Cupping should not be an alternative to vaccine - health ministry

The practice of cupping should not be made as an alternative for vaccine intake among infants and children, said Health Director-General Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

He explained that cupping is complementary medicine and not an alternative.

"It is believed to be good for the health of adults, but it is not able to give a good impact to infants and children as compared to immunisation," he told Bernama here today.

He was commenting on a news report in a local newspaper that had gone viral on social media since Wednesday regarding a cupping specialist who had performed cupping on his child when at 25 days old, and made the cupping practice as an alternative to the immunisation programme.

According to Dr Noor Hisham, immunisation is the process of building the body's immunity system actively towards a specific vaccine-related disease, especially those that could cause defects and death, which include Tuberculosis (TB), Hepatitis B, whooping cough, Tetanus, Polio, measles and Rubella.

"The immunisation programme has successfully controlled and eradicated diseases through vaccine intervention, such as smallpox that has been exterminated worldwide," he said.

He explained, based on the guidelines issued by the Traditional & Complementary Medicine Division (BPTK), Ministry of Health Malaysia(KKM), those who wished to do cupping should be between the age of 10 and 65, while those aged 65 and above should only practice cupping if they are in good health.

Added to that, a technical report was issued by the Malaysian Health Technology Assessment Section (MaHTAS) in 2012, on "Cupping Therapy", that also discussed the use of cupping on children.

"However, the information obtained from the MaHTAS authorities had no specific subtopic and scientific article to support it when the report was prepared," Dr Noor Hisham said.

He also questioned the reliability of the statement given by the cupping specialist from Melaka who claimed that the purpose of cupping is not to release dirty blood, but oxides.

Dr Noor Hisham explained that based on BPTK, cupping aims to release dirty blood from the body as it is believed to be harmful.

"Cupping is believed to aid in the detoxification of the body from excess in fluid build up, increases the blood flow from the muscles and 'fascia', stimulates the nervous system and loosens tissues that stick to one another.

"It also believed to give effect through the process of detoxification and 'counter-irritation', but so far there has been no sound scientific research conducted in it to prove this theory," he said.

He also commented on the status of the Executive Diploma in Islamic Entrepreneurship (Cupping Specialist) programme of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) that was allegedly possessed by a cupping specialist, of which the USM Media and Public Relations Centre Director, Mohamad Abdullah, said the university has never offered such an academic programme at the diploma level.

He said any academic programmes offered would to have go through the approval of the USM senate.

He added that even if it was an executive diploma programme, it would still have to go through the stringent process of gaining university approval if it used the official USM logo.

"Hence, this matter is under the observation and investigation of USM, and hopes that public will not easily believe claims made by other parties, especially in the academic programmes offered at the university," he said.

"USM regrets of the claims made and hopes that widespread of such information will cease immediately," he said.