Blog – Page 4 – TCM & Moxibustion

Secret of Staying Health- Regulate Righteousness Qi

December 9, 2019 by Moxaman

Regulate Righteousness Qi

The 3 principles of expelling Cold-evil, dredging meridians, and supplementing Original Yang are primarily suitable for people of illnesses. How about healthy people, what can they do to remain healthy?

The answer is to regulate Righteousness Qi, which could prevent disease and maintain health, and is recommended for everyone. Those who are familiar with TCM would know it is very particular about “Qi”, like Nutrient Qi, Defense Qi, Yang Qi and so on.

So what is Righteousness Qi?
– It’s the ability of the human body to fight against Evil, or pathogenic factors.

The reason why people would get sick is because of insufficient Righteousness Qi, which can be divided into two cases: Deficiency and Excess.
– Deficiency means Righteousness Qi is weak, &
– Excess means Evil is excessive.

Therefore, regulating Righteousness Qi would help human body fight against Evil so that Righteousness Qi could prevail.

This is probably most distinct in the case of an influenza. Usually influenza spreads in a large area where significant number of people live, but always only a fraction of the population is affected, while not the rest even though they are exposed to the same virus. One theory accredits this to their robust immune system, but from TCM’s perspective, it is the abundant Righteousness Qi that protects body against the virus (Evil).

In my experience, moxibustion is effective for both Deficiency and Excess cases, and my first option when it comes to advice to patients. When Righteousness Qi is well regulated, Evil would not prevail. This is important for both patients and healthy people.

When in sickness, one should
1) expel Cold-evil,
2) dredge the meridians, and
3) supplement Original Yang.

When healthy, one should regulate Righteousness Qi so that Evil Qi would not prevail. If these four items were all well taken care of, one should have nothing to worry about staying healthy.

3 Major Causes of Illness (3)- Supplement Original Yang- Anti-aging

December 10, 2019December 8, 2019 by Moxaman

Supplement Original Yang

According to “Suwen”, women start to show signs of aging from age of 35, while men from 40. This coincides with my treatment experience, where many people are all normal in their twenties, but all of a sudden start being plagued by illnesses when reaching forty. This does not mean he was immune to illnesses the twenties, but the body was full of Qi and Blood at the time and Righteousness Qi prevailed in the battle against the evil. Beyond 40, however, people start to age, Original Qi reduces and if it could not be replenished in time, physical weakness would result and the evil would manifest.

How to fight this?
The only way is to supplement the Original Yang. After curing my patients who were physically weak, I would tell them to start performing regular regimen moxibustion*, on major acupoints such as Guanuan, Mingmen, Zusanli, etc. In “Compendium of Materia Medica” it was mentioned that mugwort has nature of Pure Yang, therefore is a great supplement for Original Yang deficiency.

When Original Yang is abundant, physical condition could be restored to as good as the twenties, thereby dispelling all diseases.

*Severe adverse effect may occur, one should not perform any type of moxibustion without instruction of person of rich experience or professional.

3 Major Causes of Illness (2)- Dredge Meridians- Back Pain

December 10, 2019December 7, 2019 by Moxaman

Dredge Meridians

Dredging meridians is actually dissolving Qi stagnation, because meridians are the channels of Qi. When meridians are opened, Qi would run smoothly. In TCM there is a famous saying- ‘Stagnation leads to pain’, so the most typical manifestation of meridian blockage is pain, such as headache, back and leg pain, etc., which are all of the same cause.

When treating these diseases, I often perform acupuncture on corresponding acupoints first, and then moxibustion. Moxibustion features heat and dispersion, the acupuncture needles could conduct heat into the body, thus allowing heat to dissolve stagnated Qi in meridians. Once the meridians are dredged, Qi and Blood can reach the viscera, just like farmland being adequately irrigated, and diseases would heal naturally.

Moxibustion* of the following acupoints would treat back pain:

1. Shenyu

2. Yangguan

3. Weizhong

*Severe adverse effect may occur, one should not perform any type of moxibustion without instruction of person of rich experience or professional.

3 Major Causes of Illness (1) Dispel Cold-evil – Cervical Spondylosis

December 6, 2019 by Moxaman

Cervical Spondylosis*

From a previous post, we know that Cold-evil, Qi stagnation, and Original Yang deficiency are the three major causes of illness among modern people. If these three factors could be dispelled, health would be restored most of the time. Therefore, as long as one follows three principles of expelling Cold-evil, dredging meridians, and supplementing Original Yang, most illnesses could be cured without seeing a doctor.

