Who Should Not Do Moxibustion? 7 Vital Safety Rules

Who Should Not Do Moxibustion? While moxibustion offers numerous health benefits, it is not suitable for everyone. Certain individuals should avoid this therapy, including pregnant women—especially on the abdomen and lower back—to prevent potential risks to the fetus. Those with acute illnesses, unexplained high fever, or extreme physical weakness are also advised against it. Additionally, people with cosmetic implants, mental health conditions, or limited self-care abilities should exercise caution. Understanding these contraindications is essential to ensure safe and effective use. Below, we detail seven vital safety rules to help you determine whether home moxibustion is appropriate for you or your loved ones.

Ⅰ. Which parts are not suitable for moxibustion

• Some body parts are not recommended for direct moxibustion, especially exposed areas such as the face. This is to avoid leaving scars that can affect your appearance. Similarly, the eye area should not be moxibused.
• Areas with thin skin, fewer muscles, or tendons gathered are also not suitable for moxibustion.
• Pregnant women should avoid moxibustion on the lower back and lower abdomen.
• Sensitive areas such as nipples (for both men and women) and testicles should not be moxibused.
• Do not apply moxibustion directly to the joints.
• Special care should be taken in locations near large blood vessels and the heart. These areas are not recommended for “septic moxibustion”, but can be assisted by gentle moxibustion or instruments. In particular, people who have had a heart stent installed should be very careful.
• Moxibustion can be applied to the perineum, such as the perineal acupuncture points. Common methods include moxa stick moxibustion or sitting smoke. If you have warts, you can even use small moxa cones to directly moxibustion 5-7 times until the warts fall off.

Ⅱ. Who Should Not Do Moxibustion?

• People suffering from acute diseases (such as gastrointestinal perforation) should not undergo moxibustion.
• Moxibustion is not recommended for individuals with unexplained high fevers or comas.
• Moxibustion is not recommended for individuals who are severely weakened.
• People who have had localized injections of cosmetic fillers such as “silicone” should not use moxibustion on the corresponding areas.
• People with mental illness and other serious illnesses should use moxibustion with caution.
• People with fractures or obvious trauma should not use moxibustion.
• People who are incapable of self-care should not do moxibustion on their own.
• People wearing contact lenses are advised to avoid moxibustion on the head and face.

❗ Note: The suitability of moxibustion also depends on the specific time, physical condition, and personal differences, and is best carried out under professional guidance.

Ⅲ. Which cases can not be treated with moxibustion

• Very fatigued.
• Excessive hunger or just after eating.
• After drinking alcohol.
• When sweating a lot or when emotionally unstable.
• When you are extremely weak and thin.
• When suffering from certain infectious diseases, high fever, coma, or convulsions.
• During a woman’s menstrual period.

Note: Moxibustion may be helpful if there are menstrual cramps, low menstrual blood flow, blood clots, dark color, or dark texture. You can stick to moxibustion regularly and do it daily for two weeks before your period. However, if the menstrual blood is heavy, it is best to suspend moxibustion or consult your doctor. Unless there is a special treatment need, moxibustion is usually not done during menstruation.

Ⅳ. Pregnant women, the elderly, and children who undergo moxibustion need to be especially careful

Despite the many benefits of moxibustion, it should be used with extra caution in certain groups of people, especially pregnant women, the elderly, and children. The following categories of people belong to the “Who Should Not Do Moxibustion” or need to be treated with special caution:

1. Pregnant women should avoid moxibustion

Pregnant women in particular should not carry out moxibustion, especially in the abdomen and lumbosacral region, to avoid triggering a miscarriage or affecting the health of the fetus. Menstruating women are also recommended to suspend moxibustion to prevent abnormal menstrual flow or discomfort.

2, the elderly can moderate moxibustion, but it should be different for person to person

Elderly people are prone to stroke and other diseases due to the gradual decline of body functions. Appropriate moxibustion of the foot Sanli, heart, liver, Quchi, and other points helps to prevent stroke and strengthen the body. Qihai, Guanyuan, Sanyinjiao, Yongquan, and other points are also often recommended. The anti-aging effect of moxibustion needs to be adhered to for a long time, along with exercise and a healthy diet.

3. Pediatric moxibustion should be gentle and controlled

For the child’s moxibustion, parents can use their sense of touch to sense the temperature of the moxibustion site to prevent burns or insufficient heat. Do not have to do whole body moxibustion, commonly used points such as lung Yu, body column, spleen Yu, stomach Yu, Shen Que, etc. can be. Each acupuncture point should be controlled for 2-5 minutes.

Ⅴ. After moxibustion, pay attention to keep warm, avoid the cold!

After moxibustion, some people may appear cold, sneezing, or joint pain and other phenomena, which is the body’s normal reaction, said the disease is out. Remember not to take a bath immediately after moxibustion, and pay attention to warmth and cold.

Ⅵ. After moxibustion, timely ventilation reduces the smell of smoke residue

Although moxa smoke has certain benefits of moxibustion, such as removing free radicals, its odor is strong. The following methods can be taken to reduce the impact of smoke odor:

• Wear a shower cap when undergoing moxibustion to prevent the hair from absorbing the odor.
• Preparing special moxa clothing;
• Placing the changed clothes in a ventilated area;
• Take a bath or change clothes 2-4 hours after the end of moxibustion.

Ⅶ. Recommended use of tin cans to extinguish moxa sticks safely.

After the end of moxibustion, extinguish the moxa; be careful. Directly applying water to extinguish easily damages the moxa and there is a safety hazard, cut the way and more waste. It is recommended to use a special fire extinguisher or a household tin can: put the moxa sticks into the can and cover it tightly, so that the fire can be extinguished after isolating the air. Be careful not to use glass containers, so as not to explode at high temperatures.