What to expect during a moxa treatment

When coming for acupuncture treatment, most people expect to have needles and perhaps cupping, but what about moxa? It doesn't always form part of treatment, but the use of moxa, a traditional chinese medicinal herb is another very powerful technique which acupuncturists use to invigorate qi and blood, and to relieve pain. Moxa is the dried herb mugwort, which burns slowly and is used to bring concentrated heat to acupuncture points. The traditional moxa has a very pungent odour which clings to clothing and can be unpleasant, so most acupuncture clinics these days, unless they have special ventilation systems use the smokeless form. There are two ways to use moxa, directly, and indirectly. Direct moxibustion means placing a little cone of the herb on the skin, with a barrier such as sea salt granules, or a slice of ginger. In china, a common technique involved the burning of moxa in this way until a blister formed. In the west, where no pain no gain methods are not so popular, the moxa would be removed as soon as the heat began to be uncomfortable. At Aran Acupuncture the type of moxa most frequently used is needle-on moxa. A small cone of smokeless moxa is placed on a little spring like metal device which sits on top of the needle, and is then lit. As it burns, the heat travels along the needle into the acupuncture point. This means heat is delivered deeply into the channel, strongly stimulating the acupuncture point and dispelling any lingering cold from the body. This is a very effective treatment for aching muscles, damp swollen knees and soft tissue injury. It can be very useful in treating abdominal pain such as gastritis, diarrhoea and vomiting, menstrual pain. It is also a strengthening treatment for use when there is blood deficiency, or when a person needs their immunity or blood circulation boosted. Of course, not everybody can lie still enough to be safely treated in this way, and so for example when treating children, stick moxa is better option. In this form of treatment a moxa stick which looks very much like a cigar, and burns in a similar way is lit and held over the acupuncture point. This is a good alternative to needling. It can also be carried out at home when necessary, with the one caution that moxa -especially smokeless moxa- can be difficult to fully quench and needs to be carefully cut or stubbed out and then left on a safe surface such as a metal or ceramic bowl afterwards. An alternative to moxa in today's treatment rooms is a heat lamp, and almost all TCM practitioners will use heat  to relieve pain and improve blood circulation. However there are many instances when moxa is still the best treatment option, so even though it may seem a strange practice initially, trust in this powerful ancient medicine, and don't worry, there won't be any blisters!
Read more about the history of moxibustion here

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