Cold-evil is the biggest external cause of modern illnesses. Take myself as an example, I am in my sixties now and still surf the internet for several hours each day. When keeping my neck in the same position for extended period of time, it is easy to catch cold, so I too was affected by a common disease-cervical spondylosis. So I started to wear a portable moxa box behind my neck** (similar to the picture below), which is a popular moxibustion method nowadays.

I recall not feeling any particular heat behind my neck after the first time, but utter chill. When touching the skin with hand, it was already very hot, but I did feel much cold. Since then I always felt my neck was cold. This is the sign of cold exiting the body; because moxibustion is based on the power of fire/heat, which could restrain the Cold-evil, and expel the cold lurking deep inside the neck.

I held on for a month, and then my neck felt warm, and cervical spondylosis was healed. This is an example of the principle of expelling Cold-evil.

*These cases are selected from a book “Various Diseases Treated by Moxibustion”, written by Shan Xiamin, a renowned Chinese doctor .

**Severe adverse effect may occur, one should not perform any type of moxibustion without instruction of person of rich experience or professional.

Moxibustion Case: Headache

December 5, 2019 by Moxaman

Headache*

Once I treated two young people. Both of them had headache, but the cause and symptoms are completely different. The first person was sleeping under vent of AC for a whole night, and felt swelling headache after waking up, which followed the same rhythm of the heartbeat. According to TCM theory, this headache is result of Liver-Yang hyperactivity due to Qi and Blood stagnation, caused by retention of Exogenous Evil.

The second patient had headache where the head felt empty and pain after spending several whole nights surfing the internet. This was caused by deficiency of Qi and Blood, because Original Yang was insufficient and unable to reach the head, so the pain felt empty. The cause of their headaches was different, so was the treatment.

I performed moxibustion** to the first guy on acupoints of Sishengcong and Taichong, the goal was to open up the Qi, so it would help circulation of the Blood and eliminate the headache.

As for the second guy, I performed moxibustion** on acupoints of Zusanli, Sanyinjiao, and Xuehai, which was intended to nourish the Kidney-Yang. When Original Yang rose to the head, the head would no longer feel empty.

These two patients are very typical, one caused by invasion of Cold-evil, which led to stagnation of Qi in the body that further blocked the meridians. The other was physically weak, and Original Yang insufficient. According to my experience, Cold-evil, Qi stagnation, and Original Yang Deficiency are the three primary causes of disease of modern people.

In my career I encountered many patients just like these two patients. Their illnesses may be different, but all of the same causes of Cold-evil, stagnation of Qi, and deficiency of Original Yang. The diseases ranged from minor ones as cold and cough, to grave ones like heart attack and stroke.

I always remind my patients of these three major causes of disease and ask them to take better care of their health. After all, ‘An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’.

*These cases are selected from a book “Various Diseases Treated by Moxibustion”, written by Shan Xiamin, a renowned Chinese doctor .

**Severe adverse effect may occur, one should not perform any type of moxibustion without instruction of person of rich experience or professional.

Types of Moxibustion: Thermal Box, Fume & Solar

December 5, 2019December 4, 2019 by Moxaman

III. Thermal box moxibustion

Thermal box is specially made device for moxibustion. Put lit moxa or moxa stick in the thermal box, then place it on the acupoint or the affected area, and perform moxibustion until the skin turns ruddy and warm. This method is easy to operate, and not only suitable for patient with diseases of deficiency and internal cold, such as epigastric pain, diarrhea, etc., but also very beneficial for care of the elderly. The actual list of benefits is much longer, depending on the specific scenario moxibustion is applied, as one would see in future posts.

The following are pictures of some of the popular thermal boxes:

IV. Fume Moxibustion

Fume moxibustion is also a common method of moxibustion. Add moxa leaves or moxa and water in a container and start boiling or steaming, then put the container in a basin and place under acupoints or affected area. One can also light proper amount of moxa in a vessel, and use the fume to perform moxibustion. This method is suitable for treatment of diseases of wind cold and dampness.

V. Solar Moxibustion

Spread moxa on acupoints or affected area, expose it under the sun; perform moxibustion by using sunlight till local skin becomes warm and comfortable, and preferably last 10-20 minutes each time. During the process, skin around the acupoints or affected area should be covered with clothing; beware of heat stroke in summer. Solar moxibustion is suitable for treatment of diseases of wind cold and dampness, and chronic debilitating diseases.

