RAFIF ESLEEM

Gaza- Aya Al-Atola, who studied midwifery, has combined the education she received at university with alternative medicine to treat gynecological diseases. She applies cupping therapy to treat diseases such as permanent headaches, migraines, neck and back pain, knee pain and shoulder pain, sinusitis, infertility, irregular menstruation, painful menstruation and vaginal discharges.

Before the Covid-19 outbreak, she used to apply cupping therapy with the advice of women who had previously applied it. When the Covid-19 spread, the universities offered online courses. She began to take an online cupping therapy course at one of the universities in Algeria. “Today, not only women in the Gaza Strip but also women from different countries contact me to get the appropriate diagnosis. I combine modern medicine with alternative medicine. Alternative medicine such as acupuncture, cupping therapy, energy therapy, chiropractic medicine, and herbal medicines has been used by many different cultures throughout the world for thousands of years. Cupping became famous in ancient Chinese and then it was used to treat many diseases,” she told NuJINHA.

Aya Al-Atola told us that cupping should not be performed during pregnancy and after birth due to the hormonal changes taking place within the body. “Cupping increases blood circulation to the area where the cups are placed. If cupping is performed on the people suffering hepatitis, heart disease, anemia, or cancer, it may have a negative effect on them.”

Aya Al-Atola also spoke about how she performs cupping therapy. “We put heated cups on the skin without using any other equipment. We use each cup only once to ensure hygiene for patients.”

The use of alternative medicine with scientific methods

Ayat Al-Atol does not deny that one of the problems of alternative medicine treatment is that people perform it by learning it from their mothers or grandmothers without receiving any education. “When you use alternative medicine with scientific methods, patients benefit from it more.”

Ayat Al-Atola has recently studied plants and herbs to treat diseases. “For example, marjoram is good for treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome and figs and olive oil are good for treatment of indigestion. I call on people, who are interested in cupping, to receive education at universities.”