Why is moxibustion effective？

Why is moxibustion effective, and what is the key to its effectiveness?

The human body possesses a powerful self-healing ability, known as “positive qi” in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

Positive qi helps the body resist illness and restore health when it is weakened.

The key to moxibustion’s effectiveness lies in its ability to stimulate this innate healing power.

Meridian points stimulate the body’s self-healing power

Mugwort is a “pure yang” plant. By burning moxa sticks and stimulating the body’s meridians and acupoints with warmth, the body’s internal self-healing system can be mobilized. The benefits of moxibustion are that it unblocks the meridians, regulates qi and blood, and helps restore our health by replenishing weak areas (supporting the positive) as well as eliminating illnesses (dispelling the evil).

There are three main ways to select acupuncture points for moxibustion:

• First, according to the viscera where the sick part is located, choose the corresponding points on the meridians;
• The second is to select targeted acupuncture points according to specific symptoms.
• Thirdly, moxibustion is applied directly to the location of pain, swelling, or abnormal sensation, which is called the “Ah Yes” point.

Although moxibustion does not require very precise acupuncture points, but to learn some acupuncture point techniques will be better.

Moxibustion for the treatment of future diseases

The concept of “treating the disease before it gets sick” is important in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which means “preventing illness before it happens”. Ancient medical books place great importance on the role of moxibustion in this regard, including: preventing illness before it occurs, preventing exacerbation of an existing illness, and preventing recurrence of an illness after it occurs.

Why is moxibustion effective? There is a famous passage in the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine, “A skillful physician does not wait until he is sick to cure, but conditions the disease before it occurs.” It emphasizes that prevention is more important than treatment. Ancient doctors especially promoted the use of moxibustion for health care.

Sun Simiao, a famous physician of the Tang Dynasty, actively advocated the use of moxibustion to prevent illness. Another ancient book, Wai Tai Secret Essentials, mentions that moxibustion of the “Foot San Li” point is often used by people over 30 years old to help brighten the eyes and regulate qi. Huangdi Mingtang Moxibustion Jing also records that moxibustion of the foot Sanli and hanging bell points can prevent strokes.

Mugwort dispels cold and replenishes yang, and moxibustion unblocks meridians.

Why is moxibustion effective？According to Chinese medicine, diseases are often caused by external pathogens, including wind, cold, summer, dampness, dryness, and fire. Among them, cold and dampness are both cold evils.

When cold or dampness tries to invade the human body, the body’s “Yang Qi” will rise to resist. If Yang Qi is insufficient, Cold and Dampness can easily invade the body, leading to various discomforts.

The main characteristic of cold is “stagnation”, which means that the flow of qi and blood is not smooth, causing contraction of muscles and blood vessels, and even pain.

Dampness is characterized by “stickiness”, which tends to impede the operation of yang qi, leading to fatigue, chest tightness, loss of appetite, and so on.

In the human body, the most vulnerable to cold and dampness are the spleen and stomach. Because the spleen and stomach are important organs for generating qi and blood, and they are also the main control of digestion and absorption. Protecting yang qi and the spleen and stomach is the key to preventing cold and dampness.

Therefore, you should avoid too much cold and raw food in your daily life, and avoid getting wet or staying in a humid environment for a long time.

Why is moxibustion effective for people who regularly use it? He is gently conditioning from within the body. Moxibustion promotes blood circulation through warm stimulation, enhances metabolism, and regulates nerve, endocrine, and digestive functions, thus helping the body to regain balance and maintain health.