Types of Moxibustion: Stick- Suspended & Pressing Moxibustion

December 5, 2019December 3, 2019 by Moxaman

II. Moxa Stick moxibustion

Moxa stick moxibustion, also known as moxa roll moxibustion, is a method of wrapping cylindrical moxa rolls by paper, igniting on one end, and apply at acupoints. Moxa stick moxibustion can be divided into two types: suspended moxibustion and pressing moxibustion.

1.Suspended Moxibustion
Suspended moxibustion is a type of moxibustion in which a lit moxa stick is hung over a moxibustion site. Depending on the specific operation method, suspended moxibustion can be further divided into three types: mild moxibustion, bird-pecking moxibustion and circling moxibustion.

(1) Mild moxibustion:
Maintain certain distance between acupoints and moxa, until patient feels warm yet without burning sensation. Mild moxibustion features moderate heat, therefore less irritation to the body. It is also the most commonly used method of moxibustion.

(2) Bird-pecking moxibustion:
The burning end of a moxa stick is aligned with the acupoint, rise and fall like the pecking move of a bird. The warming stimulus of the bird pecking moxibustion is more intense. When it is performed, beware not to burn the skin as the lighting moxa stick descend.

(3) Circling moxibustion:
The burning end of moxa stick is at a certain height above the acupoint, with the acupoint being the center, the moxibustion is performed in a roundabout or back and forth movement. This method can create warm stimulation to a wide range around the acupoint.

Suspended moxibustion can warm the meridians, disperse cold and dispel evil spirits, and is mainly applicable to diseases where focus of infection is shallow and restricted, such as wind-cold-dampness arthralgia, neuroparalysis, and pediatric disorders, etc.

2.Pressing Moxibustion
After igniting moxa stick, pad skin on the acupoint with a layer of paper or cloth, and press the lit stick to acupoint or the affected area. First put 10 layers of cotton paper or 5-7 layers of cotton cloth on the moxibustion site, then place lit moxa onto the paper or cloth and press firmly against it; stay for 1 to 2 seconds. If the moxa stick goes out, it needs to be relit and perform again. Repeat this procedure for about 10 times.

Similarly, one could wrap 7 layers of cotton cloth around the burning end of moxa stick, and press against acupoint or the affected area. Pressing moxibustion is mainly suitable to diseases where focus of infection is relatively deep, such as wind-cold-dampness arthralgia, flaccid paralysis and deficiency cold syndrome.

Types of Moxibustion: Cone- Indirect Moxibustion

December 5, 2019December 2, 2019 by Moxaman

I. Moxa-cone moxibustion

2. Indirect Moxibustion
Indirect moxibustion is also called sandwiched moxibustion- before performing moxibustion, put ginger, garlic, salt, etc. on the skin at the acupoint, and then put moxa on top of it. The heat of indirect moxibustion is milder compared to direct moxibustion. Depending on the padding material and indication, it can be divided into the following categories:

(1) Ginger moxibustion (Ginger separated moxibustion):
Cut ginger into pieces of 1-2 mm in thickness, place them on acupoints, and ignite moxa cone on them. One could use a needle to puncture several small holes in the ginger slice to facilitate downward penetration of the heat. When patient feels a strong burning sensation on the skin, the moxa cone could be removed and substitute with another cone. Thickness of ginger slices can be adjusted appropriately according to strength of heat. Ginger moxibustion is mainly used to treat debilitating gastrointestinal diseases, such as indigestion, abdominal pain, diarrhea, gastrointestinal neuralgia, chronic arthritis, etc.

(2) Garlic moxibustion (Garlic-separated moxibustion):
Garlic slices with a thickness of about 1 mm are placed on the skin, and subsequent operations are the same as ginger-separated moxibustion. This method has a significant effect on early stages of tuberculosis, non-purulent edema, insect bite, etc.

(3) Salt moxibustion (Salt-separated moxibustion):
Fill the umbilical opening with table salt, put moxa cone on the salt and perform moxibustion until sweat is out, body temperature rises, and the symptoms improve. This method is mainly suitable for treatment of prostration, deficiency and vomiting, etc.

(4) Onion moxibustion:
Cut green Chinese onion stalk into 3 to 4 mm slices, or mash onion stalk into paste, and apply it on the umbilicus and its surrounding, or directly on the affected area, and place moxa on top of it. Usually upon perform moxibustion of 5-7 cones, till patient feels warm and comfortable, but not burning pain. Onion moxibustion is suitable for symptoms such as collapse, abdominal pain, anuresis, hernia, mastitis, etc.

