Does ‘Bekam’ increases your CD4/CD8 counts?
I have no competing interest to Berbekam.
But I read this article in Majalah I – Mac 2o11 – Bekam; Meneruskan Warisan Perubatan Sunnah, and I was concern with the scarce scientific evidence of cupping.
The main question is, Does Bekam really works?
Works by anecdotal or evidence based?
” Barangsiapa berbekam pada tanggal 17, 19,21, maka itu akan menyembuhkan penyakit” ( Hadith Riwayat Abu Daud :3861
The second paragraph in the article, Sabda Nabi Muhammas s.a.w ” Kesembuhan ada tiga perkara, minum madu, berbekam dan bakaran api (al-Khayy). Tetapi aku melarang umatku melakukan pembakaran dengan api”
The scientific evidence of beneficial effect of berbekam is very scarce. One meta analysis discusses evidence of cupping theraphy in China
Among the top 20 diseases in this review, 12 of them were pain related, including chronic muscle pain (100 studies, such as low back pain, skelalgia, fibromyalgia, etc); generalized pain (93 studies, such as lumbar sprain, etc); infection pain (59 studies, herpes zoster); and neuralgia pain (20 studies, such as headache and sciatica). Relieving pain was the main purpose of treating with cupping therapy of these studies. Retained cupping, moving cupping, or wet cupping therapy was usually used in these studies.
Apart from that the reviewes concluded that,
This review suggests that there is insufficient high-quality evidence to support the use of cupping therapy on relevant diseases. Although quite a number of clinical studies reported that cupping therapy may have effect on pain conditions, herpes zoster, symptoms of cough and asthma, acne, common cold, or other common diseases. The current evidence is not sufficient to allow recommendation for clinical use of cupping therapy for the treatment of above diseases of any etiology in people of any age group. The long-term effect of cupping therapy is not known, but use of cupping is generally safe based on long term clinical use and reports from the reviewed clinical studies.
So where does berbekam stands? Still a complementary medicine until proven otherwise
The reviewer also suggested a structured Randomized controlled studies should be done to effectively evaluate Berbekam.
No evidence for treatment of hypertension using cupping. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20828224
No evidence for treatment of stroke using cupping http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20435319
Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine among Peoplewith Type 2 Diabetes in Taiwan: A Cross-Sectional Survey http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2952338/pdf/ECAM2011-983792.pdf?tool=pmcentrez
I wish to see evidence something at least
- Does Berbekam increases your total white cell?
- Does Berbekam increases your CD4/CD8 counts?
- Does Berbekam increases or decreases ESR/CRP?
- Does Berbekam increases IL/ TNF / Chemokines?
- Does Berbekam increases IgE?
- And if cupping relieves pain can the endogenous morphines be identified and quantitatively measured ?
The International Cupping Society publishes http://internationalcuppingsociety.com/ICS_MAGAZINEF.pdf and suggest that; proteinous and toxic materials are extracted through cupping.
More evidence is needed for cupping to be included in the allopathic medicine.
What your say?
DrMKZ 
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