Greetings, dear readers
Many would agree that Hijama is a beneficial therapy for almost everyone to some degree. Without the restraints of certain conditions, such as severe anaemia, active cancer and extremely low blood pressure, most people are free to have Hijama done as a form of treatment or bodily detox. On the other hand, there are some people that would benefit from the treatment more than others. Athletes and people who consume medicine in large amounts or on a regular basis can be used as an example. In this post, we will discuss another kind of person who falls into this category too: the driver.
Now what do we mean by a driver? Without over complicating it, the answer is anyone who drives a vehicle. Hijama therapy has proved to be a life saver – or at least a valuable method of reducing pain – for drivers who spend a considerable amount of time crammed into cars or other forms of transport, such as taxis, motorbikes, buses, coaches and lorries. Even airplane pilots would fit into that list, since they also remain in a fixed seated position during flights that sometimes last hours. It might be difficult to understand just how harmful sitting can be for an individual. If done for extended periods of time, the damage caused by it can disrupt a person’s life and alter their physiological make-up permanently. People who suffer from an inactive lifestyle are equally in danger of the following problems.
To elaborate on the effects of frequently sitting in the same position for a long time, we will split the human body into two parts: the upper section and the lower section. In terms of damage done to the upper body, a sedentary lifestyle can put pressure on numerous organs, including the heart, pancreas and colon. This physical stress increases the risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, disorders of the digestive system and colon cancer. Lengthy sitting periods can strain muscles in the neck, shoulders and back, such as the levator scapulae and trapezius muscles as well as the rhomboid major and minor muscles which attach onto the spine.
The cervical vertebra, which are disks of bone located in the neck, can become locked into an outstretched position, leading to poor posture or ‘hunched back’. This stance reduces blood flow to the head and increases the chances of brain damage if left unchecked. In addition to this, many drivers continuously hold their arms out in front of them to control the steering wheel. By remaining in this position, the individual puts a lot of stress on their pectoral or chest muscles, causing them to spasm painfully in response to being over-used.
Moving onto the lower body, the act of staying in a seated position without taking a break places more pressure on the spine than standing does, especially where the lumbar or lower back vertebrae are involved. This can result in the normally flexible disks becoming stiff or dislodged, the relevant nerves getting compressed and blood flow to the spine being reduced significantly, which deprives it of vital nutrients and removal of cellular waste. Without the necessary amount of blood, the spine itself can start to deteriorate slowly and unnoticed until lasting damage has been done.
Muscle degeneration can occur around the front of the body too. Since the abdominal muscles are forced to tense whilst an individual in standing, whilst sitting they remain inactive. Long periods of inactivity can cause muscle tissues to weaken and eventually waste away. The muscles of the hip, such as the gluteal muscles, are forced into extension or stretched whereas the quadriceps muscles, found on the front of the thigh, remain flexed or squashed for just as long. Sitting compresses the femoral triangle, a region in the inner thigh through which the main artery, vein and nerve in the upper leg pass, resulting in a range of symptoms from numbness and tingling sensations to heaviness and cramps in the lower leg. People who spend a lot of time driving are also more likely to suffer from knee problems, varicose veins, weakened leg bones and ankle pain.
As well as causing multiple organ and muscle problems, prolonged sitting can slow down an individual’s metabolism, affecting the regulation of their blood sugar, blood pressure and their ability to break down fat in the body. Hijama can help drivers – and those who are required to sit for hours – in a number of ways. Using massage cupping, a competent practitioner can stretch out muscles that have been frequently compressed, relax muscles that have been overused and strengthen those that have been inactive and may have started to waste away. By combining this technique with wet cupping, they could remove cell debris from areas of stagnated blood, such as in between and around the vertebrae, and encourage the flow of synovial fluid in joints, such as the shoulders and knees. Placing dry cups over a patient’s organ points would draw much needed blood to the heart, pancreas and colon, improving their overall function and helping the individual inwardly feel fresher in general.
We hope that this information has benefitted you, our dear readers, and we would love to hear from you. Comments, questions and weekly topic suggestions are always welcomed and greatly appreciated.
Thank you for reading!
The Pure Therapy Team