Moxibustion – TCM & Moxibustion

Moxibustion Treats Hay Fever / Allergy

June 2, 2020 by Moxaman

The following content is from exchange on a blog of a retired TCM doctor.

Question:

Ever since consulting you last time, I have been performing moxibustion about 60 to 90 minutes per day, with no interruption of more than 3 days, except during business trips.

I have experienced the following improvements.

1. Hay fever / allergy

I was consulting you mainly for my nose problems.

Every winter and spring my nose would be itchy, with feeling of pressing pain on the cheeks, plus gum pain and headache.

I have been performing excessive moxibustion on the following acupoints: Yingxiang ( LI 20 ), Yintang (EX-HN3) , Taiyang(EX-HN5) and Ashi (the pain spots), for a total of 30-40 minutes. If I felt particularly uncomfortable, I would increase the moxibustion time.

It is not convenient to moxibust on Feishu (BL13), so I did cupping instead, and waited for blisters to form. The situation is now under control, and my discomfort has reduced significantly. You mentioned that it would take 2-3 years of moxibustion to heal rhinitis, so I am going to continue doing it. When the weather gets warm, I would add Feishu acupoint to the moxibustion.

The allergy has been plaguing me for over a decade, where I saw innumerable TCM and Western Medicine doctors, and took hundreds of doses of Chinese herbal medicines, but with little result.

As a last resort, I turned to the internet and was lucky to stumble on your blog, and got to know you, a doctor who help others selflessly. Then I began the journey of self-treatment.

I think the principle of moxibustion is to improve body function of one’s own. When the body is in good health, the diseases will be gone. This is a long journey, so everyone must be patient and persistent.

I read that some fellow patients who tried moxibustion only for a few days and wondered why it didn’t work. After all, moxibustion is no miracle worker, and some chronic diseases does take time.

I believe success belongs to the persevering.

Answer:

From the treatment experience shared by this patient, we can understand pretty well. As he mentioned:

” This is a long journey, so everyone must be patient and persistent.“

“I read that some fellow patients who tried moxibustion only for a few days and wondered why it didn’t work. After all, moxibustion is not miracle worker, and some chronic diseases does take time. I believe success belongs to the persevering.“

Furthermore, his acupoint selection, time, experience, meridian channeling, diet, exercise, etc. are all very detailed. Here I want to share my understanding of the saying “Seven years’ of illness calls for three years of moxibustion“, which should bear two levels of meaning.

It means after falling ill for 7 years, it requires treatment by aged moxa of 3 years, such moxa is not too dry, relatively gentle, and works great on heat penetration at acupoints.
It means for a disease of 7 years, it requires consecutive treatment of moxibustion for 3 years. It tells us the importance of persistence, and treatment with moxibustion is not overnight.

Disclaimer: The information in this post is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images and information, contained on or available through this web site is for general information purposes only. We makes no representation and assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of information contained on or available through this web site, and such information is subject to change without notice. You are encouraged to confirm any information obtained from or through this web site with other sources, and review all information regarding any medical condition or treatment with your physician.

NEVER DISREGARD PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE OR DELAY SEEKING MEDICAL TREATMENT BECAUSE OF SOMETHING YOU HAVE READ ON OR ACCESSED THROUGH THIS WEB SITE.

Efficacy of moxibustion on leg pain

May 31, 2020 by Moxaman

Question:

My mother is 79 years old and is recently plagued by leg pain. She has been taking medicines and using plasters but to no avail. 10 days ago I told her to perform moxibustion on the Zusanli point with moxa stick and stop taking medicines. Her pain was gone within a week!

This method is truly amazing. In addition, I am in my 40s and still have acne on my chin and neck. I have been performing moxibustion at the Guanyuan point, and the acne stopped forming within days. This is so cool.

My mother also has skin itching, especially the night after eating meat or fish. May I ask on which acupoints should moxibustion be performed?

She has scar constitution, and is left with scars from an operation. Can moxa sticks be used on her scars?

Answer:

Hi. Some people often think moxibustion is mysterious, but it is actually pretty simple. As long as you give it a try, you will experience its magical effect.

This is not me bragging, but friends coming to my blog sharing their experiences and bringing us confidence.

Moxibustion is simple because practically everyone could do it, and most cases is performed locally. For example, your mother suffers from the leg pain. The acupoint for moxibustion is the Zusanli point, as well as the affected area. If it wasn’t any of the serious leg diseases, you would see improvements soon.

As far as scar constitution is concerned, not only can moxibustion be performed at area of the scar, but also the scar would gradually decrease.

For the itchiness, the following acupoints could be chosen: Chize, Xuehai, Dazhui, Feishu, Shenque, Guanyuan, and Zusanli.

NEVER DISREGARD PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE OR DELAY SEEKING MEDICAL TREATMENT BECAUSE OF SOMETHING YOU HAVE READ ON OR ACCESSED THROUGH THIS WEB SITE.

Moxibustion and Back Pain

January 20, 2020January 10, 2020 by Moxaman

The following is an article from ‘Yahoo Lifestyle Austrailia‘, which shows a real case of moxibustion working on pack pain.

“I Tried Moxibustion, and It Calmed My Anxiety and Back Pain Immediately!”

An acupuncturist sticks pieces of burning plant roots on my shins and the bottoms of my feet to help calm my back pain and anxiety – it’s a practice called moxibustion, and it’s my favorite form of self-care.

If you’re unfamiliar with the technique, moxibustion is the warming and stimulating of acupuncture points using moxa, a dried Asian herb derived from the mugwort root, and is often incorporated into acupuncture sessions. According to Donna Hernández, a licensed acupuncturist and board-certified herbalist at the Yinova Center in New York City, the 2,000-year-old practice can improve the circulation of blood flow and Qi (what is believed to be one’s life force or energy), as well as aid in relieving pain, fatigue, anxiety, infertility, and digestive disorders.

I stumbled upon moxibustion thanks to a Google search deep dive in a time of desperation. Completely defeated by my mental and physical aches, a slew of holistic-based articles led me to the practice. Now, I always finish my 90-minute sessions with five minutes of moxibustion.

Although moxa comes in many forms, from balms to incense to cones, my acupuncturist uses stick-on moxa, which looks as though the end of a cigarette was placed on a small metal bolt, so it stands up straight. My acupuncturist sticks one onto the center of each of my shins and one at the bottom of both my feet. She then lights the ends and lets them burn down towards my skin.

Once lit, the moxa sticks can cause slight pain in the literal heat of the moment. The root is on fire, so you feel a burning sensation as it shortens toward your skin – but it’s worth it. Trust the process. It shouldn’t actually burn your skin, so always speak up if it gets too painful.

Hernández clarified that the moxa is placed on the bottom of your feet to warm the Kidney 1 acupuncture point, a calming and nourishing point that helps ease the spirit of the body, ground the patient, and pull out inflammation.

The point below your knees on the center of your shin is called the Stomach 36 point, which is known to aid back pain, Hernández said.

Within the first few seconds of the five-minute practice, the earthy, sage-like smell of the burning root fills the room, and you feel a wave of relaxation come over your body. After, my mind is still, my back is pain-free, and I seemingly float home.

This elevated state of relaxation lasts for a few hours after my acupuncture session, but I do feel that my anxiety and back pain is milder for the following week.

Hernández noted that moxa is very powerful and drying, so it’s important to use sparingly. Although you can partake on your own, it’s wise to learn best practices from a certified acupuncturist first, as moxibustion therapy varies from person-to-person depending on what needs to be remedied.

I have yet to try any holistic treatment that compares to moxibustion; the immediate relief I’ve felt is unparalleled to other practices. I am forever grateful to Google and my acupuncturist for the introduction. Now, I know how to instantly reset my body and mind when I need it most.

Cosmetology Effect of Moxibustion

December 22, 2019 by Moxaman

Where do you think a person is least afraid of cold?

It is the face. You may understand better if recall people in the ski resort, where almost every part of the body is covered except the face. No matter how cold it is, the face will always be exposed, but you won’t feel cold. Why is it so?

It is because the head and face are the areas where Yang Qi is most abundant. So by strengthening Yang Qi in this region, it would be a shortcut speedy cure.

