The practice of hijama dates back to ancient times. Hijama, whose name comes from Arabic, means ‘to suck’. Hijama can be applied to all parts of the body except the neck and fontanelle. If the cupping application, which is frequently made among the people, is not done by experts, it causes irreversible damage. In recent years, interest in acupuncture, mesotherapy, ozone and cupping therapy known as cupping, which has been applied in Anatolia for years, has been increasing. In the face of increasing interest, people who do not have competence in their field are threatening the health of citizens. Bagcilar Training and Research Hospital Traditional and Complementary Medicine Application Center (GETAT), which is one of the training centers in this field and helps patients find healing with the practices performed by specialist physicians, Dr. Kanat Tayfun gave information about the treatments. Pointing out that there is a great interest in traditional methods, Kanat warned the citizens not to make transactions under inadequate conditions.
WE APPLY NATURAL METHODS
Giving information about the treatments performed at the center, Dr. Kanat Tayfun said, “We provide outpatient services in the fields of acupuncture, cupping, mesotherapy and ozone. In acupuncture, we can help with almost any musculoskeletal or chronic disease. Although mesotherapy is mostly known for cosmetic applications, it is actually a tradition and complementary application method that can also be applied in chronic diseases. Mug is perhaps the most well-known of all apps. Chemical drugs are not the most preferred forms in traditional and complementary medicine. Of course, patients continue the treatments they receive in other outpatient clinics, but we mostly apply natural methods here. Acupuncture is more preferred because we do not use any chemicals, such as cups, with simple treatments using steel needles or glass or plastic cups, or because we do applications using only our hands, such as osteopathy, without touching too many chemicals.
THE THOUGHT THAT HERBAL PRODUCTS ARE NOT HARMFUL IS WRONG
Explaining that as a result of the procedures performed by untrained people in unequipped places, patients are faced with many negativities, Dr. Kanat Tayfun said, “We see that there are many people who advertise on television, in the newspapers, in the media, that they give treatment and that they even produce their own products. For herbal products, it is said that ‘there is no harm if it is herbal’, it is absolutely wrong. Especially in this period, after Covid, blood thinners are used very frequently and herbal products have interactions with blood thinners such as turmeric, which is recommended as harmless. It ensures that the dose of the given drugs is not at the desired level, or the dose needs to be increased or decreased.
Cupping should be done CONSCIOUSLY
Those who prescribe them without being aware of this and introduce themselves as specialists, of course, cause great harm to the patients. Hijama, as it is known among the people, is actually done on acupuncture points and this requires quite a long training. It has to be done very consciously. During the wet cup application, some scratches or holes are opened on the skin with a scalpel or some cutting and piercing tools. If these cuts and holes are too deep, scar tissue forms on the skin. This scar tissue also causes pain that does not go away in that patient for life, perhaps in this area. There is always a desire to go and have a cupping procedure, but this is due to the mistake made in the first application.”
IT MUST BE CONSIDERED IF THE PROCEDURE IS SUITABLE FOR THE PATIENT
Noting that before the applications to be made, it is determined whether the patient is suitable for the procedure, Dr. Kanat Tayfun said, “The simplest example is of course, before we apply a wet cup, we check whether the patient’s blood level is normal, whether his age is appropriate, whether he is psychologically prepared to do this, whether his blood pressure drops, or whether he has diabetes. Side effects arising from external applications are never reflected on social media. Everyone tells success stories, but no one talks about their bad patient. There are also blood-borne diseases, so these also need to be tested and applied very carefully. These are taken into account when the applications are made in a competent place. Unfortunately, when it is not done in a competent place, there are events that harm both the large patient and the public. Anatolian medicine is actually one of the subjects we forget. Therefore, Anatolian medicine also needs to sprout again in Turkey, and to be reminded, the dust on it must sprout. There has been an interest far beyond our expectations.” used the phrases.