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KARACHI, Jun 06 (APP): Former Chancellor of Hamdard University Prof Dr Hakim Abdul Hannan has said the practitioners of Allopathic Medicine nowadays are adopting the principles of Eastern or Unani Medicine even as Muslims, who once excelled in the field, are no longer cognizant of the latter’s efficacy.
He was speaking at the workshop held on Cupping Therapy or Hijama — a method used for removing toxins from human body. The two-day workshop organised jointly by Hamdard University’s Faculty of Eastern Medicine and Shifa-ul-Mulk Hospital concluded on Thursday.
Hakim Abdul Hannan pointed out that in Eastern Medicine treatment of people was traditionally carried out under four heads — namely Ilaaj bil-Tadbeer (Regimental Therapy, including Cupping Therapy), Ilaaj bil-Ghiza (dietotherapy), Ilaaj bil-Dava (pharmacotherapy), and Ilaaj bil-Yad (surgery). Until recently, on the other hand, treatment in allopathy was carried out either through medicines or surgery only.
“But this has changed now. Today the practitioners of allopathy are also using nutrition and Cupping Therapy etc to treat people,” he said. “This change began only about 25 years ago.”
Muslims inherited a far richer legacy than did other nations: yet today they lag behind the latter even in areas that were once their forte. A case in point is Eastern Medicine, he said.
The former chancellor said the Chinese had effectively appropriated Cupping Therapy from Muslims as the former are now widely recognised as those “who gave it to the world”. “The Muslims have lost that legacy as others have forged ahead in that area.”
He said lagging behind others at the moment did not mean that Muslims can’t excell in the field. “We have a legacy of centuries. If we put our mind to it, we can forge ahead of other nations.”
In his welcome address, Hamdard University’s Registrar Kaleem Ahmed Ghias said even allopathic doctors had begun prescribing Cupping Therapy to their patients. The current workshop, he said, was the first one in a series of events to be held in an effort to promote and project Regimental Therapy, including Hijama.
Speaking on the occasion, Dean of the Faculty of Eastern Medicine Prof Dr Ahsana Dar Farooq said the Hamdard Group was a pioneer in more ways than one. It did not just help revive Unani Medicine in the country but also set up a full-fledged hospital that specialises in it.
She said that Unani Medicine goes beyond providing drugs and medicines to those in need. “It takes a holistic view and aims to take care of a person’s overall wellness and health.” She said the group had recently set up a ‘wellness centre’ in Karachi.
Tabeeba Misbah Ahmed also made a presentation on the occasion. The proceedings were moderated by Hakeem Amjad Ismail.