Month: October 2015

Moxibustion, or moxa, is a Chinese medical technique used for many purposes including improving circulation, warming the body, and supporting and strengthening a person’s constitution. Acupuncture and moxibustion are used in conjunction to stimulate acupuncture points and improve qi and blood flow in acupuncture channels.

Moxa itself is a Chinese herb known as Ai Ye (Artemisia argyi folium), or mugwort. Ai Ye is used both internally and externally in Chinese herbal medicine. As an internal herbal medicinal, Ai Ye stops pain, warms the channels and the body, and through its’ warming action can stop bleeding. Chinese medical theory suggests that it may also be used in pregnancy to help calm a restless fetus, and may help with itchy skin conditions.

Externally, the herb may be rolled into large sticks that are burned over the surface of the skin, rolled into small “rice grain” sized pieces and burned on the skin surface (usually at acupuncture points, with some sort of intercepting medium or ointment so that they don’t actually burn the skin), or placed on the handles of acupuncture needles and burned over acupuncture points. External moxa use can have many purposes, for instance, warming the lower back when stagnation of cold is causing pain or weakness, warming a muscle region that is stiff and contracted, stimulating acupuncture points that stop bleeding, or as a tonic—to help support and strengthen the body at acupuncture points that are used to support qi and blood formation. Certain randomized controlled trials have even suggested that moxibustion, used in the final weeks of pregnancy, can help turn a breech fetus.

You Burn Moxa? Is Moxa Treatment Painful?

No. Most people report no pain from moxibustion treatment. They say that moxa feels warm and pleasant. Even in more surface-level moxibustion treatment, cones are typically placed over an ointment or other intercepting medium and are extinguished far before they reach the skin surface.

What Else Can Moxa Be Used For?

Acupuncturists use moxa in practice for many reasons. Some commonly practiced techniques might include:

• Burning moxa over the acupuncture point Spleen 1 to help with excess menstrual bleeding.
• Burning moxa over acupuncture point Stomach 36 to support immunity and build qi, blood, yin, and yang.
• Moxa burned over acupuncture point Du 20 to invigorate the mind, lift prolapse, and move qi upwards.
• Internal use in the common herbal formula Jiao Ai Tang, which is used for excess menstrual bleeding or uterine bleeding due to a cold and deficient constitutional pattern.
• Burning moxa on top of a slice of ginger, often on the abdomen, for gastrointestinal problems.
• Burning moxa over cold and stiff joints or muscles, to lubricate motion and restore function.
• Moxa cones placed on top of salt in the center of the umbilicus and burned have been used in Chinese medicine to revive consciousness in cases of collapse due to deficiency. This theory comes from the idea that one of the Heart organ’s accessory channels, the Heart sinew (or Heart muscle channel), terminates at the umbilicus. As the Heart is considered the emperor organ, and contains the Shen (spirit), we can use moxa at the end of the muscle channel to revive someone who has fainted, bringing vitality directly to the emperor and cardiac muscle.

In short, moxa plays an integral role in acupuncture treatment and Chinese herbalism. Talk to your acupuncturist about whether it might be a good addition to your next treatment!

Acupuncturists frequently talk about the concept of something called qi, which is loosely translated as “energy” or “vital force.” So what is qi? And what do we mean in acupuncture when we say that qi is flowing or stagnant?

From a Chinese medicine perspective, qi can be difficult to describe. Acupuncturists believe that qi is both material and immaterial; it is the basis of all life in the universe. One well-known acupuncturist, Giovanni Maciocia, writes that, “Qi is the basis of all phenomena in the universe and provides continuity between coarse, material forms and tenuous, rarefied, non-material energies (Foundations of Chinese Medicine, 2011, p.42).

Types of Qi

Chinese medical theory teaches that qi exists in many different forms. This may be best understood by looking at another definition of qi, as, “that which transforms.” So what does that mean? Qi is the energy that powers the transformational processes throughout the body. You could make a Western analogy that qi is sort of like the body’s ATP, or that it is comparable to atomic and particular energy, which exists in solid, liquid, and air states, only, it’s so much more than that.

For instance, there is Wei Qi, the qi that defends the body against external pathogens, essentially our immune response. Or Ying Qi, the qi that flows with the blood, and nourishes all the internal organs, much as blood brings nutrients and oxygen to the body’s organs in Western medicine. Or Gu Qi, the qi that is extracted from food, that goes on to provide energy for the body and create the nutrient aspect of the blood. Or Qing Qi, qi derived from the air that we inhale into the lungs. These types of qi are considered acquired qi, because acupuncturists believe that they are derived from food and air, and are created after conception.

Another aspect of qi is congenital qi, or Yuan Qi. Yuan Qi is original qi, it is the qi that we have available at birth, and it is integrally related to a person’s jing, or essence (but that’s another article). Yuan Qi comes from our parents, and is derived at our conception, and determines the strength of a person’s constitution. A Western analogy might be DNA—you could think of Yuan Qi as your genetic makeup; it determines perhaps your physical appearance (what color your eyes and hair are, how big your body is), your intelligence (IQ or mental handicaps), your constitutional strengths and weaknesses (maybe most athletic endeavors are easy, but you’re a terrible dancer because you can’t stay on beat). Yuan Qi is a primordial qi of birth, growth, and development.

Another type of qi that Chinese medicine recognizes is organ qi, the qi associated with the functions of the different organs of the body. One simple example is Lung qi, which is related to the Lung organ, and descends, drawing air into the body. Sometimes Lung qi can be rebellious, for instance, when you have a cold and you cough. Another example might be Bladder qi, which is related to the Urinary Bladder organ and descends to help you urinate. When an acupuncturist tells you that your Lung qi is rebelling, she’s talking about the qi of these organs and their functions.

So, let’s summarize. Qi is both a material and immaterial energy that is the basis for all life in the universe. We have some qi at birth, and acquire other qi from air and food. Qi is related to our body’s organs, it flows in our blood, and it is a powerful, transformative force. We’ll talk more about qi soon, and how it flows in meridians or channels that acupuncture points lie on.

Reference

1. Maciocia, G. (2005). The foundations of chinese medicine: A comprehensive test for acupuncturists and herbalists (2^nd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier.