Wet Cupping Therapy (Hijama)

Wet cupping or hijama is a traditional therapy with origins in ancient Egyptian, Chinese, Greek and Islamic medicine. It involves applying suction cups to specific anatomical points to create localized vacuum, then making superficial incisions or scratches with a sterile lancet and reapplying the cups to extract a small amount of capillary blood.

Proposed mechanisms include local hyperemia stimulating microcirculation, removal of pro-inflammatory mediators and oxidative stress products, modulation of pain pathways through gate-control theory and stimulation of skin reflexes connected to internal organs. Some studies suggest reductions in inflammatory cytokines, oxidative biomarkers and nociceptive perception.

It is commonly applied for musculoskeletal pain (neck, back, shoulder), tension headache, migraine, fibromyalgia, hypertension, dyslipidemia, metabolic syndrome and chronic fatigue. In Türkiye it is regulated under the Ministry of Health GETAT framework requiring physician training and aseptic, single-use lancets. Risks include skin scarring, infection, anemia in repeated sessions and bloodborne pathogen transmission with poor hygiene.