One of the oldest medical treatments, the practice of hijama, which involves suctions that draw out stagnant or congested blood from a wound deliberately cut in the body, has its origins in the Middle East. The Ebers Papyrus, one of the oldest medical books in history written in 1550 BCE - stated that the healing method cleansed the circulatory system by removing contaminated blood via a vacuum that sucked the fluid through tiny incisions on the skin.
The practice has persisted to the present day with many in the region still using it to treat ailments from headaches and eye problems to gout and heart disease."We know that when we do cupping therapy, making these suctions on the skin and clearing out the stagnated blood, it can decrease problems like chest diseases and blood pressure because we remove the bad blood," explained Dr Mohamed Tamimi, a physiotherapist who treats patients using hijama at the Al Rahma Medical Center.
In the same way that a tree log can impede a river's flow, the idea is that "bad" or dark clotted blood is to blame for circulation problems."When there is an area of water that becomes stagnant, when there is not running water, what happens?" Dr Tamimi said. "This water, after time, will bring diseases and flies, so it's the same with blood. We can say a section is more liable to be diseased and infected."
The theory behind hijama is that, unless the capillaries are able to carry oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to the body's cells, tissues and organs may weaken or operate inefficiently.As the body is unable to naturally rid itself of the toxic stasis blocking blood vessels, a 30-minute hijama session can help rejuvenate patients and alleviate pain associated with 80 per cent of common diseases, Dr Tamimi said.
"Kidney problems, heart problems, stroke, gout - these can be treated with this procedure," he said, adding that he would prescribe the treatment for anyone feeling fatigued, restless, stressed or sluggish."It is in my view that it feels like 20 or 30 times more effective than a massage," he said.The procedure has changed over the centuries, with modern medicine and concerns about hygiene and infection.
Traditionally, the main instrument used to create a vacuum was a hollowed-out bull's horn. The hijama specialist would locate meridians on the patient's body - such as the back of the neck to treat headaches, or the inside shoulder for chest pains - and then place the bell of the horn on the site.With a sharp knife, the healer would slice very fine, superficial cuts into the targeted area and then re-cover the marked skin with the horn, while sucking the horn's mouthpiece to extract dead blood cells from the wound. A clot of dark blood would begin accumulating in the cup.
Modern medicine has all but eliminated the old ways of wet cupping, and today's hijama specialists in the UAE are licensed professionals.Plastic, individually wrapped cups with varying diameters have replaced bull's horns. Mr Tamimi demonstrated how a pump attaches to a nozzle at the dome of the cup, then seals in the air to create the negative energy needed to extract blood from slits in the skin.
"I choose which meridians to put this suction on. From experience, I can see if there is low circulation or high circulation in this area," he said, sticking one of the pressurised cups to his palm. The colour of the flesh seized in the vacuum indicates the health of the blood beneath, he explained.After locating the appropriate spot, he would cut "very small, fine incisions with a surgical razor." All of the blades are also individually wrapped. Like the hijama cups, they are immediately disposed of after every session.
From about seven cups, only about 300-400 ml of blood in all is extracted. The bad blood collected in the jars is easy to remove as it clots easier. "It looks like a dark, thick jelly because the blood is more liable to clot," Dr Tamimi said. As for whether the patient would feel any pain from the superficial cuts or the bleeding, he said some regarded the sensation of having their meridians stimulated as "amazing." Others only reported slight discomfort.
"The incisions themselves are very light," he added, laying out a Kleenex to demonstrate. "If I take this tissue and I made incisions, I would not penetrate it. I make maybe 15 cuts - just enough of an opening to allow blood to drain when I apply the suction."Red marks typically vanish within days while the shallow lacerations may take up to three weeks to heal completely.There is also an optimal time for hijama based on the lunar calendar, Dr Tamimi said.
Just as the moon affects the ocean's tide, the same principles can apply to the human body."When the full moon is out, in the 15th day of a month, we believe that the moon will have this affect to draw a good amount of blood," he said. The connection between circulation and the lunar cycle has a well-documented history in both Eastern and Western medical traditions. Certain feast days of saints were thought to be optimal times for bloodletting in Medieval Europe.
The Talmud also makes recommendations for particular times of the year where bloodletting is more effective. The direct link between circulatory function and general health fell out of favour in Western medicine in the 19th century.
But with so much emphasis in medical history on the circulatory system, the particular practice of cupping is a difficult to credit to one particular culture, as the Chinese have for centuries applied suctions to stimulate the body's meridians. This method is known as "dry cupping" because it does not involve drawing blood. Instead, a lit match is dropped into a small tumbler. The heated air of the jar, when pressed against the skin, creates a negative pressure that pulls the skin upwards and also extends the capillaries beneath.Cupping improves the circulation of blood and lymph and also regulates and improves the functioning of the autonomic nervous system, its practitioners contend.
Dr Tamimi said the three hijama specialists at the Al Rahma centre treat non-Muslims, as well as toddlers and elderly people. He advised healthy people to have at least an annual session, but cautioned that pregnant women as well as people with anaemia and haemophilia should avoid the treatment. He also said that more research needs to focus on the medical benefits of hijama, noting that Egyptian scholars have written about the procedure's ability to decrease cholesterol levels and blood pressure.
"I advise all countries to look to this traditional way because it can save money, it can save lives and save operations," he said. "To me, hijama is really a treasure but it needs more research."
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
Company profile
Company: Verity
Date started: May 2021
Founders: Kamal Al-Samarrai, Dina Shoman and Omar Al Sharif
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Size: four team members
Stage: Intially bootstrapped but recently closed its first pre-seed round of $800,000
Investors: Wamda, VentureSouq, Beyond Capital and regional angel investors
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
Pad Man
Dir: R Balki
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte
Three-and-a-half stars
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Company profile
Name: Tharb
Started: December 2016
Founder: Eisa Alsubousi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: Luxury leather goods
Initial investment: Dh150,000 from personal savings
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
