Moxibustion has significant effects, is simple and easy to perform, and is economical and practical, with almost no adverse reactions. However, during the moxibustion process, it is essential to follow the principles of conditioning and operational methods carefully.
1. The Order of Moxibustion is Important
“In moxibustion, one should first treat the Yang and then the Yin, starting from the head and gradually moving downwards to the left, then from the head to the right, treating the upper parts before the lower parts.”
(Tang Dynasty, Sun Simiao, “Qianjin Yaofang: Acupuncture and Moxibustion”)
The general order of moxibustion in clinical practice is: first treat the upper body → then the lower body; first treat the back and waist → then the chest and abdomen; first treat the head → then the limbs; first treat Yang meridian acupoints → then Yin meridian acupoints; start with a small amount of moxibustion → then gradually increase. If the order is not followed, treating the lower parts first may lead to discomfort such as heat in the head and face, dry mouth, and throat. The treatment should also be adjusted according to the patient’s condition, and should not be rigidly adhered to.
“First treat the upper, then the lower; first treat a little, then treat more; moxibustion should be done cautiously.”
(“Xifangzi Mingtang Jiu Jing”)
2. Proper Control of Moxibustion Quantity
Principle 1 Different conditions require different times and frequencies of moxibustion
Regarding the indications for moxibustion, “Introduction to Medicine” states: “For deficiency, moxibustion is used to assist the original Yang; for excess, moxibustion is used to disperse the pathogenic factors with the fire; for cold, moxibustion is used to warm the Qi; for heat, moxibustion is used to release the stagnant heat.” This means that the ancients believed that both deficiency and excess, cold and heat can be treated with moxibustion, but the quantity, technique, and acupoint selection differ.
However, it is important to note that although moxibustion can be used for both deficiency and excess, cold and heat, moxibustion has a certain bias; it is “the Yang of the earth,” and it is best suited for deficiency and cold conditions. Therefore, whenever encountering deficiency and cold, just moxibustion without hesitation!
As for excess and heat conditions, treatment should be tailored to the individual and the specific illness. However, we can follow these three principles:
1. From the perspective of moxibustion quantity, excess and heat conditions require moderate moxibustion quantity and shorter duration (for example, when there are symptoms of night sweats, heat in the palms and soles, dry mouth and thirst, yellow and red urine, and dry stools, moxibustion should be done sparingly);
2. From the perspective of technique, excess and heat conditions mostly use dispersing techniques, while deficiency and cold conditions primarily use tonifying techniques;
3. From the perspective of acupoint selection, excess and heat conditions must nourish Yin, thus requiring moxibustion on the lower abdomen and legs (for example, individuals with Yin deficiency must moxibustion on Sanyinjiao (Three Yin Intersection), Taixi (Great Stream), and Yongquan (Gushing Spring) to achieve the goal of seeking Yin within Yang).
Principle 2 Treatment moxibustion and health-preserving moxibustion differ in time and frequency
Generally speaking, if there is no pain in the body, it is recommended to perform health-preserving moxibustion 3-4 times a week, for 30 minutes to 2 hours each time, which can achieve the purpose of health preservation. However, this does not mean that health-preserving moxibustion can be done irregularly; it also requires regular moxibustion and long-term persistence. We have statistics showing that individuals with poor congenital constitution (such as those with Yang deficiency) generally need to regularly moxibustion on major health-preserving acupoints (such as Dazhui (Great Vertebra), Mingmen (Life Gate), Shenque (Spirit Gateway), Guanyuan (Gate of Origin), Zusanli (Leg Three Miles), Sanyinjiao (Three Yin Intersection), etc.) for about six months to a year for their constitution to improve significantly.
If disease symptoms have already appeared, naturally, the frequency of moxibustion should be much more frequent than health-preserving moxibustion, and the duration of each moxibustion session should also be relatively longer.
Specific to different diseases, the frequency and duration of moxibustion also vary, as detailed below (the terms “short-term” and “long-term” are relative concepts, not absolute):
1
Shallow diseases require short-term moxibustion, while deep diseases require long-term moxibustion
From the skin, muscles, tendons, and bones, the deeper the disease, the more severe and difficult it is to treat. For shallow diseases, the heat and medicinal properties of moxibustion can easily reach the disease site, and recovery is naturally faster. Therefore, in terms of time, for the same recovery, shallow diseases will take less time than deep diseases.
