Firdous Qadri
Srinagar, Mar 16: The rise in depression and various ailments in Kashmir can be cured by Cupping Therapy (Hijama) believes Basit Bashir who is expert in Hijama and Chiropractic.
Detailing out the nitty gritties of ‘Cupping Therapy’ (Hijama), to Kashmir Glory Basit says, in cupping therapy special cups are put on a person’s skin for a few minutes to create suction. Cupping therapy might be trendy now, but it’s not new. It dates back to ancient Egyptian, Chinese, and Middle Eastern cultures, he says.
“One of the oldest medical textbooks in the world, the Ebers Papyrus, describes how the ancient Egyptians used cupping therapy in 1,550 B.C. Cupping therapy was also introduced in Muslim world by Prophet Muhammad (SAW) who promised Hijama to be cure for all aliments expect death”, says Basit.
“Hijama is an Arabic word for cupping therapy and is widely used in Asian countries.”
People get it for many purposes, including helping with pain, inflammation, blood flow, relaxation and well-being, and as a type of deep-tissue massage, Basit says.
This therapy, he says, addresses a wide variety of issues including chronic pain and migraines, immune enhancement, disease prevention, anxiety, depression, health maintenance and various ailments.
With six years of experience in cupping therapy, Basit is one of Kashmiris foremost specialists in alternative healing.
He also specialises in acupuncture and Chiropractic. He brings with him a diverse range of experiences and has worked extensively in Kashmir.
He started his career with one of the renowned Unani hospital – (Unani and Panchkarma Hospital) – where he got expertise from Kashmir’s famous Unani and Panchkarma doctor Dr Nazir.
He received one year of cupping training from ‘Cupcare Training Institute’ Mumbai and subsequently joined Rajasthan Jodhpur in Acupressure, acupuncture and cupping therapy for two years.
Basit opened his own ISO Certified clinic at Pandach crossing outskirts Srinagar City where he is treating hundreds of patients with different aliments with other healing modalities which provides unique perspective in diagnosing and treating chronic health and wellbeing issues.
Basit has been conducting various Hijama camps and has treated many youth with depression and other problems.
As per Islamic traditions, Hijama is the sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) even as science over the time proving that Hijama can help us in treating various ailments in our body. “The aim of organizing such camps is to increase awareness among people regarding the benefits of Hijama”, says Basit.
“During my practice I came across with patients suffering from different ailments like uric acid, cholesterol, Triglyceride, thyroid, hypertension thankfully they got satisfactory results but I was not personally satisfied treating patients with ortho ailments which prompted me to opt for chiropractic training. I joined a chiropractic training center in Hyderabad and it took me one year to complete this training course,” he further adds.
Each day the clinic of young doctor witnesses a huge rush to get their treatment through traditional means.
I have done Hijama before and I felt a lot of relief and it cured me to a great extent that is why I came again,” says Tabish Ahmad, a patient suffering from fatty liver, high triglycerides and cholesterol.
Bilal Ahmad, another patient who felt relieved after receiving the Hijama therapy says “I was suffering from depression, I feel very much relieved after doing my first Hijama.”
Basit has started his own Hijama training centre in order to teach unemployed youth and create employment avenues in Kashmir.
A female patient Saima Jan hailing from Shopain says she was suffering from pimple and acne problems and had been treating it for the last seven years. “I spent a lot of money on my treatment but finally I did Hijama and Alhamdulillah, my face is fairly glowing now. I have a very strong belief in Hijama now and I’m very much thankful to Basit Sahib who cured me in just a few sessions.”
Basit has started awareness initiatives regarding Hijama wherein he has organised many free Hijama campuses.
Basit has opened his own Hijama training centre and fervently appeals youth to come forward and join his training centre to create their own employment avenues.