According to TCM theory, moxibustion has a dual effect, tonification and purgation. This involves the actions of the meridian system and the roles of moxa and fire. Studies have shown that the mechanism underlying moxibustion mainly involves the thermal effects, radiation effects, and pharmacological activity of moxa and the products of its combustion [1].
A bibliometric analysis reported that up to 364 kinds of diseases can be treated with moxibustion, which includes diarrhea, colitis, urinary incontinence, dysmenorrhea, knee osteoarthritis, temporomandibular joint disturbance syndrome, soft tissue injury, heel pain, asthma, urinary retention, and herpes zoster [2]. Moxibustion can also be used to treat weakness, fatigue, and problems related to aging [3].
The following is a list of conditions that have been reported to respond positively under moxibustion. However, efficacy of moxibustion is highly dependent on individual physique and personal life style, therefore there is no guarantee that the same result will happen on each individual cases, especially with limited moxibustion quantity. Be that as it may, chances of improvement in health condition is very likely if moxibustion is performed consistently, say, for a minimum of two weeks.
- Chronic disease
– Obesity and overweight
– Constipation
– Rheumatoid
– Hypertension
– Diabetes
– Prostatitis
– Arthritis
– Gingivitis
– Chronic pharyngitis
– Allergic Rhinitis
– Lumbar disc herniation
– Gastroptosis
– Cervical spondylosis
– Chronic bronchitis
– Achilles tendinitis
– Sinusitis
– Dropsy
– Impotence - Acute disease
– Enteritis/Inflammatory bowel disease
– External hemorrhoid
– Angina pectoris
– Nosebleeding
– Tympanitis
– Colitis - Common illnesses
– Coughing
– Cold
– Asthma
– Insomina - Pain
– Rheumatic arthralgia and myalgia
– Frozen shoulder
– Headache
– Stomachache
– Back pain
– Joint pain
– Carpal tunnel syndrome
– Radiohumeral bursitis/tennis elbow
– Prosopalgia - Skin condition
– Eczema
– Tinea pedis /athlete’s foot
– Leucoderma
– Scleroderma
– Blisters
– Rashes
– Beriberi
– Verruca plantaris
- Gynecological diseases
– Postpartum rheumatism
– Breast hyperplasia
– Menstrual disorder
– Cervical polyp
– Uterine fibroid
– Pelvic inflammation
- Health maintenance
– Bromhidrosis & body ordor
References
- H. Deng and X. Shen, “The mechanism of moxibustion: ancient theory and modern research,” Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, vol. 2013, Article ID 379291, 7 pages, 2013. View at Publisher · View at Google Scholar
- Q. F. Huang, H. G. Wu, J. Liu, and J. Hong, “Bibliometric analysis of diseases spectrum of moxibustion therapy,” Journal of Acupuncture and Tuina Science, vol. 10, no. 6, pp. 342–348, 2012. View at Publisher ·View at Google Scholar · View at Scopus
- B. Luo, J. Yu, and J. Han, “Explore the methods of moxibustion of disease prevention and health promotion,” Shaanxi Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 79–81, 2011 (Chinese).View at Google Scholar