This principle was already illustrated in “Bian Que Meets Cai Huan Gong”: from the skin to the muscles, then to the stomach and intestines, and finally to the bone marrow, the disease becomes more severe as it goes deeper. This increases the difficulty of treatment for the physician and prolongs the treatment time for the patient.
2
Diseases in the meridians require short-term moxibustion, while diseases in the organs require long-term moxibustion
If the disease is in the meridians, it only requires unblocking the meridians to allow Qi and blood to flow, and the disease will be expelled from the body. However, if the disease is in the six fu organs (bladder, stomach, gallbladder, large intestine, small intestine, san jiao), then the moxibustion time must be longer; if the righteous Qi is weak and the disease continues to progress to the five zang organs (heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney), then more time is needed because in addition to curing the disease, more moxibustion is required to support the righteous Qi; with sufficient righteous Qi, the pathogenic factors will retreat faster.
Returning to the example at the beginning of the article, if a moxibustion friend sweats during the initial moxibustion, it indicates that the superficial pathogenic factors have been expelled, but if after continuing, the moxibustion site does not sweat and the condition is not healed, it indicates that the deep-seated pathogenic factors have not been expelled, and residual toxins remain in the body. In this case, if moxibustion is stopped, it would be abandoning the treatment halfway. The only solution is to continue moxibustion to support the righteous Qi until all pathogenic factors are expelled.
Diseases of the six fu organs may have some mild symptoms, such as gastritis, which generally shows significant effects after 1-3 months of moxibustion. However, this does not mean that treatment can be interrupted after improvement; long-term persistence is still required to completely eradicate the disease.
3
Short-term moxibustion for unchanged conditions, long-term moxibustion for changed conditions
What does it mean for conditions to have changed? For example, if a person has heavy cold and dampness in the uterus but has not developed uterine fibroids, in this case, it is sufficient to moxibustion to expel the cold and dampness. However, if uterine fibroids have already developed, it becomes more complicated because in addition to expelling cold and dampness, it is necessary to eliminate the conditions that lead to the formation of uterine fibroids, and to address the symptoms that have already appeared, allowing “large fibroids to shrink and small fibroids to disappear.” Naturally, this cannot be resolved with just a few moxibustion sessions.
4
Short-term moxibustion for short-duration diseases; long-term moxibustion for long-duration diseases;
Short-duration diseases indicate that the condition is relatively mild, making treatment easier, and the moxibustion time and frequency can be slightly less. However, for acute conditions such as diarrhea or acute colds, moxibustion should be performed frequently until symptoms disappear. After recovery, it is recommended to moxibustion three more times to consolidate the effect.
Note: If it is an acute disease with significant harm or a sudden illness, it is advisable to seek medical attention immediately! Because moxibustion takes time to take effect and is not instantaneous; it requires a process. For example, if a child suddenly has a high fever that is difficult to control, immediate medical attention is necessary!
Long-duration diseases mainly refer to chronic diseases (including gynecological diseases). Chronic diseases must be treated with long-term moxibustion! Because “long-term illness must lead to stasis” and “long-term illness must lead to deficiency,” chronic disease patients are mostly deficient and need to tonify deficiency and benefit the body; this cannot be achieved with casual treatment, but requires long-term moxibustion to improve the constitution and regulate the entire body to see results. Of course, long-term moxibustion does not mean daily moxibustion; it is recommended to moxibustion every other day or take 1-2 days off each week, but it must be done regularly for the best results.
Generally speaking, chronic diseases require at least 3 months, and it may take half a year or even longer. For chronic diseases such as chronic bronchitis or chronic leg pain, we recommend year-round moxibustion. One moxibustion friend who has suffered from chronic bronchitis for nearly 20 years has persisted in moxibustion for 3 years, moxibustion 5 days a week for 1-2 hours each time, and now at nearly 70 years old, even with changing weather, chronic bronchitis has not relapsed. The reason is that long-term moxibustion has improved the constitution, and with a stronger constitution, pathogenic factors are less likely to cause trouble.
Principle 3 The original acupoints and other acupoints differ in time and frequency
The original acupoints first appeared in the “Huangdi Neijing” and refer to specific acupoints located below the elbow and knee joints, where the original Qi of the organs passes through and is retained.
The term “original” implies the source and true essence. The original Qi originates from the area between the kidneys below the navel and is the source of life for the human body, the most basic driving force for maintaining life activities. The original Qi circulates through the three jiao to the five zang and six fu organs, reaching the head, body, and limbs, and is fundamental for maintaining the normal physiological functions of the twelve meridians. Therefore, when the organs are diseased, it will reflect on the corresponding original acupoints, and through various abnormal changes in the original acupoints, one can infer the prosperity and decline of the organs. This shows the importance of original acupoints in the human body.
