Cupping or Hejaama: a medical procedure in use by Yemenis to treat various ailments

ABSTRACT

The Republic of Yemen has a long history of plural medical systems since thous and s year's age. Hejaama, an Arabian term for cupping and bloodletting, is one of medical procedure which still has been using to treat various ailments in Yemen since the pre-Islamic period. In this article, Hejaama is described as ethnic medical practice based on the anthropological study in Sana'a, Yemen, and is discussed from the cultural point of view. The findings, which are mainly collected from the participant observation in the female practitioner's clinic and interviews to female patients, lead to the following conclusions. First, the Yemenis' concept of blood or blood related illness is closely linked to the treatment of Hejaama. Yemenis believe that "bad blood" is accumulated in a specific place of their body and it causes pain. The Hejaama practice is very effective to relieve the pain because it can be removed such "bad blood" from the body. Moreover, Hejaama is recognized as the treatment for the people who have chronic pain, and not an all-purpose treatment. Patients choose the Hejaama practice by themselves for the relief of their pain from the various alternative medical procedures. Furthermore, Hejaama is understood as a religious activity, even though the practice may be not exactly Islamic in origin. In addition, Hejaama can be acted as the group therapy to ultimately relieve suffering. Hejaama is even now in dem and by many people of Yemen, as the quick and simple treatment for chronic pain.