THE EVOLUTION OF SAUDI ARABIA'S CUPPING THERAPY PROGRAMME FROM CONTROL TO INTEGRATION
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Keywords
Cupping, Hijamah, IntegrationSaudi Arabia
Abstract
Hijamah, or cupping therapy, is the third most popular traditional practice in Saudi Arabia, following herbal medicine and spiritual healing. Among the several forms of cupping therapy, wet cupping predominates. As a paradigm of religious influences, interconnection, and cross-cultural impacts among diverse civilizations, hijamah in Muslim nations like Saudi Arabia serves as an example. Therefore, it is a gross simplification to compare and contrast the cupping practices of Saudi Arabia and other Muslim communities with those of other countries, such as China or Korea, based solely on the method or the locations of the cupping. In Saudi Arabia, people who utilise cupping therapy tend to be better educated, have higher work ranks, and are not limited by gender or nationality when compared to people who use traditional medicine. The National Centre for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) inside the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health (MOH) is responsible for regulating and overseeing cupping therapy, following an era of unregulated use. Practitioners, practice locations, and cupping equipment are all subject to licencing and regulations. Since insurance does not pay for cupping, the private sector is the primary provider after regulation, and clients pay out of pocket. Private companies often offer licenced cupping in addition to their other services rather than as a unified package. Nevertheless, academic institutions, government hospitals, and universities do not often have models of integrated cupping clinics. In preparation for the ongoing healthcare revolution in Saudi Arabia, additional research into the health system is required to create additional models of integrated cupping services.
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