Al-hijamah did not decrease red cell mass or hemoglobin in polycythemia rubra vera (in agreement with Taibah theory): A case study and concise therapeutic note | ||
| SVU-International Journal of Medical Sciences | ||
| Article 40, Volume 8, Issue 1, January 2025, Pages 470-480 PDF (670.78 K) | ||
| Document Type: Case reports. | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/svuijm.2025.358647.2109 | ||
| Authors | ||
| Abdelfattah Alayoubi* 1; Emad A. Albadawi2; Hadel Mahroos Alghabban3; Soad K. Aljaouni4; Mohammed Turki Hussein Alharthi1; Zeinab Moustafa ElSawaf5; Yasir Elhassan2; Abdulrahman Salem Bahashwan6; Ghada Wasif2; Sara M.H. Ibrahim6; Kamal Taleb Ahmed7; Osama Abdel-Mageed8; Abdel-Raheem Donkol9; Ahmed Fawzy10; Alfarazdeg Ageed Saad1; Mohamed Abdelnaem Aly10; Amal Albeihany11; Abdel-Rahman Mahmoud T. Al-Hussaini12; Eman Khalaf Omran13; Ayman Abdelnaem M. Elgohary14; Salah Mohamed El Sayed15; Tarik Afifi16 | ||
| 1Division of Medical Biochemistry, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Taibah University, Al-Madinah, Saudi Arabia. | ||
| 2Division of Anatomy and cell biology, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Taibah University, Al-Madinah, Saudi Arabia. | ||
| 3Division of Hematology, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Taibah University, Al-Madinah, Saudi Arabia. | ||
| 4Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine & Yousef Abdullatif Jameel Chair of Prophetic Medicine Application, King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia. | ||
| 5Division of Pathology, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Taibah University, Al-Madinah, Saudi Arabia & College of Medicine, Al-Azhar University for girls, Egypt. | ||
| 6Division of Medical Physiology, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Taibah University, Al-Madinah, Saudi Arabia. | ||
| 7Department of Anesthesia, Al-Hada Armed Forces Hospital, Al-Hada, Taif, Saudi Arabia. | ||
| 8Department of Anesthesia, Prince Mohamed Bin Abdul-Aziz Hospital for National Guards, Al-Madinah, Saudi Arabia. | ||
| 9General Surgery Department, Aswan University Hospital, Aswan, Egypt & King Fahd Hospital, Al-Madinah Health Cluster, Al-Madinah, Saudi Arabia. | ||
| 10General Surgery Department, College of Medicine, Taibah University, Al-Madinah, Saudi Arabia. | ||
| 11Department of Hematology, King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center, Al-Madinah, Saudi Arabia | ||
| 12Division of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Taibah University, Al-Madinah, Saudi Arabia | ||
| 13Laboratory Medicine Department, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Al-Baha University, Al-Baha, Saudi Arabia.& Department of Medical Parasitology, Sohag Faculty of Medicine, Sohag University, Egypt. | ||
| 14Department of Cardiology, Al-Miqat Hospital, Al-Madinah Health Cluster, MOH, Al-Madinah, Saudi Arabia. | ||
| 15Division of Medical Biochemistry, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Taibah University, Al-Madinah, Saudi Arabia. & Department of Medical Biochemistry, Sohag Faculty of Medicine, Sohag University, Egypt. | ||
| 16Department of cardiothoracic surgery, Sohag Faculty of Medicine, Sohag University, Egypt & Najran Health Cluster, Najran, Saudi Arabia | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Background: Polycythemia rubra vera is characterized by increased RBCs, hemoglobin and hematocrit. Case study: We report a 40 years patient having polycythemia vera with normal biochemical investigations. At Al-hijamah clinic of Taibah University Medical Center, Al-hijamah was performed in the sitting position at the known anatomical sites: kahel region (skin overlying the 7th cervical vertebra), sub-kahel region, interscapular region, and lower back. The patient felt transient dizziness and lied down in left lateral position then completed Al-hijamah in the sitting position. Sharta mihjam (superficial skin scarifications) following 1st suction step were performed and a generous bloody excretion (about 200 cc) was excreted. Results: 3 weeks later (to exclude acute irrelevant events), complete blood count revealed that Al-hijamah caused increased red cell mass from 5.95 (X 106 cells/µL) before Al-hijamah to 6.11 (X 106 cells/µL) after Al-hijamah, increased hemoglobin from 17.76 g/dL before Al-hijamah to 18.63 g/dL after Al-hijamah and increased hematocrit value from 52% before Al-hijamah to 53.3% after Al-hijamah. Al-hijamah relieved the symptoms lack of energy (fatigue), tiredness, headaches, and dizziness. Conclusion: No significant change occurred in hemoglobin, RBCs or hematocrit value after Al-hijamah. Interestingly, all increased after Al-hijamah, but symptoms of polycythemia rubra vera (as fatigue) were relieved. This agrees with Taibah theory where causative pathological substances are excreted through the fenestrated dermal capillaries in a size-dependent manner and the bloody excretions contain filtered vascular fluids, tissue fluids and some RBCs (due to skin scarifications). RBCs are larger in size than the dermal capillary fenestrations and can’t be excreted during Al-hijamah. Al-hijamah appears to be safe in anemia. Phlebotomy is recommended rather than Al-hijamah in treating polycythemia. Al-hijamah-induced bone marrow stimulation needs investigations. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Complementary medicine; Hematology; Wet cupping therapy; Polycythemia rubra vera; Red cell mass | ||
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