One of the greatest benefit of moxibustion is it could quickly eliminate acne in the face, especially the acne for the adult women. After several times, your face would turn pink and white, and skin texture would improve perceptibly, which is almos as effective as the expensive cosmetics. Meanwhile, it was also found that chronic and allergic rhinitis that have been dragging for years often improve too.

Granted one must be careful not to touch moxa stick with the skin if you don’t want to leave any scar.

If your constitution is deficient in Yang, you could quickly get local channels dredged via moxibustion, and restore luster to the face. If you are past adolescence and deficient in Yang Qi, then effect of this method would be even more amazing- it could slow down aging and rejuvenate.

Furthermore, moxibustion of the Yintang acupoint could also help you discover other hidden conditions of the body. Then you can combine moxibustion with other methods and obtain unexpected health enhancement effects.

Is It Possible to Perform Moxibustion at Home?

June 4, 2020December 21, 2019 by Moxaman

Because of innate risk factor of moxibustion, primarily the various adverse effect, where some could become very uncomfortable and may take weeks to disappear, such as certain rashes; also in come cases, new symptoms, especially those related to past illnesses of the individual, would emerge again after the treatment is performed, which be very confusing and even frightening. So it is not recommended to perform moxibustion without proper guidance.

However, the overall safety record of moxibustion is pretty high, and even the most serious adverse effect could be eliminated with correct measures. In fact, moxibustion is deemed a relatively safe treatment method of TCM, which includes acupuncture, cupping, scraping theropy, massaging, and herbs.

The greatest challenge of performing it at home actually lies in whether one could obtain proper guidance to sail through various obstacless through moxibustion.

What kind of equipment is to be selected?
Where to get quality moxa/stick?
Which moxibustion method is best based on individual case?
What diseases or conditions can be treated by moxibustion?
How to select acupoints that would best treat disease or conditions?
What are the precautions that need to be followed?
What are the diseases/conditions not suitable for moxibustion?
What kind of adverse effect may happen during and after moxibustion, and how serious can they become?
Most importantly, if adverse effects did happen, are they treatable? and if so, how to treat them?
Are there any other benefits of moxibustion other than treating diseases/discomforts, such as improve constitution and enhance immune system, so that one would be well equipped against possible pathogenic factor in the future?
If any accidents during moxibustion happens, how to deal with them?
And more…

Therefore, we are providing a consultation service that is targeted at solving all questions and doubts you may have about performing moxibustion at home, so you could fully enjoy the immense benefits that have been proven to be effective for over 2,000 years and on numerous people for a variety of diseases & conditions.

Click Here if you are interested in learning more about our consultation service.

Is Moxibustion Suitable for Everyone? (2)

December 20, 2019 by Moxaman

So if someone’s physical condition is suitable for moxibustion, does it mean moxibustion can be performed at any time? The answer is no.

Many people may have heard of the saying that women cannot perform moxibustion during menstruation. I think this makes good sense in principle. Because the innate nature of moxibustion is Pure Yang, once enters the body, it would accelerate blood circulation and significantly ehnance vitality. However, for a girl with heavy menstrual flow, moxibustion during menstrual period would lead to even greater bleeding, thereby weakening the body, which is counterproductive of purpose of moxibustion. Therefore, moxibustion during menstruation should be very cautious.

There is a reason that I did not shut the door completely about performing moxibustion during menstruation, because it is not absolute. Traditional Chinese Medicine originated from philosophy, and is dialectical in a sense. One example is a classmate of mine, who exhibited symptoms of Blood Stasis. She often performs moxibustion in the middle of her period, which would make her menstruation smoother and her body more relaxed.

The moral of her case is moxibustion must be performed based on wise selection of timing, and depend on individual situation, so as to maximize its effect.

This post is eidted and translated from an article on douban.com.

Is Moxibustion Suitable for Everyone? (1)

December 19, 2019 by Moxaman

Based on many materials I read, including some books on TCM theory and consultation with doctors of TCM, it seems that not everyone is suitable for moxibustion, and the use of moxibustion does bear certain contraindications.

