Moxibustion
Moxibustion Is a Great Complement to Acupuncture
Moxibustion, also known as moxa, is an amazing herbal complementary therapy to acupuncture. In fact, many of the Chinese classical texts on acupuncture are treatises on acupuncture and moxibustion. There is even a word in Chinese, zhen jiu that means acupuncture-moxa. Moxa is composed of mugwort or artemisia vulgaris in Latin.
Moxa is often used in conjunction with acupuncture points to warm the Yang and tonify Qi and Blood. Together, acupuncture and moxibustion therapy have a synergistic effect. Some patients have described moxibustion acupuncture as feeling like a warm hug!
Moxibustion was first practiced by a woman named Bao Gu, a skilled herbalist and doctor. I find it so incredibly fitting that one of the best treatments for women’s health was discovered by a woman in the 4th century CE.
Moxibustion Benefits
Moxibustion is a powerful healing tool that goes hand in hand with acupuncture. In fact, moxibustion and acupuncture are typically referred to by the same compound word in China. Moxibustion is incredibly helpful for pain relief, nourishing Qi and Blood, and regulating the menstrual cycle.
Moxibustion Therapy
Moxa is frequently used in conjunction with acupuncture to treat many types of pain as well as women’s health concerns. Moxibustion, also known as mugwort, or Artemisia Vulgaris, may be placed over certain acupuncture points and burned while your skin is protected with cardboard. This therapy is wonderful treatment to deeply nourish and support the body.
Balance the body with the power of dried mugwort.
Acupuncture and moxibustion go hand in hand to deeply nourish the body and soothe pain.
Acupuncture and Moxibustion
After inserting needles, your acupuncturist may put some Artemisia Vulgaris—also known as mugwort—on certain acupuncture points and burn it. This technique is called moxibustion, and it produces a pleasant and subtle odor as well as gently warming the area.
Moxibustion has a special place in women’s health. It helps to warm the uterus, a practice related to fertility and is especially adept at helping to turn breech babies to the correct position for vaginal birth.
Cupping and Moxibustion
Cupping is frequently used in conjunction with moxibustion to treat many types of pain. Cups are applied to the body with suction. This suction increases circulation by mechanically drawing more blood to the area. Cupping also releases muscle knots and adhesions by pulling up the soft tissue and allowing it to separate. After cupping, your acupuncturist may place moxibustion on the areas that were just cupped to accentuate the treatment and offer additional pain relief.
Moxibustion used after cupping can accentuate the pain relief effects of cupping.
Moxibustion—Effective Treatment for Breech Babbies
What We Treat
Moxibustion is a wonderful treatment accent. We often use it to enhance tonification and to accentuate the effects of acupuncture treatment.
Chronic and Acute Pain
Mental Health
Fertility and Perinatal Care
Women’s Health
Internal Medicine
Conditions We Treat Using Moxibustion
Moxibustion is used by our acupuncturists for women’s health concerns, fatigue, and immediate pain relief, whether the condition is chronic (like long-term back pain) or acute (a migraine). Moxibustion is also used to help turn a breech baby:
Fertility
Moxibustion is a wonderful adjunct therapy for fertility. Moxa helps warm the uterus and promote blood flow to the ovaries. Moxibustion combined with acupuncture can improve egg quality and quantity for those undergoing IVF.
Menstrual Cycle Concerns
For any concerns related to women’s health, moxibustion is one of our go to therapies. We use moxa to alleviate dysmenorrhea and painful ovulation. We also use moxa to help support cycle regularity and ovulation. The menstrual cycle acts like a monthly report card on a woman’s health and regular acupuncture with moxibustion helps our patients have an easy, predictable cycle.
Women’s Health
Moxa is a wonderful adjunct therapy for all women’s health concerns from dysmenorrhea to PMS to hot flashes and menopause. Combined with acupuncture and herbal medicine, moxibustion can provide powerful relief and a reversal of symptoms.
Pain
Moxibustion provides strong pain relief at the site of inflammation and swelling. Our acupuncturists will also use moxa to prevent headaches and migraines as well as gastrointestinal pain.
Fatigue
Moxibustion assists the body in rest and recovery by powerfully tonifying Qi and Blood. When stress and daily life have sapped you of your energy reserves, moxibustion can offer restorative support.
Breech Presentation
Moxibustion on our acupuncture point, BL-67, has shown to be very effective in turning a baby into the proper head down alignment for birth. We have seen moxibustion for breech presentation work about 60% of the time. This can help the mother achieve a vaginal delivery. We recommend pregnant women with breech presentation come see us by about 32-35 weeks so we can begin our process to help the baby turn.
Your Acupuncture Treatment Plan
Your journey to better health begins before you step through our doors. You'll be able to easily schedule an appointment online as well as fill out your health history form before you arrive at our office—maximizing conversational and treatment time with your acupuncturist.
At your first appointment, your acupuncturist will discuss your health history, get input from you on what your treatment goals are, and develop a treatment plan. They'll then treat you using whatever services are best suited to your specific symptoms.
Although plans vary depending on the patient, most typically run for four weeks. At the end of your first visit, your acupuncturist will give you a written treatment plan. At subsequent visits, you'll discuss your symptoms and whether they've improved, regressed, or stayed the same. Your acupuncturist will adjust the treatment plan based on your input and their ongoing diagnosis of your condition.
When your main complaint is resolved, you can reduce treatment or work on another symptom. Still thinking it over? Take a look at our Testimonials page to see what other patients are saying.
Moxibustion delivers powerful healing
Moxibustion is a powerful wellness tool, especially when combined with acupuncture and herbal medicine.
The power of mugwort, in the hands of our expert acupuncturists, hold the potential to treat your back pain, headaches, insomnia, stress, and help you with your menstrual cycle, among a wide variety of other health issues. They become even more powerful when combined with the other modalities of Chinese medicine—all of which our acupuncturists can bring to bear on your symptoms.
Want to experience this for yourself? Head to our Booking page and schedule your first appointment.
We’re in-network with CareFirst/BlueCross, Aetna, and Cigna and are happy to check your insurance benefits for you.
Be well,
The Cherry Blossom Team
