Hijama and Headaches
When I first learned about hijama I didn’t know much about the places for hijama or the ins and outs of what was ok and what was not ok to do. I remember being told by a friend’s husband that I should never do hijama on the head as it is dangerous. After learning how to do hijama at a hijama workshop I was relived to find out that that was not the case at all. In fact there was only one place on the head that was to be avoided when it came to hijama.
On top of that it was not only not dangerous but it was in fact a sunnah as the Prophet Muhammed ﷺ has hijama himself on his head specifically to treat a headache:
It was also narrated by Muslim (1203) from the hadeeth of Ibn Buhaynah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was treated with cupping on the road to Makkah when he was in ihraam, in the middle of his head.
Hijama can be done anywhere on the head except the occipital bone as this could potentially affect the memory. So this area should be avoided at all costs to prevent harm.
Hijama is extremely affective for headaches and migraines which is one of the many reasons why I love to do hijama on the head. Clients mostly feel very light immediate after having cupping on the head.
It is possible that after hijama on the head that the client may get a headache. This is very rare in my personal experience. In order to prevent this be sure to inform your client not to lie down or sleep immediately after cupping and also advise them to eat something like dates (at least) to help bring their blood sugar levels back up in a healthy way. They should also be advised to drink a lot of water.
If the headache persists it may be beneficial to do a follow up treatment of some moving cupping in the upper back, shoulder and neck area. You may also want to cup the top of the feet. It is possible that after the hijama there may still be some blockages and doing these follow up treatments should help to unblock them.
You could also advise the client to go for a massage treatment or Indian head massage or reflexology.
Head cupping is also beneficial in that it can help improve the memory, stimulate the hair follicles and thicken the hair.