As a traditional health treatment, moxibustion uses natural product such as moxa or moxa stick, to burn and generate heat and smoke that carries healing and health enhancing power, which could fumigate and stimulate different acupoints in the body, strengthen the Yang, as well as all parts of the body, and remove Cold and Evil. Thus the body would enter a positive cycle and eliminate diseases. After performing moxibustion for a period of time, many people would feel better mood, more energetic, and sleep quality greatly improved, thereby becoming more healthy.

However, despite all these benefits, not everyone is suitable for moxibustion, or at all times.

One example is my mother-in-law, who always feel dry mouth after moxibustion, and could not sleep well, thus getting more uncomfortable rather than the opposite. Why is this? The answser is from Western Medicine diagnosis, her blood pressure is relatively high, and occasionally she still takes antihypertensive drugs to control her blood pressure. According to TCM diagnosis, she has hyperactivity of Liver Yang and needs to to nourish Yin, regenerate Body Fluid and clear Fire in daily life. Since moxibustion is a treatment that introduces more Fire into the body rather than clear it, her case is not suitable for moxibustion.

My mother also likes moxibustion. While watching me do it, she asked if I could perform it on her too? Afterwards she reported feeling energetic and sleeping well . Every year during dog days in summer, she would feel a little debilitated; but she said she felt energized and comfortable after moxibustion was performed.

This means it varies from person to person, and moxibustion is not suitable for everyone. A word of caution: it is a taboo to perform moxibustion during pregnancy.

This post is eidted and translated from an article on douban.com.

Moxibustion at One Location Could Treat Multiple Diseases- Case: Cold & Rhinitis* (II)

December 16, 2019 by Moxaman

Moxibustion at one location could treat multiple diseases (II)

The case of this patient was often encountered in clinic. My suspicion is it should be traced back to rhinitis or respiratory disease he had before, and moxibustion treatment happened to unearth these hidden diseases and expose them under the sun. Further inquiry confirmed my suspicion- turns out he had been afflicted by rhinitis for 7-8 years, which was sometimes better and sometimes worse.

I assured him that these manifestations showed moxibustion was effective on him. In fact it is a good opportunity to cure both his cold and rhinitis in one shot. I believe if he sticked to moxibustion for longer, these reactions would gradually decrease, and all original diseases would be cured.

So I advised him to continue moxibustion treatment; once all these reactions were eliminated through moxibustion, the diseases would be heal. There were two problems in his treatment: first, insufficient moxibustion time; and second, moxibustion was not performed thoroughly.

Despite all the adverse reactions, one should not stop moxibustion at this time. If stopped, it would give Evil a break for it to make a comeback, whose adverse effect could become even worse than this time. Such relapses are very detrimental to the diseases.

I explained to him the process of moxibustion again; this time especially emphasized that he should intensify moxibustion of Yingxiang , Yintang and Dazhui acupoints. Yingxiang is next to the nose, which is effective in treating nose diseases. Bird-pecking moxibustion could be performed, that is, the moxa stick is to be moved up and down towards this point, as in the move of a bird pecking. It should last for about 15 minutes.

Furthermore, another acupoint was added this time-Feishu, which is located on the Bladder Meridian of Foot, and effective in treating Lung Meridian and respiratory diseases, such as cough, asthma and stuffy nose. This acupoint can be used together with Yingxiang point to enhance the curative effect. Feishu is an acupoint in the back.

The patient said he couldn’t figure out the precise location of the acupoints, and worry that the moxibustion would go wrong because of it. Moxibustion carries a great advantage in that it’s not necessary for one to know the exact location of the acupoints, which is much different from acupuncture. In acupuncture, a needle is inserted into acupoints, which requires accuracy, therefore it is very difficult for people who have not studied TCM or do not understand meridians or acupoints. Moxibustion, on the other hand, involves a small area including the acupoints, so people who do not understand TCM or acupoints could perform it too. I pointed out the location of Feishu in his back, and told him to put moxibustion box in this area next time. As long as moxibustion sense is felt in this region, it would be effective.

