What is moxibustion?
A: Moxibustion is the use of mugwort (also known as silvery wormwood; artemisia argyi) made into moxa sticks or moxa mounts (mugwort blended into the fibrous condition and can mix in other herbs if desired). Through the heat created by the burning of the moxa sticks or mounts, acupuncture points are stimulated.
The most common technique used is to perform moxibustion without coming in direct contact with the skin. In The Compendium of Materia Medica, it is mentioned that mugworts can heat the core, expel cold, and remove dampness. Moxibustion has the ability to warm and replenish Yang energy and it mainly targets symptoms of deficiency.
What kind of people are not suited for moxibustion?
- patients with various skin diseases
- people on an empty stomach or have just eaten a full meal
- people who have recently consumed alcohol
- those with a heat constitution body type
- patients in the middle of a cold, fever, or have an acute infectious disease
- children
- pregnant female or females during menstruation
- diabetics (if have numb limbs, then there could be a possibility of getting burnt)
*We recommend that it is best to consult with a licensed acupuncturist to know if moxibustion is suitable for you.
Precautions with moxibustion:
- Areas with dense blood vessels and nerves such as the neck and face are not suitable for moxibustion
- When performing moxibustion, there’s a possibility of burns or blisters when too close to the skin (or when performing the direct moxibustion technique where the grounded mugwort is placed directly on the skin).
- The smoke from the moxibustion may cause allergic reactions for some people, so it’s important to maintain the good air circulation in the room.
- Perform moxibustion in moderation.
- During moxibustion, if you feel unwell, stop immediately.
Moxibustion During Canicular Days
Canicular Days (“San Fu Tian”) is known to be the hottest time period of the year. Performing moxibustion during this time period is a very well recorded practice in Traditional Chinese Medicine as it was known to have benefits of treating respiratory system conditions such as allergies and asthma. As mentioned in the last post about treating winter diseases during the summer (recorded in the Yellow Emperor's Internal Classic) and during the Canicular Days, the summer is when the Yang energy is abundant. By performing moxibustion (to be more specific, there’s a technique called “San Fu Moxibustion”) during canicular days, one can nourish their Yang energies by absorbing the Yang energy from nature. In doing so, the body is being replenished, nourished and the immune system strengthened. Overall, this helps prevent and reduces the chance of getting sick during the winter (ie. digestive system-related illnesses, soreness or pain of the neck, shoulder, and back, etc).
San Fu Moxibustion
The most common method is to place ginger slices on top of acupuncture points, then an ignited moxa is placed on top of the ginger slices. The burning of the moxa creates a lot of smoke therefore it is not suited for everyone especially those who can’t accept the smell or may have allergic reactions. With modern technology, herbal blends mixed with ginger juice are made into patches where they can stick onto desired acupuncture points to obtain the same benefits of traditional moxibustion.
Precautions with San Fu Moxibustion
This method of moxibustion involves direct contact with the skin which means there can be some blisters or light burns on the skin. For those who are conscious about the look of their skin (for example don’t want the marks to show when wearing tank tops or shorts) and those with fine, delicate skin (ie. children) may not be suited for this technique or may want to shorten the treatment time.
After treatments, it is recommended to avoid eating cold or irritating foods such as very spicy foods and seafoods or beverages. If you have the treatment completed in the morning, it is recommended to wait until night time to take a shower. It is also important to keep the body warm.
什麼是艾灸？
艾灸是利用艾草製作成的艾灸條或是艾絨點燃，利用其產生的熱能來對人體穴位進行刺激的一種中醫療法。又分成直接灸或是間接灸，一般我們最常看到的是間接灸。《本草綱目》記載艾草可「溫中，逐冷，除濕。」故艾灸有溫補陽氣的作用，主要是針對虛寒性的疾病進行治療。
什麼人不適合艾灸？
- 各種皮膚疾病
- 空腹或是剛吃飽、酒後
- 熱性體質
- 目前正逢感冒發燒或有急性期傳染病
- 年紀太小的兒童
- 女性正值孕期或生理期
- 糖尿病患者，因為四肢皮膚感覺麻木，有可能造成燙傷
＊建議大家還是要去找專業中醫師判斷自己到底適不適合艾灸喔！
艾灸的注意事項
- 有密集的血管、神經，如較大的動脈處，以及頭部和臉部不適合進行艾灸
- 在施灸時，距離太近可能燙傷或產生水泡
- 艾灸煙霧的顆粒可能引起過敏等問題，所以艾灸時應保持空氣流通
- 艾灸要適度；另外天氣不好時，盡量不要艾灸
- 途中產生若不適反應，需要立即停止艾灸
艾灸的應用－三伏灸
「三伏」是一年中最熱的時節，「伏」是指陰氣受陽氣所迫而藏伏於地下。古醫書記載，伏日必是庚日，庚屬金，五行中金屬肺，故在中醫治療，三伏灸可以用來針對過敏性鼻炎、哮喘等肺系疾病。如《黃帝內經》所提出的春夏養陽和冬病夏治的概念，三伏天也是一年之中陽氣最旺盛的時候，這時候使用艾灸，可以借天之陽氣補人體陽氣，以預防冬天虛寒性疾病的發生。所以三伏灸還可以改善關節退化、頸肩腰腿酸痛、胃腸不適等冬季常見疾病，亦可提高人體抵抗力、預防感冒。
三伏灸的方法
一般會用艾灸隔著薑片在穴位上做刺激。由於艾灸產生的煙霧很大，不是每個人都可以接受，加上可能會產生過敏反應，因此現代就以細辛、白芥子等辛溫中藥材磨粉混合薑汁或水製作成藥餅，敷貼在穴位上，替代傳統的艾灸法。
三伏灸的注意事項
由於三伏灸是對於皮膚進行直接刺激，如果對於皮膚外觀有要求的大眾或是皮膚嬌嫩的小朋友，可能就不適合進行三伏灸，或是灸的時間不宜過長。灸完之後避免食用涼性或刺激性的食品或飲料，也要避免海鮮等發物。若早上灸完，最好晚上再洗澡，並且注意保暖喔！
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