Cupping is a traditional healing therapy in Egypt, its local name is “Hegamma”, and it considers a traditional knowledge that has its professional experts who are considered the local healers. It is useful in the prevention of diseases and for well-being which people seek in ordinary cases besides healing from several diseases and body fatigue. Hegamma is the use of small glass cups to be put on specific sights in the human body, these sites were determined by the healer “El Hagaamm” according to the patient’s case, the therapist starts by striping the skin in the chosen site with a tiny scalpel or a razor in remote villages, and place the cup upside down on it, then begin to suck the air with a special tool which leads to the exit if an amount of blood that varies from site to site, people believes that this is a  bad blood, and that its exit from the body is one of the signs of healing, and that the body got rid of the disease inherent in it. There are two types of cupping dry and wet, Wet cupping creates a mild suction by leaving a cup in place for about 3 minutes. The therapist then removes the cup and uses a small scalpel to make light, tiny cuts on your skin. Next, they do a second suction to draw out a small quantity of blood. Hagaam is the professional healer who gained the knowledge and skills of Hegaamma orally from the old practitioners in the local communities. Recently women started to practice Hegaamma for ladies.

Although Hegamma is classified as traditional knowledge based on experience, it is also related to folk beliefs such as it is preferable to be done when it is a full moon or to start with a cup in the back end of the neck as it is believed that prophet Mohamed did that.

Reference:
Abd Al Aziz Ali Hassan, Learning Hegaamma and alternative medicine, Al Dar Al Arabia publishing, 2016.