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Objectives: Cupping therapy is a widely used complementary medicine for the treatment of migraine headaches globally. However, conflicting evidence exists on its effectiveness. To evaluate the safety and efficacy of cupping therapy in treating migraine headache disorder.Methods: Seven databases were systematically searched: PubMed/MEDLINE, Clinicaltrials. gov, Cochrane CENTRAL, ScienceDirect, ProQuest, SinoMed, and the National Science and Technology Library. The primary endpoints are the treatment success and the pain intensity reduction. The secondary endpoints were adverse events (AEs) risk and improvement in quality of life (QoL), which was based on the Migraine Disability Scale (MIDAS). Subgroup analyses were performed based on the cupping techniques (wet and dry cupping) and adjunctive complementary treatments (i.e. acupuncture and/or collateral pricking).Results: Eighteen trials out of 348 records were included, pooling 1,446 participants (n = 797 received cupping therapy). Treatment success was significantly higher among those with cupping therapy (risk ratio [RR] [95% CI] = 1.83 [1.52-2.21]); with significant improvement observed only with wet cupping (RR [95% CI] = 1.88 [1.53-2.30]). The adjunctive complementary therapy did not achieve a greater amplitude of treatment success compared to cupping therapy alone. Furthermore, cupping therapy showed significant pain reduction compared to baseline (standardized mean difference [SMD] [95% CI] = 0.55 [0.39-0.70]) and achieved fewer risks of AEs (RR [95% CI] = 1.88 [1.53-2.30]). However, cupping did not improve the overall QoL (MIDAS SMD [95% CI] = –0.79 [–3.55-1.98]).Conclusion: Cupping therapy was an effective complementary modality to treat migraine headaches. However, it did not demonstrate improvement in QoL (PROSPERO: CRD42024514509).

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To evaluate the feasibility of comparing the effect of the traditional Hijamah and the Asian wet cupping techniques in the management of patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP), a randomized clinical trial comparing traditional and Asian wet cupping techniques for CLBP was conducted in two secondary care hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Seventy eligible participants with CLBP were randomized to receive one session of wet cupping using either Asian technique (34 patients) or traditional Hijamah technique (36 patients). Cupping was performed at four sites of the bilateral bladder meridian (BL23, BL24, and BL25). The numeric rating scale, Present Pain Intensity, and Oswestry Disability Questionnaire scores were measured immediately after intervention, at seven days, and 14 days after intervention. In both groups, there was a significant decrease in the numeric rating scale, Present Pain Intensity, and Oswestry Disability Questionnaire scores, immediately after intervention, at seven days, and 14 days after intervention. However, there was no significant difference between the two groups across all the outcome measures up to 14 days after intervention. The study did not show a superiority of one technique compared with the other. Longer follow-up periods and more than one cupping session may be needed to evaluate the difference, if any, between both the techniques. NCT02012205. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Officially recognized as an Indigenous System of Medicine in India, Unani has been intimately connected to Muslim culture in South Asia. However, this connection has been downplayed by the government of India, which stressed the secular character of Unani and its Greek origins. Hijamah, or cupping therapy, is considered to be part of the regimental therapies of Unani medicine. Because hijamah has been mentioned in several Hadiths, it is also considered prophetic medicine. After what seems to be a long neglect of hijamah in the practice of Unani medicine, various hakims (Unani practitioners) are now promoting this therapy as a "forgotten Sunna." This paper attends to the revival of hijamah in India at the intersections of Unani and prophetic medicine through an examination of clinical practices and advertisements. It argues that this revival is contributing to a re-Islamization of Unani medicine. The article suggests that this development is not just the product of an interest among Muslims in India to live according to the Sunna, but it is also influenced by the global market of Complementary and Alternative Medicine which the government of India seeks to lead. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since ancient times, complementary and alternative medicine has played an important role in human health. Cupping therapy (wet or dry), being one of the methods of complementary and alternative medicine, is claimed to have therapeutic effects in many types of disorders which do not fully respond to conventional medicine. This review outlines the description, history, methods, mechanisms, application sites, and adverse effects of cupping therapy in the light of relevant literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cupping (Hijamah) therapy is very well documented as a result of several thousand years of clinical experiences in Unani medicine. In this procedure, suction is created by various means either with or without bloodletting. Though this therapy is being widely practiced across the globe for treating many chronic and intractable ailments but many reports reveal its unscientific and improper practices which