Improve enzyme activity and metabolism in your body.
The Bianstone massage during a moxibustion treatment allows the nerve velocity to slow down, achieving a significant analgesic effect. Build your body resistance and immunity with the Liver Set, which enhances detoxification and metabolism of toxic substances in the liver for excretion.
Your liver does a lot of things that keep you healthy; it turns nutrients into chemicals your body needs and filters out toxins in the body. When your liver doesn’t work well, that can affect your whole body. Sometimes, the problem is that you have an infection that inflames your liver. Viral hepatitis is the most common causes. Liver problem is sometimes called liver heat or liver fire in oriental medicine. Difficulty in managing stress and anger appropriately is attributed as one cause of the liver fire.
Alcoholism and chronic liver imbalances can also result in a heat pattern. These may be conditions Traditional Chinese medicine often looks at the tongue and pulse as two easily conducted diagnostic tests. The tongue is an indicator of the hot or cold nature of the imbalance and it is less affected by immediate circumstances than the pulse. Analyzing the pulse takes greater skill, training, and practice. The practitioner may take the pulse at three locations on each wrist to feel three different levels of depth. One therapy for liver fire is “Moxibustion”.
Moxibustion is an alternative therapy that involves burning herbs and applying the resulting heat to specific points on the body. A technique used in traditional Chinese medicine and in Tibetan medicine, moxibustion is typically administered in conjunction with acupuncture. According to alternative medicine practitioners, the heat generated during moxibustion helps increase the flow of vital energy (also known as “qi” or “chi”) throughout the body via certain pathways (known as “meridians”). In traditional Chinese medicine, stimulating the flow of chi is considered essential to achieving health and wellness. In fact, physical and mental Alternative medicine proponents claim that moxibustion can help treat the problem.
The common forms and methods using moxibustion therapy are:
Moxa Stick: Moxa is a wool-like substance which can be rolled into something resembling a cigar. Once the end is lit, it can be burned an inch or so over a large area or near a specific acupuncture point. Moxa sticks come in smoky or non-smoky forms and are usually what you’ll take home if you’ve been prescribed moxa from your acupuncturist.
Thread: Tiny threads of moxa can be used on acupuncture points or places on the body which we wouldn’t stick a needle, such as in a tendon or bony surface. We typically use an ointment or cream to separate the thread from the skin and the thread is lit using an incense stick. Instead of warming an area, the heat from thread moxa penetrates a direct location.
Direct: Pure, wool-like moxa can be shaped into a cone and placed on specific acupuncture points. It is usually burnt about 2/3 down before being removed. It should have a nice warming effect without getting too hot.
Liquid: Some companies have made moxa into a liquid which can be used over an area of the body and placed under a heat lamp to get the warming effect. A lot of practitioners use this if they can’t burn moxa in their office.
Needle: Pure moxa will be rolled into a ball and placed on the end of an acupuncture needle and burned. The heat from the moxa warms the surface of the skin and also transfers through the needle deeper into an acupuncture point.
Some known benefits of moxibustion are:
Warms the Channels: According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) cold can invade the body and become lodged within acupuncture channels which run throughout it. This can result in pain in a certain area which often will feel worse in cold weather and feel better with the application of heat. For instance, some kinds of arthritis are “cold type” and are felt more intensely in the winter months. Moxa is particularly useful in these cases.
Promotes Circulation of Qi & Blood: Moxa is warming and moving. It helps to promote movement of blood and qi so it is particularly good for pain, which occurs when qi or blood stagnate. It has been especially popular in gynecology for menstrual cramps and you can use it to heal bruises more quickly.
Stimulates Acupuncture Points: We also use moxa to stimulate specific points such as the point on the little toe which helps to turn a breech baby. Some points on the body are contraindicated for needling such as the point on the umbilicus which is helpful for some digestive disorders. It is a common practice to place a cone of direct moxa on a piece of ginger or a pile of salt on this point. Can’t and wouldn’t stick a needle there. Ouch! But moxa? Yes please!
Builds Qi & Blood: Moxa therapy has been shown to increase immune function, specifically increase white blood cell counts, anti-inflammatory cytokines & anti-body production. In addition to improving your immunity and helping you when you are feeling run down, it has proven to be particularly helpful in treating illnesses where the immune system is compromised and can help people who are prone to getting sick. In TCM, this loosely translates to building qi and blood; two of the main substances essential for life and vitality.