What is Moxabustion?

Moxabustion is a therapeutic treatment from Asia that is almost unheard of in America. It is one of the most powerful treatments practiced by Acupuncturists, however.  In fact, in the Chinese language, the term for Acupuncture is “Zhenjiu”, which could be translated as “Acupuncture/Moxabustion”.  In the traditions of Asian Medicine, Moxabustion treatment is considered as inseparable from acupuncture as a branch of medical treatment.

Moxabustion or Moxa treatment is widely practiced throughout Asia and the world, but for various reasons it is not known much in the US.

Some sources say that moxa treatment is actually older than acupuncture, being referenced in Chinese medical classics more than 300 years before Acupuncture is discussed.

Moxa treatment is done in very many ways in many different cultures, and this kind of treatment is very effective for a wide variety of illnesses and injuries.  Moxa is a very versatile treatment - it can be used to affect blood circulation, hormonal imbalances, pain of all kinds, immune disorders, and many other internal imbalances.

Ed Antkowiak of Hibiki Natural Therapeutics has studied and practiced Moxa treatment for over 25 years, and is a specialist of this kind of treatment.  I was originally trained by a Japanese teacher who was a specialist of Moxabustion treatment, among very many different fields that he excelled in.  I have used Moxa treatment over the years to treat many people for many different kinds of conditions, from breathing problems and allergies, to digestive problems, menstrual disorders and fertility issues, and musculoskeletal problems.

Look around my site to find more information about Moxabustion treatment…

How can Oriental Medicine help my athletic performance?

Oriental medicine has been used for centuries to increase performance and heal injuries.  Martial arts schools in China as early as the sixth century BC were centers of this medicinal knowledge.  The study of trauma medicine was used to treat injuries such as sprains, muscle pulls, bruises from impact trauma, even dislocations and bone fractures.  This type of medicine came to be known as “Hit Medicine”, due to the injuries sustained while practicing martial arts.  Practitioners were skilled at using acupuncture, moxabustion, special massage and bodywork techniques, and external applications such as compresses and herbal liniments.  This tradition has been passed down throughout Asia to the present day.  In Japan, there is a special class of professional licensed therapists known as Judo-orthopedists, who still practice this tradition.  In addition to acupuncture and other therapies, Ed Antkowiak’s teacher was trained as a practitioner of this Japanese trauma medicine.

In modern times, professional and Olympic athletes have used these techniques to speed healing and enhance performance.  These techniques can be used to speed up post-operative healing as well as for less severe injuries. Professional basketball and football players, triathletes, and dancers have credited acupuncture and Oriental medicine with improving their performance, endurance, and reducing recovery time from injuries.

Whitfield Reeves, co-founder and past president of the National Sports Acupuncture Association, says “Acupuncture, as a specialty of sports medicine, can offer therapeutic modalities of treatment that can be of great assistance in the prevention and treatment of athletic injury.  Traditional Chinese medical theory can offer tremendous insight into the nature of the athlete as a whole, not just reducing the patient to an injury or ailment.”

Women athletes, as a group, can especially benefit from Oriental medicine’s holistic approach to sports medicine.  Health issues particular to women or common among women, such as menstrual dysfunction, connective tissue disorders, anemia, eating disorders and the effects of past eating disorders, depression, etc., can affect women’s athletic performance or predispose them to certain injuries.  Acupuncture and Oriental medicine can help by treating or effectively managing these conditions, freeing up energy and other resources which can then be channeled into improving performance.

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

Acupuncture and Auto Accidents

Hit Medicine:  Oriental Medicine, Martial arts, and Trauma

Traumatic injury is as old as the human race.  In the Orient, as in the West, orthopedic and trauma medicine is a specialized practice.  Practitioners of Asian trauma therapies are trained in specific evaluation methods, acupuncture techniques, bodywork, exercises, herbal treatments, and external applications (compresses and herbal applications).

Traditionally, throughout Asia, trauma medicine has been associated with martial arts.  In China it is generically known as “Hit Medicine” because of this association. Injury from falls, impact trauma, cuts, sprains and strains, and other major and minor injuries all come under this category of Hit Medicine.  Treatment of the whole body, in addition to the injured area, is one of the tenets of this approach.  It is analogous to orthopedic or sports medicine in Western medicine.

Whole body treatment is important for two reasons.  One is that when an injury occurs, not only is tissue damaged, but also the injured area loses its integration with the rest of the body.  Whole body treatment helps restore the integrity of your system.  When a major impact occurs, such as in a fall or an auto accident, often many injuries occur simultaneously, both large and small.  In our health care system in the US, often only the most severe are addressed, and are usually treated as a local condition, or generically treated as “Pain”, with strong pain medications that have significant side effects.  Treatment of the whole body can identify and address both major and minor injuries that may have been overlooked, but still need to be treated.

When you are in an automobile accident, there are usually several kinds of trauma involved – primary trauma comes from direct impact against a hard surface.  Secondary trauma is caused when inertia causes your body to be injured by internal forces when thrown against something during the accident, or just from the impact itself.  Whiplash and Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI)  are examples of a secondary injury.  These injuries are usually quite complicated, since while your injury will often manifest as pain at a specific point or area, the whole problem reflects throughout your body through the fascial system, or in other ways, and may cause injury or pain somewhere else in your system.    It is common for a pattern of injuries to all be related to a single impact.

A practitioner trained in hit medicine will be able to accurately evaluate the complicated nature of secondary injuries.

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

Welcome to Hibiki Media - Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Practice and Education in Seattle, WA. (206) 632-5640

Have you been concerned about your physical health or your stress level?  Do you suffer from physical pain that impacts your ability to work, exercise, play with your children, train, dance, or do the things that you love?  Have you been injured in a car accident?  Have you been injured in another sort of accident, or do you have chronic pain that you have not been able to resolve?  Are you looking for a way to feel better?

Are you under stress these days, like the rest of us?  Could you use some support to help you cope with and manage the stress that comes from your daily life during these difficult times?

I would like to help you get back to the place where you want to be - pain-free, free to move and use your body in the ways that nourish you, and better equipped to deal with the stresses of daily living, so that you can get on with your life.

Do you have other questions about your health?  Have you had some health issues that you have not known what to do about?  Is it affecting you in ways that keep you from living your life fully?  Would you like to either learn some things or get some help that could change the direction of that?

I will listen to your history, evaluate your condition, and see what among the types of treatment I practice can help you. Or I will help you get connected to another practitioner of either Western treatments or other Natural Therapies that could help with your condition.

I like to educate people and help them understand what is happening with them, and help them learn how to help themselves.

Are you a Practitioner of Bodywork or Acupuncture?  I will be offering local classes, as well as instructional materials, that you might be interested in.  Check back with this site for new updates.

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

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