He followed my advice and continued moxibustion for one than week. In the end, not only was his cold cured, but also the rhinitis that had been plagued him repeatedly for years was gone. So he performed moxibustion in one place, and treated two diseases at the same time, which shows power of moxibustion. In fact the same routine could be done in the future, so as to improve immunity and prevent cold.

*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 at One Location Could Treat Multiple Diseases- Case: Cold & Rhinitis* (I)

December 16, 2019December 14, 2019 by Moxaman

Moxibustion at one location could treat multiple diseases (I)

As a doctor who has practiced for more than 30 years, I started to write blogs about my decades’ of experience after retirement. One of the purpose is to help those who are perplexed by illnesses yet unable to seek proper treatment.

Many of the inquiries I receive were about how to use moxibustion to treat diseases. Based on my own experience, moxibustion as a method for treatment is inexpensive, simple to operate, and very effective. It has proved for good result on most common diseases and chronic diseases. Another advantage of moxibustion is performing on one site could treat multiple diseases, which seems only possible in TCM.

One of my patient was affected with common cold, whose main symptom was runny nose. I introduced him to a common moxibustion method** for treating colds: light a moxa stick, and suspend the burning end above skin at a distance where perceived temperature from the burning moxa stick is just tolerable. The distance could be further at the beginning, and shortened as one gets more comfortable. Next, start to move the moxa stick from Yingxiang acupoint upwards Yintang acupoint along bridge of the nose; hover above Yintang acupoint for a while, and then to the temple along the eyebrow; practice this repeatedly until skin turns flushed under the moxa fire. This is a moxibustion method called Mild Moxibustion, which would not harm the skin. I also told him it is only when the nose no longer feels hot, but a little cold, will it signify completion of the process. The effect would be best at this time, and could get the job done.

He followed my advice and tried this method at home, but it did not work. He called me the next day and reported the cold felt worse after getting up in the morning; so he performed it again. Unexpectedly he found blood in snot after sneezing, and he felt dry mouth dry during the next few days. He asked if it moxibustion did not work on him, and worried whether new problems would happen besides blood in snot.

Moxibustion Case*- Bloated Abs & Irregular Menstration (II)

December 13, 2019 by Moxaman

Through previous discussion, we know moxibustion has very good therapeutic effect on diseases caused by Cold-evil, Qi stagnation and Original Qi deficiency; so it seems to be a good therapy. Then why does it introduce new diseases? Is it because moxibustion is performed improperly? No, they are all done correctly. The reason arises from an important theory of TCM-human being is a unified whole, the acupoints are points on meridians within the body. Therefore stimulating any part of the body could cause reaction of the whole body, and stimulation of any acupoints could also trigger reaction within this meridian.

The girl mentioned before performed moxibustion on the acupoint of Sanyinjiao, which is intersection of the spleen, kidney, and liver meridians; so all three meridians were influenced at the same time. The spleen meridian is in charge of the digestive function of the body, and kidney and liver meridians are closely related to the reproductive system. During moxibustion of the Sanyinjiao, heating Yang Qi enters these three meridians, which promotes digestive function, dispels Cold in the kidney and liver meridians, thereby the feeling of Qi moving towards interior of the vagina. The evil of Cold and Dampness is excreted from the reproductive system, which appears in the form of leucorrhea and vaginal itching in women.

After all it is the process of rejection of external Evils by the body, which proves presence of Cold in the kidney and liver meridians of the girl all the time. This process is actually very good and once appears, it must be encouraged and sustained, and the disease would be cured in no time.

Now it is easier to understand why I encouraged her to continue perform moxibustion on those points. Many people choose to stop moxibustion at this time because they don’t know such reactions are actually good, which could cause Evil Qi to remain inside the body and this is very unfortunate in treatment.

Within about a month, this girl left me another messaged again:
“I adhereed to moxibustion after listening to your words, and finally my vaginitis and indigestion are all cured. Honestly, it was not easy. In the first few days, I could barely stand the itching below (vaginal itching). But thankfully it was gone in 3 days, and so were the (vaginal) secretions. Now I am relieved from trouble of indigestion and gynecological diseases, and have become more energetic. Thank you so much! ”