Frequently asked questions:
1) Are you a member of a specific cupping body?
The International Cupping Society (ICS) lays down strict requirements for the education and clinical training of therapists. This covers the full theoretical groundwork of cupping together with supervised clinical practice. The ICS requires its members to engage in continuous professional development. We are members of ICS.
2) Will you ask about all my symptoms and make sure that you understand them?
A thorough understanding of your symptoms is essential to make an accurate assessment and formulate the best treatment plan for you. In the first treatment session, time is spent finding out about your symptoms and how your particular health issues affect you. Each medical form will be assessed by our specialist practitioner and they will advise whether you require an initial assessment clinic without any treatment to draw up your treatment plan and answer all you question or weather you can be booked directly for your treatment.
3) Will you give me advice on improving my health through dietary and lifestyle changes?
It is important to understand that there are many factors involved in creating your state of health. These are your diet, your work/life balance, what exercise you take and your stress levels. In order to help you to attain your optimum health, it is sensible to look at all these factors and to give you guidance on making improvements where needed.
4) Do you ask about my medication before making recommendations to take herbs or other supplements?
Some medications interact with herbs or health supplements, and so it is vital to make sure that whatever is recommended will be safe and appropriate for you to take. We utilise the British National Formulary which gives reliable and up to date information on medications, and possible interactions.
5) How many treatments do you recommend me to have?
Because cupping is working with the body’s natural healing systems, treatment sessions and frequency will vary for every single person. No two people are alike.
6) How many treatments will I need? This is always difficult to answer as each person responds to treatment differently. Because we are working with your body’s unique healing ability, progress will be influenced by many factors. As a general “rule of thumb”, we suggest that if you are fit and well to detoxify every 4- 6 months. Specific illnesses require specific treatment regimes, at the end of the initial treatment we will re-evaluate and you can then decide if you need to continue treatment, or can increase the gap between treatments.
7) Do you use disposable cups and how are they disposed of?
All ICS members are required to use, single use; disposable cups, blades and to make arrangements for their safe disposal.We use a specific Clinical waste company that removes our clinical waste for incineration.
8) What other services or facilities are provided by your Clinic?
We offer Sunnah remedies honey, olive oil, black seed oil and seeds, apple cider vinegar.
9) Do I need to pay for a course of treatment in advance?
We DO ASK for payment in advance, for all treatments especially when long treatment sessions are booked and/or the clinic is opened specifically for you. We do not know how many or how frequently you will need treatment until an assessment is made. It is always our policy that you “pay as you go”. Failure to attend appointments will incur charges for the missed time.
10) Where will you apply the cups? This will vary from person to person and will depend upon the diagnosis we make at your first appointment. There are cupping pathways running down the front and back of the body, arms and legs and we may use points in any of these areas. Also some ailments require treatment on the head. Cups leave temporary discolouration, which will heal and disappear after roughly 2 to 3 weeks. (For some patients this maybe longer). Many conditions need treatment on the head so please be aware of this when considering work commitments.
11)Will I faint or be sick?
Sometimes this happens to people who do not respond well to seeing blood. All our practitioners are well trained so you will not be in direct site of any clinical waste. It is very rare that people feel sick, but if they do it is important to understand that Hijama is the fastest way to detoxify your body so it may go into a bit of shock. However, it is not dangerous and is not classified as a side effect.
12) Will I be able to work after my treatment?
Most people treated are fine to go about their daily living, but this is different for everyone, if you have a job requiring heavy manual work it maybe worth having the next day off to rest, especially after your first treatment session, if you feel tired then rest.
13) Will I need to get undressed?
Because the cupping points lie all over the body, we ask you to undress as appropriate to maintain (awrah issues as required). Obviously females will be treated by females and males for males.
14) Will cupping interfere with my medication?
Cupping helps your body to work better and be healthier, you may find that you can reduce or stop medication in co-operation with your General Medical Practitioner or hospital consultant. Cupping takes toxins and bad blood out and unlike medicine nothing bad goes into your body.
15) Does the therapist speak your native language? Good communication is essential in order to build trust and rapport between patient and practitioner. It is vital to make sure that the person who gives you treatment has a thorough understanding of your problems. If the practitioner does not speak your native language, you may wish to consider bringing a family member with you to assist clear communication. Currently we have practitioners who speak English, Arabic, Bengali and Farsi (pushtu), an Urdu speaking translator can be arranged if needed