Acupuncture alternatives relieve ills, painlessly
By admin on 2015-01-23

Traditional Chinese medicine's moxibustion.

With acupuncture and moxibustion last week included on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list, their lesser-known compliments that don't involve needles or breaking the skin and form the practice of zhenjiu, are also attracting attention.

"Although using needles is most common, there are other ways of zhenjiu to stimulate the points and meridians that work equally effective," said Guo Changqing, professor of acupuncture and moxibustion at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine.

During nearly three decades of teaching and treating patients using traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) techniques, Guo, who is also a TCM doctor at Beijing's Hong Yitang Hospital, said that alternatives such as ear acupressure, cupping and scrap-ing are methods of zhenjiu that were first recorded over 2,000 years ago in the ancient Chinese medical text Huangdi Neijing, also known as The Inner Canon of Huangdi.

Moxibustion

It is generally believed that moxibustion appeared soon after the Chinese learnt to use fire some 3,000 years ago and people discovered that certain pains could be relieved by using heat from fire. TCM practitioners then developed this into a treatment by using moxa (mugwort), a herb of yang (warm) nature, to stimulate certain points and warm meridians to boost qi (energy) and blood circulation.

Moxa is usually dried and processed into sticks like cigars. Practitioners often light the stick and hold it about one inch above the skin for 20-30 minutes. Due to its yang nature, moxibustion is effective in treating diseases caused by wind, cold and damp, according to Guo.

"Because of the nature of the season, moxibustion is used more in winter than summer," he said. "But as people catch cold more often because of using air conditioners, I also treat many patients with moxibustion in summer."

Other common problems that can be treated by using moxibustion include arthritis, poor digestion, menstruation pain and fatigue and neck, shoulder and waist pain.

"For people with no particular problem, doing moxibustion on often-used acupoints can help them stay healthy and prolong life," Guo said.

Such acupoints include zusanli, three inches down from the knee, guanyuan, four finger-widths below the navel and mingmen, on the lower back, at the level of the navel.

Hospitals do not use moxibustion as often as needle acupuncture because it is less profitable and has a pungent smell that may upset other patients, Guo added.

"As moxibustion is not painful at all, many of my patients who are afraid of needles ask for it," he said. "After I give them some simple directions, they can do it at home."

Moxibustion sticks are easy to use and available at most TCM clinics and even online. The price can be as low as 10 yuan ($1.50) for a pack of 10.

People who suffer from cold hands and feet in winter can do moxibustion at home to warm up the body, according to Guo, but for people with more serious problems, it must be done under the supervision of doctors. Pregnant women and women who are menstruating should avoid moxibustion, he said.