It was only a matter of time before this would come up on our radar. And when it finally did, the TOAD office was of two minds about hijama. Half of us went pale and queasy at the mention of bloodletting and questioned whether it might be hokey. The other half were electric with enthusiasm about adding a weird and radical new experience to a growing list of such. Needless to say it was the latter half that went ahead to try it out. It definitely proved to be radical (we say that with tree-hugger enthusiasm) though not particularly weird at all.
First let’s get the facts straight. Bloodletting is one of those holistic therapies that have been practiced since antiquity by the likes of the Egyptians, Romans, Mayans and so forth. A form of bloodletting, hijama is the Arabic term for wet-cupping, which employs cups to create a vacuum that stimulates the tissue and draws out blood. Traditional Chinese Medicine advocates a bloodless method, known as pressure or fire-cupping (both forms of dry-cupping.)
We spoke to Dr. Hu Qiwen, from the Gulf Chinese Medical Centre, which offers hijama, dry-cupping and various other holistic treatments. He explained that Chinese medicine focuses mostly on stimulating energy points and channels, to balance energy levels in the body.
Biologically, it’s the same concept, but hijama takes it a step further. While dry-cupping stimulates congested tissue, it fails to extract the nasty stuff. By removing blood, hijama also removes toxic waste and dead blood-cells that accumulate near the surface of the skin. It’s fascinating to note that both traditions advise the treatment be done on certain days of the lunar calendar. The idea is that the full moon’s gravitational pull agitates our circulatory system, just as it does the tides, which presents the ideal time for a cleansing and, according to Dr Hu, gives better results.
Proven more effective than any deep tissue massage, the process isn’t nearly as scary as it sounds. The very special lady who treated us had studied natural remedies in Canada, prior to her interest in hijama. ‘I found the two complement each other so well,’ she said ‘which helps me better understand each case.’ She then asked us about any particular ailments we had, and chose the spots she’d be working on accordingly. All of them happened to be on the back, which warranted the question: why the back? ‘The back is where the central nervous system is. If something starts it’ll start from here. For things like heart problems we sometimes do the legs and arms, but it’s mostly back. And if, for any reason, we have to do the front of your body, we’ll use dry-cupping.’
After a thorough disinfecting, out came the disposable plastic cups. These were placed on various meridians along the back, and a gun-like pumping contraption was used to create a vacuum inside the cup. After a few minutes the cups were removed, and a surgical razor used to make superficial cat-scratches in the afore-vacuumed spots. A note to all ye of little gut, it doesn’t hurt. We promise you. The cups are then replaced, and the vacuum recreated. This is where the nasty blood started coming out. This is also where we were enlightened about what the consistency of the liquids removed can say about your health. Take heavy clotting for example, which is apparently a sign of high toxic deposits within the bloodstream that cause problems with circulation. Fascinating stuff. So did it work?
Well, no one experience will be the same as another, but you may feel a mental clarity and an unusual level of energy in the first instance. (Our still-sceptical editor puts it down to being high on blood-loss.) But don’t let this deceive you into doing ten laps around an Olympic-sized running track. After the treatment, you’re advised to rest and lay off heavy meals. You might also want to refrain from going to the beach, or wearing low-back attire, unless you get a kick out of telling people tall tales about giant octopus attacks. Not to worry though, the marks fade in about a week.
The Gulf Chinese Medical Centre is open daily from 9am-1pm then 5-9pm, and 6-9pm on Fridays. The Centre is located on Old Airport Road, Al Nasr St (02 634 3538).
