How people patronize local barbers for cupping

Though the therapy is dated as far back as the Stone Age, it is still being practised today. Some people still see the imperatives of applying the therapy for one reason or the other. Some do it because they believe it gives them instant relief from pains and body weakness.Others do it because it is […]

Though the therapy is dated as far back as the Stone Age, it is still being practised today. Some people still see the imperatives of applying the therapy for one reason or the other. Some do it because they believe it gives them instant relief from pains and body weakness.
Others do it because it is recommended in the prophetic traditions as contained in hadiths, the books of the Muslims.
What might perhaps baffle one is the fact that youths are the major patronisers of the local barbers for the cupping therapy.
Abdul Adam, a student, says he prefers going to the local barber for cupping to relieve pain either due to exercise or accident than going to a hospital.
Malam Lawan Ubale in his 70s says he hardly goes for cupping now because according to him it is safer to see an orthodox doctor that would diagnose his problem than seeing a local barber who might be conjecturing one.
Malam Uba Ya’u Wanzan is a local barber who specialises in any problem that is related to bloodletting, such as circumcision, cupping among others.
He explained how the therapy is being practiced and the people patronize them, “Cupping is applied on ailments such as persistent headache, blood pressure, knee pain, insomnia and other body pains, he said.
He added that before cupping is applied on a person, certain things are put into consideration, saying  “If a person comes to us for cupping we’ll first of all ask him about his health condition to know if he is fit for it.
“We also consider the time of the month because cupping is applied towards the end of the month. It is not applied in the beginning of the month and this is based on medical findings.”
The local barber further revealed that cupping is applied on selected parts of the body such as the shoulder, the knee, the middle of the head; it is not applied on the front or lower part of the head. It is also not applied on the stomach, the chest or the face.
According to him, cupping if applied on a person that is not very healthy,  could be hazardous, “Before applying the instrument, one must ensure that the person is very healthy and is well fed because if he is not very healthy or if he has not eaten well, as soon as you start to suck out the dead blood, he might faint.”
He revealed that cupping is not applied on children below the age of 15 but stressed that since he started he has been careful saying on few occasions when he encounters such problems he immediately stops the cupping midway and finds a way to resuscitate the person.
His words,  “I will order for a cold drink to immediately give him and would sprinkle cold water on him and put him under a fan.”
Asked the type of people that come to them for cupping, Malam Ya’u said though they do receive women and few old people, the majority of people that come to them for cupping are the youths.
“The youths are the ones that come to us for cupping and this is because they are the ones that engage in sporting activities that makes them hurt their bodies.
“To reduce their pains they easily come to us for the cupping.”
Like all other things, the cupping has also witnessed modern development in the sense that cow horn is no longer used but instead, a modern rubber pump to create the vacuum is formulated and a plastic cup is attached to it to disposed the sucked blood into it.
The device according to the local barber is fast gaining acceptance among the local barbers.
He added that mentholated spirit and other disinfectants are used by them to sanitize their work.
Despite the long existence of cupping, orthodox doctors are not comfortable with it. They believe technology has come with a safer way of removing dead blood cells from the body.
Dr Salisu Ibrahim who is the Special Adviser to Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso on Private Health Facilities said he would not advice people to go for cupping with the challenges associated with health issues now.
“It is not advisable now to go for cupping locally because technology has come with a safer way,” he said.
He added that cupping was practiced in the past because of lack of quality health care, saying things have improved and there are now modern ways of doing hematoma.
“There is risk of infections in the cupping practiced by our local barbers because the cuts are mostly left open after the cupping and no formal dressing is recommended, but in the hospital, we dress the area and even advice the person to come for further dressing and give anti tetanus to prevent infection.”
Dr Ibrahim further observed that tempering with the arteries should be done by an expert because anything that deals with letting out of blood is hazardous, “Only experts should be allowed to temper with the arteries.”