Moxibustion FAQ

What is moxibustion?

Moxibustion is a traditional Chinese medicine therapy using moxa made from dried mugwort. Practitioners use moxa to warm XueWei, meridian acupuncture points, with the intention of stimulating circulation through the meridian points and inducing a smoother flow of blood to cure diseases."
If one cannot be cured by medicine and acupuncture, then you must apply moxibustion therapy." 
Moxibustion has a history of more than 2000 years in China. Its treatment effect has been verified by numerous clinical practices. Moxibustion therapy is applicable to diseases caused by cold and deficiency, especially to some chronic and refractory diseases.

What is the difference between acupuncture and moxibustion?

Both acupuncture and moxibustion are belong to the traditional Chinese medicine therapy, and they both reaching the medical effect by stimulating the meridian points. Still, there exists a huge difference.

First, the mechanism of these two therapy are both by stimulating the acupuncture points to achieve the purpose of curing disease (strengthen the blood, stimulate the flow of qi,)and preserving health. But there is one big difference between them, acupuncture generate physical effects while moxibustion achieves its effect through a compound action of herbal medicine(moxa) and physical interaction. Second, moxibustion therapy belongs to external natural therapy, so it doesn't have any side effect, you could perform it at home by yourself. As for acupuncture, you have to go to the professional practitioner, who are well competent for acupuncture. 

What Differences are between GuaSha, Cupping, Massage and Moxibustion?

GuaSha, Cupping, Massage and Moxibustion are all belong to the TCM therapy, and of course they do have therapeutical effect, but they are the function of the skin. The main effects of GuaSha and Cupping is to dredge the channels and collaterals as well as expel of toxin. Depend on different ways of conducting the Massage, the effect can be divided into tonifying Qi and pouring out of Qi. But it cannot be used in the internal organs of the body. It works indirectly through meridian to balance the function of the viscera. So they have limitations compared with moxibustion.

Moxibustion - a traditional Chinese medicine technique that involves the burning of mugwort, a small, spongy herb, to facilitate healing. In fact, the actual Chinese character for acupuncture, translated literally, means "acupuncture-moxibustion." The purpose of moxibustion, as with most forms of traditional Chinese medicine, is to strengthen the blood, stimulate the flow of qi, expel dampness and it can permeate the viscera to warm them. Moreover, the meridian can transport warmness to the wounded part, alleviate the painful feeling.

What is Dr.Moxi? What's the difference between Dr.Moxi and traditional moxa stick?

Moxibustion has played an important role in the traditional medical systems in China. Suppliers usually age the mugwort (typically 3-5 years), and grind it up to a fluff, then process it further into a cigar-shaped stick. However, traditional cigar-shaped stick requires this practice to be performed by a second person and only limiting to one to two meridian points at a time. 

Dr.Moxi is a new moxibustion product, a perfect combination of modern and tradition, has resigned it into a self adhesive small heating pad that you can perform this practice at home by yourself. This enables the patient to use this whenever and wherever needed. Dr.Moxi makes moxibustion more simple and easy to use. Patients can restore to good health themselves by referencing the corresponding treatment method or perform moxibustion under the guidance of our acupuncture or moxibustion therapists.

Which kind of disease can be cured by moxibustion? Is it really working?

Moxibustion can be used in treating many diseases, but not 100 percent effective for each disease. For instance, the cure rate reached more than 98% for male disease like rheumatoid arthritis, dysmenorrhea, kidney waist pain, gastrointestinal diseases, 70%-90% for ervical spondylosis and lumbar disease.

Will the Dr.Moxi's moxibustion treatment be effective as the traditional mosa stick?

Dr. Moxi 's mosa pad is made of 5-year-grown golden moxa, the extract rate is 30:1 which mean  extract 1kg moxa from 30kg mugwort, efficacy is 3-5 times stronger than the traditional moxa products.  howover, Moxibustion is not a one day work to reach its efficacy, it usually take 1 to 3 months to see the noticeable improvement. Some healing process may longer than that if only moxibustion treatment applied. At Oriental Acupuncture Clinic, our therapists usually combine moxibustion treatment with acupuncture or cupping treatment, so the healing process will be faster. 

Dose Moxibustion has any side effect?

Moxibustion  is a totally green natural herbal product, exclude any forms of side effects.

Does Moxibustion has any uncomfortable feelings?

The Adverse moxibustion reactions can be various from different people. Generally speak, it can be divided into the most common following cases:

1. Get inflammation after performing moxibustion, the main symptoms

can be mouth parched and tongue scorched, redness and swelling of the gum, feel dizzy, those symptoms happens especially in Autumn. The reason of this is that moxibustion can add Yang energy to human body, so Ying energy will decrease accordingly. But inflammation only last for a few days, no need to worry about that. To avoid this, you need to pay attention to the next 4 points:

a. Change the moxibustion time according to your own health condition, you can prolong the time if you have dampness in your body, vice versa. Six days a week, five acupoint a day, ultimate for ten minutes for each acupoint. Don't be over hastiness about moxibustion, because the essence of TCM is to balance nature and human beings. It takes time to rehabilitate the body and restore balance.

b. Dink a lot of warm water before performing moxibustion, it helps to speed up your metabolism and fluid circulation.

c. If you feel you got inflammation, you can perform moxibustion on a acupoint called Yong Quan(KI1) which is under your feet. Food soak is also recommended.

d. During the days of moxibustion, be peaceful in heart and in daily life, and keep a more light diet.

2. If you find blisters on skin, don't worry, it's the process of releasing dampness in your body, you can use a pin to prick it, performing indirect moxibustion daily to disinfect and helps to speed healing the wound. It may take 1-2 weeks to get healed completely.

3. If you feel extreme itch during or after the moxibustion, it shows cold-evil has invaded and attached on the surface of skin, it can be catabatic if you continue perform moxibustion. 

4. If red spot appears on the skin, sometimes can be itchy, it will disappear after a period of time if you continue perform moxibustion.

5. Insomnia or drowsiness. insomnia may happen at a certain period of time, you may feel unsufferable, most people can feel a great improvement after this stage; the most common situation is drowsiness, it's because a balance of Ying and Yang has been build, our body need rest to get well.

6. You may feel cold on a certain part of your body such as foot, leg, sometimes could be head, it's the cold devil coming out your body, keep performing moxibustion, these symptom will disappear.     

7. You may pass wind more often, it shows moxibustion harmonized the spleen and stomach.

8. You need to reduce performing moxibustion on your abdomen and drink lots of water if you got constipation.

9. Menostaxis may happens to some female, shorten the moxibustion time and drink more water.

10. If symptom get worse, this response in the category of traditional Chinese medicine of expelling the disease, keep performing moxibustion, and you will get better.

11. You may feel hot gas passing through your body, this varies from person to person and it's the normal reaction when performing moxibustion.