In clinical practice, moxibustion on the original acupoints can facilitate the flow of original Qi in the three jiao, regulate the functions of the organs and meridians, and thus play a role in maintaining righteous Qi and resisting pathogenic factors. Due to the extreme importance of original acupoints, the duration of moxibustion on original acupoints should be longer than that on other paired acupoints.
Principle 4 Based on post-moxibustion sensations
At this point, some may ask, what is the frequency of moxibustion?
This involves specific factors such as the disease, symptoms, etc., because Traditional Chinese Medicine emphasizes differentiation; different diseases, different symptoms, and different populations require different solutions. Even the most skilled moxibustion masters cannot make arbitrary conclusions without knowing your specific situation. Therefore, moxibustion cannot be uniformly copied from books; a simple judgment standard is: based on post-moxibustion sensations!
For example, if today you moxibustion for 2 hours and the effect is good, you can continue the next day; if you feel a bit of heat, then reduce the quantity and duration of moxibustion, and focus on nourishing Yin acupoints; if it still feels hot, then take a break for 2 days. In this way, self-regulate the quantity and duration of moxibustion, and set the quantity and duration that feels just right as the standard.
For instance, if today you moxibustion on Guanyuan and feel a significant sensation, then focus on Guanyuan, and try to extend the moxibustion time on this acupoint.
We often encounter the issue that many moxibustion friends retreat at the first sign of a healing reaction, and are afraid to continue moxibustion. Most of these friends are new to moxibustion and have not yet tried to see how their bodies can adapt to moxibustion. Therefore, we suggest that these friends explore and pay attention to their experiences; after a month or two, questions such as how long to moxibustion each day and how many times a week will be resolved.
3. Precautions for Moxibustion
1. Before moxibustion, maintain a calm mood, avoid significant emotional fluctuations, and drink a cup of warm water (the water temperature should be higher than body temperature) before moxibustion. During moxibustion, keep warm and avoid drafts; in summer, avoid air conditioning during moxibustion to prevent catching a cold.
2. If dizziness occurs during moxibustion, stop immediately, let the patient lie down and rest, and drink some warm water; recovery will occur shortly.
3. During moxibustion, periodically place your hand on the moxibustion area to sense the local temperature, allowing for timely adjustments in distance to avoid burns, especially when moxibustion is performed on children.
4. During moxibustion, some moisture will evaporate through the skin; after moxibustion, drink more water (preferably warm) or eat light porridge to help the organs expel toxins from the body.
5. If there are post-moxibustion discomforts such as body heat, dizziness, or irritability, allow the patient to move appropriately and drink small amounts of warm water.
6. After moxibustion, symptoms such as heat, skin itching, rashes, fatigue, constipation, yellow urine, sweating, toothache, tinnitus, irregular vaginal bleeding, and general discomfort may occur. Generally, do not panic; these symptoms will disappear after continuing moxibustion. You can also moxibustion on Zusanli (Leg Three Miles) and Yongquan (Gushing Spring) to help direct the heat downwards, and drink more water. If necessary, stop moxibustion or moxibustion every other day; these symptoms will quickly resolve.
7. After moxibustion, maintain a calm mood and strive to forget about the illness and worries, as this will help achieve better therapeutic effects from moxibustion.
8. Do not take a bath immediately after moxibustion; generally, it is better to bathe before moxibustion. Alternatively, wait a few hours after moxibustion before bathing.
9. After moxibustion, avoid eating raw, cold, spicy, or fatty foods, do not drink alcohol or smoke; the diet should be light, with plenty of vegetables and fruits, and moderate protein intake. Avoid overeating, but you can eat smaller meals more frequently.
10. Some individuals may experience dry stools after moxibustion; honey, lotus root, and celery can be used for adjustment.
11. In terms of lifestyle, maintain moderation in sexual activity and ensure adequate sleep.
12. Avoid heavy physical labor and reduce daily screen time.
13. Exercise is the best form of health maintenance. Post-moxibustion exercises can include walking, Tai Chi, and yoga, but avoid vigorous exercise.
14. Some chronic diseases should be combined with regular medication and moxibustion therapy, while some acute diseases should be promptly treated in a hospital, and moxibustion can be used as an adjunct therapy while actively seeking medical care.
Source: Internet, author not found.