Moxibustion

Moxibustion is a traditional Chinese medicine technique that involves the burning of mugwort, artemesia vulgaris, a small, shiny herb, to facilitate healing. Moxibustion has been used for thousands of years. The purpose of moxibustion, is to strengthen the blood quality and stimulate blood flow to initiate healing and maintain general health.

How does moxibustion work?

There are two types of moxibustion: direct and indirect. In direct moxibustion, the moxa is rolled into a small rice shaped bead. This bead is then placed on an acupuncture point and burned. We are careful to extinguish or removed the moxa before it burns the skin. With Indirect moxibustion a cigar like tube of moxa is burned over the skin.

With both forms of moxibustion the patient will experience a gentle heating sensation that penetrates deep into the skin, but should not experience any pain or blistering. Most people find moxibustion to be a pleasant sensation.

What is moxibustion used for?

Moxibustion is used in situations of cold or stagnation, or in situations where increased blood flow will facilitate healing. The burning of moxa expels the cold and warms the blood, which leads to an increase in circulation. Moxibustion has successfully been used to turn breech babies into a normal head-down position prior to childbirth! Women with breech presentation should begin therapy around week 34 of their pregnancy. A study published in 1998 in the Journal of the American Medical Association stated that around 70% of women with breech presentation fetuses before labor had babies that rotated to normal position after moxibustion treatments!

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