results in many complications. Therefore to develop standard operative procedures and to propose protocols of cupping therapy in various diseases is the need of hour. Materials and methods: A thorough literature review of relevant journals and textbooks was performed to gather the maximum available data on cupping therapy. Conclusion: This paper seeks to introduce the general concepts of cupping therapy in Unani medicine and other traditional systems of medicine, shortcomings and limitations of the currently published studies and suggest ways to improve these technical/ methodological flaws. In addition, the authors have also attempted to provide the cupping related materials, hypotheses, observations which will provide the researchers the base for evaluating their usefulness in future clinical trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hijamah (a well-known Prophetic complimentary treatment) has been used for centuries to treat various human diseases. It is considered that this traditional treatment (also known as wet cupping) has the potential to treat many kinds of diseases. It is performed by creating a vacuum on the skin by using a cup to collect the stagnant blood in that particular area. The vacuum at the end is released by removing the cup. Superficial skin scarification is then made to draw the blood stagnation out of the body. This technique needs to be performed in aseptic conditions by a well trained Hijamah-physician. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had described Hijamah as the best treatment humans can have. This novel treatment methodology has been successfully used as cure for numerous diseases including skin diseases. In this case report, we discuss about the application of this method in the treatment of psoriasis (an autoimmune skin disease). Results illustrated that with Hijamah, disease can not only be controlled but can be brought to a nearly complete remission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: One of the licensing requirements for cupping providers in Saudi Arabia is to attend a compulsory training course that lasts 5 days for non-physicians and 4 days for physicians, irrespective of any previous experience in cupping therapy. The course is conducted by the National Center of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM/MOH). As a part of course auditing, the current study aimed to evaluate knowledge retention among licensed cupping providers 1-3 years after passing the official cupping course., Methods: Licensed cupping providers were invited to attend a continuing medical education activity. Sixty-two attended the continuing medical education activity. Before the event, participants were asked to answer 35 multiple-choice questions taken from the same data bank as the pretest and posttest of the course. The test scores were linked and compared with the pre- and posttest of the training course., Results: A paired t test showed significant differences between the pre- and posttest knowledge scores (mean difference: 224.6 ± 86, p = 0.0001) and between the posttest and follow-up knowledge scores (mean difference: -115.26 ± 103.9, p = 0.0001). The follow-up score was still significantly higher than the pretest score, with a mean difference of 112 (95% CI: 83.66-140.34, p = 0.0001). There was no significant effect of category (physician vs. non-physician) on knowledge retention after controlling for the postcourse score. Gender, the total duration of experience, and total years of experience in cupping did not affect knowledge score retention between the physicians and the non-physicians., Conclusion: The official cupping training course of the NCCAM/MOH achieved reasonable knowledge retention. To achieve long-term knowledge retention, refresher training/courses and continuous professional development will be required., (© 2019 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Cupping therapy or Hijamah is a leading traditional practice after spiritual healings and herbal medicine in Saudi Arabia. Wet cupping is by far the most common type of cupping therapy. Hijamah in Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries is a model of religious influences, interconnectivity, and cross-cultural influences between different civilizations. Accordingly, differentiating the cupping practiced in Saudi Arabia, and other Muslims societies from that practiced in other countries like China, by Korea only by the technique or cupping sites is an underestimation of the differences. In Saudi Arabia, the profile or characteristics of cupping therapy user is distinct from the profile of other traditional medicine users by being more educated, with higher job rank and not affected by nationality or gender. After an era of unregulated practice, cupping therapy is currently regulated and monitored by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the Ministry of Health (NCCAM/MOH) of Saudi Arabia. Regulations and licensing include practitioners, practice place, and cupping equipment. After regulation, cupping is mainly offered by the private sector and paid directly by the client as insurance does not cover it. In the private sector, licensed cupping service is usually provided as a parallel and not an integrated service. However, there are few models of integrated cupping clinic in universities, academic institutions, and governmental hospitals. Further health system research is needed to develop more models of integrated cupping service pending for the healthcare transformation which is going on in Saudi Arabia.