Abstract

Objectives: Despite being recognized worldwide as an alternative therapy in treating various chronic diseases and pain, the mechanism of wet cupping is still not well understood. The purpose of this study was to evaluate fasting blood sugar (FBS), renal function parameters, and endothelial function changes following wet cupping in healthy individuals. Methods: We conducted a single-arm intervention study at the Clinical Lab of Community Medicine, Universiti Sains Malaysia, and included 31 healthy individuals aged between 30 and 60 years old. Wet cupping therapy was performed at five treatment points at the beginning of the study and repeated after three months. Health outcomes at baseline, one, three, and four months were assessed for FBS, renal function parameters (urea, creatinine, and uric acid), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and von Willebrand factor (vWF). Results: Forty-five percent of participants were female, and the mean age of study participants was 44.9±6.4 years. Wet cupping therapy significantly reduced FBS, serum urea, and serum creatinine at one, three, and four months compared with baseline values. Serum uric acid and SBP showed a significant reduction at one and four months compared with baseline. The vWF (a measure of endothelial function) had a 4.0% reduction at four months compared to baseline, with a mean difference of 5.3 (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.20 = 8.55; p = 0.002). Conclusions: This study provides preliminary support that repeated wet cupping therapy enhances body health status; thus, it could be an effective complementary medicine in disease prevention.

Keywords

Publication details

DOI
10.5001/omj.2020.26
Journal
Oman Medical Journal
Publisher
Oman Medical Specialty Board
Open access
Gold open access

Cite this article

APA 7

Husain, N. R. N., Hairon, S. M., Zain, R. M., Bakar, M., Bee, T. G., & Ismail, M. S. (2020). The Effects of Wet Cupping Therapy on Fasting Blood Sugar, Renal Function Parameters, and Endothelial Function: A Single-arm Intervention Study. Oman Medical Journal. https://doi.org/10.5001/omj.2020.26

MLA 9

Husain, Nik Rosmawati Nik, et al. "The Effects of Wet Cupping Therapy on Fasting Blood Sugar, Renal Function Parameters, and Endothelial Function: A Single-arm Intervention Study." Oman Medical Journal, 2020. https://doi.org/10.5001/omj.2020.26.

Chicago (author–date)

Husain, Nik Rosmawati Nik, Suhaily Mohd Hairon, Rehanah Mohd Zain, Mujahid Bakar, Tee Get Bee, and Mohamed Saat Ismail. 2020. "The Effects of Wet Cupping Therapy on Fasting Blood Sugar, Renal Function Parameters, and Endothelial Function: A Single-arm Intervention Study." Oman Medical Journal. https://doi.org/10.5001/omj.2020.26.

Harvard

Husain, N. R. N., Hairon, S. M., Zain, R. M., Bakar, M., Bee, T. G. and Ismail, M. S. (2020) 'The Effects of Wet Cupping Therapy on Fasting Blood Sugar, Renal Function Parameters, and Endothelial Function: A Single-arm Intervention Study', Oman Medical Journal. doi:10.5001/omj.2020.26.

Vancouver

Husain NRN, Hairon SM, Zain RM, Bakar M, Bee TG, Ismail MS. The Effects of Wet Cupping Therapy on Fasting Blood Sugar, Renal Function Parameters, and Endothelial Function: A Single-arm Intervention Study. Oman Medical Journal. 2020. doi:10.5001/omj.2020.26

IEEE

N. R. N. Husain, S. M. Hairon, R. M. Zain, M. Bakar, T. G. Bee, and M. S. Ismail, "The Effects of Wet Cupping Therapy on Fasting Blood Sugar, Renal Function Parameters, and Endothelial Function: A Single-arm Intervention Study," Oman Medical Journal, 2020, doi: 10.5001/omj.2020.26.