for all its members:

-First Aid kit is required.

- Suitable and sufficient lighting, heating and ventilation provided and maintained as appropriate.

- Clean and hygienic condition.

- Waste Disposal Procedures are provided and maintained, including sharps disposal and clinical waste.

- All work materials such as chairs surfaces, and tables are thoroughly cleaned using a suitable disinfectant between patients and at the end of each working day and after any spillage on the surface.

- The skin in the area of the cupping site must be appropriately cleansed.

- Before conducting the cupping procedure, the practitioner will wash their hands and forearms with soap and hot water, drying with clean disposable towels.

- Gowns and towels must be changed and cleaned after each use and free from stains as appropriate.

- Cups and other disposable instruments must be prepackaged and pre-sterilized and only applied once after which appropriate disposal in a puncture- and leak-proof box, and its contents must be disposed of in a manner authorized for clinical waste.

- Hands must be cleaned with antibacterial soaps between each patient.

- Use of disposable gloves during cupping.

- Therapists must not overcharge, mislead or continue to treat patients for prolonged treatment courses without beneficial treatment results.

- Controlled infectious disease which require hospitalization, cancer treatment and other serious diseases should not be offered as a replacement to conventional medical treatment.

- Patients must be advised to fast for a minimum of three hours before treatment.

- Therapists must be trustworthy to their patients, not misguide, nor give unqualified advice.

- Therapists must not advise patients to stop medication or other medical treatments without first consulting with their physician.

- Therapists must give their complete attention when treating a patient and provide safe and suitable treatments to the best of their ability.

- Attention must be taken by members not to give incorrect results about the success of treatments or to say that any treatment is a total cure in every case without a clear evidence.

- Members will be asked occasionally to attend additional optional education seminars and lectures appropriate to maintain with current professional standards.

- Membership to be renewed on an annual basis subject to compliance with the Society's Code of Ethics

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On the same note, if you are a qualified hijama therapist or even a trainee therapist, and are happy to subscribe to their Code of Ethics, you may be pleased to learn that you can now apply for a FREE membership of the International Cupping Therapy Society. Download and complete their Application Form and email it to Dr Munir Ravalia on: admin@internationalcuppingsociety.com or Dr Shaban Tamer on: info@cuppingtherapy.info

Shuaib Suria
AHEALTH

PS: If you have any questions about Hijama or the International Cupping Therapy Society, then please leave a comment* below (by clicking the comments link) and we will try to get them answered by Dr Ravalia or Dr Tamer.

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*Comments are moderated to prevent spamming so may take some time to appear.


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