(5) Pepper moxibustion:
Take proper amount of white pepper powder, mix with flour and water to make a coin-sized cake which sags in the center; fill with a suitable amount of powdered medicine (such as cloves, cinnamon, musk, etc.) till the center is even with the perimeter. Then place moxa cone on top and perform moxibustion. Each time do 5 to 7 cones till patient feels warm and comfortable. This method is mainly suitable for vomiting caused by cold stomach, abdominal pain and diarrhea, wind-cold-dampness arthralgia, local numbness, etc.

(6) Aconite/monkshood moxibustion:
Soak cooked aconite/monkshood thoroughly in water, cut into slices of thickness of 3 to 5 mm, puncture small holes with a needle in the middle, place it at corresponding acupoints, and place moxa on the top. One can also cut the aconite/monkshood into small pieces, grind them, and use rice wine to make cake with size of a nickle and thickness of 4 mm, and place it on the acupoints for moxibustion. This method has a significant effect on various Yang deficiency disorders, such as impotence, premature ejaculation, nocturnal emission, chronic collapse of sores and some Yin deficiency syndromes.

Other items used for moxibustion include chives, castor bean, loess, dried orange peel, rhizoma atractylodis, euphorbia kansui, and Chinese honeylocust fruit.

Types of Moxibustion: Cone- Direct Moxibustion

December 5, 2019November 30, 2019 by Moxaman

Moxibustion therapy is mainly divided according to the kind of tool that is used, e.g. moxa cone, moxa stick, moxa box, fume moxa, sunlight moxa, etc.

I. Moxa-cone moxibustion

Moxa cone is a conical body made of moxa, which is generally divided into three types: large, medium and small. Its operation can be divided into two types: direct and indirect moxibustion.

1. Direct moxibustion
Direct moxibustion, also called direct contact moxibustion, is a method where a lit moxa is put directly on the skin. This method is characterized by direct contact between moxa and the skin and strong heat. Direct moxibustion can be further divided into three types: scarless moxibustion, scar moxibustion and blister moxibustion.

(1) Scarless moxibustion:
Place moxa directly on the skin at the acupoint, ignite the tip of the moxa; as the moxa burns down, heat sensation on the skin gradually increases. When the moxa stick burns to about 2/3, or when the patient’s skin underneath feels excessive heat, the moxa should be replaced immediately to avoid burning the skin. This method applies best to chronic debilitating diseases.

(2) Scarring moxibustion:
Compared with scarless moxibustion, this method features moxa not to be removed from the skin until it is completely burned out. Scarring moxibustion is more intense and requires producing purulence to achieve best treatment result, so it is also called blistering moxibustion. During the operation, in order to reduce patient’s pain, the skin around the moxibustion area could be patted gently to reduce the patient’s tension. Conditions not suitable for scarring moxibustion include physical weakness, diabetes, skin diseases, and acupoints on the face and joints. This method works well on asthma, pulmonary tuberculosis, epilepsy, ulcers and developmental disorders.

(3) Vesiculating moxibustion:
Use small moxa cone for moxibustion; when moxa fire burns to the skin and the patient feels slight pain, it could either be suppressed immediately, or stay for 3 to 5 seconds more. A small piece of skin flush slightly larger than the moxa cone would appear, and accompanied by sweating; within 1 to 2 hours vesiculation would form. Do not break it, but let it be absorbed naturally. If the vesiculation is large, it could be pierced with a sterilized needle to let the liquid out, and then apply some gentian violet. This method is suitable for asthma, skin warts, dizziness, tuberculosis and so on.

What is moxibustion?

December 5, 2019November 29, 2019 by Moxaman

Moxibustion is a type of TCM therapy, which is usually mentioned in the same breath with acupuncture. Moxibustion refers to a natural remedy that stimulates acupoints on the body surface by use of mild heat of burning wormwood, which further stimulates function of the viscera and meridians within human body through meridian conduction, and regulates operation of the body’s Yin/Yang and Qi/Blood.

By performing moxibustion on different acupoints, not only can it treat and prevent diseases but also strengthen the body.

After thousands of years’ practice, it has been proved that moxibustion bears certain irreplaceable and unique advantages, and become an important means of health maintainance and disease treatment. It could only achieve function of systematic therapy when the medicinal and warming effects of moxibustion are applied on acupoints of meridians.

The following painting was from the Song Dynasty of China, which was painted around 1100AD. It depicted scene of a physician performing moxibustion on a patient.

The benefits of moxibustion are really difficult to express by words, it’s magical efficacy can only be discovered by experiencing it in person.