Moxabustion is a way to speed healing and relieve pain through the use of heat. In Chinese medicine, one way to warm your body is through the use of a technique called moxabustion. The most common form of moxabustion involves the burning of an herb, artemesia vulgaris, which has been rolled into a long cigar-like stick. Moxabustion is very warming and has a penetrating smell. It works by:
-Warming your body. Many health conditions are aggravated by being cold or exposure to cold and damp weather. The warming and penetrating qualities of moxabustion help warm cold and achy joints and warm your body to the core.
-The warming nature of moxabustion also increases circulation to the areas where it has been applied. The increase in circulation speeds the healing process by bringing healing nutrients and oxygen to the affected area.
What to Expect
A treatment with moxabustion involves warming one or more areas on your body with a moxa stick. The stick is lit on one end and allowed to warm up. Your practitioner will hold the lit end near of the stick near the area to be treated, moving the stick nearer and further away from your skin with a slow pecking motion. The lit moxa stick will never touch your skin directly. The lit moxa stick has a strong, penetrating smell that’s not unpleasant.
Depending on the condition that your practitioner is treating, moxabustion may be applied to a specific joint, an area of pain, or one or more acupuncture points. A moxabustion treatment may take anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes.