title: Anatomical Features of the Interscapular Area Where Wet Cupping Therapy Is Done and Its Possible Relation to Acupuncture Meridians.
abstract: Although wet cupping has been a treatment for centuries, its mechanism of action is not well understood. Because the anatomical features of the wet-cupping area might play a role in its mechanism, we focus on the features of the interscapular area in which a common type of wet-cupping therapy (WCT), called Hijamat-e-Aam in Iranian medicine, is usually applied and discuss the possible relation of those features to the acupuncture meridians. We gathered and analyzed data from reliable textbooks on modern medicine with a focus on the anatomical features of the interscapular area, topics related to WTC in Iranian medicine, and acupuncture sources obtained by searching PubMed, Google-Scholar, and Science Direct. The interscapular area used for WCT was found to have special features: brown adipose tissue, immediate proximity to sympathetic ganglia, passage of the thoracic duct, two important acupuncture meridians, and proximity to the main vessel divisions carrying blood from the heart and the brain. These features indicate that the interscapular application of WCT not only discharges waste materials through a shifting of blood to the site after application of a traction force but also invigorates the body's metabolism, increases immunity, and regulates blood biochemistry, which are desired therapeutic effects of WCT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Iranian Traditional Medicine, Research Institute for Islamic and Complementary Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Roshanak
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ghods
authors.affiliation: Department of Foreign Languages, School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Nasrin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sayfouri
authors.affiliation: Department of Traditional Medicine, School of Traditional Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address: mh-ayati@tums.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Mohammad Hossein
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Ayati
mesh_terms: D015669:Acupuncture Points; D015670:Acupuncture Therapy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D016740:Meridians
keywords: Hijamat-e-Aam; acupuncture meridians; anatomy; interscapular; mechanism; wet-cupping therapy