What does a Moxabustion treatment look like, and feel like?

Moxabustion treatment takes very  many forms -

Sometimes Moxa is used to warm up a part of your body that is suffering from diminished circulation, and is cold.  If a part of your body is chronically deprived of blood circulation, the tissues there will become malnourished and toxic.  This situation will prevent injured tissues from healing, and often will result in chronic pain.  Moxa therapy can help with this.

Sometimes, a person might have a systemic imbalance that results in a long-term illness, such as infertility, Fibromyalgia, Asthma, IBS, Diabetes, or other “Mystery diseases” that are not effectively treated by Western Medicine.  It is possible that regular Moxa/Acupuncture treatments could help with these kinds of conditions.

Moxa therapy is often useful for conditions that do not respond well to other forms of treatment - serious injuries such as cuts and post-surgical problems, injuries from car accidents, menstrual disorders, thyroid disorders, and many others…

How is Moxa used?

One way is by using Moxa to heat up an area of your body, with what is called a “Moxa Box”.  this is often used on the abdomen or low back.  It is a way to bring circulation to a large area of your body.  Most people find this type of moxa treatment to be very pleasant.

Indirect Moxa is done by using Moxa to heat either Acupuncture points or areas with Moxa to bring circulation to an area, or to disperse stagnation from an area.  This is often done with a “Moxa Stick” - moxa is rolled up into a paper, similar to a cigar, and one end of it is lighted and used to warm a point or area.  This is also usually experienced as a very nice form of treatment.  There are many other ways to do indirect moxa treatments, as well.

Direct moxabustion is a treatment that has been preserved especially through Japanese and Korean lineages.  Direct Moxabustion is so highly esteemed in Japan that it is a separately-licensed medical practice there.  My Teacher, Masahiro-Nakazono Sensei, was a specialist of this kind of medicine, and taught this form of treatment as a part of our curriculum at the Kototama Institute.

Some people love this kind of treatment - some do not like it for various reasons.  It is often so therapeutically valuable, though, that even if people do not like the sensation of it, the results are worth the minor discomfort that might be experienced.

Another form of moxa treatment is called “Moxa Needling”, and is done by placing a small amount of moxa on a needle inserted into an acupuncture point, and then burned to warm up the needle and the point.  I use this form of treatment a lot - I find it to be very effective for a wide variety of conditions.  Generally, I find that most people really enjoy the experience of this kind of moxabustion.

These are only some of the ways in which moxa is used therapeutically, but this overview will give you an idea of the range of application of moxa treatment.

When a person comes to see me, I will do a very comprehensive evaluation of their condition, and then decide on a treatment strategy (selected from the variety of techniques of my training) to apply what seems to be the best treatment for that person at that time.  I will generally do some combination of manual therapy, acupuncture, and moxabustion in the course of any given treatment, often combined with some recommendations for treatments that can be done at home to supplement the treatment in my office.

For more information, please give me a call at (206) 632-5640, or email me at ed@hibikimedia.com (Click the envelope icon at the top right of this page)

Ed Antkowiak, L.Ac. - Seattle Acupuncture and Professional Education