Heat in Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine

Acupuncture and herbal medicine go hand in hand in treating many ailments that we regularly reach for over the counter medications to treat. While modern medicine offers temporary solutions that merely settle down symptoms and treat individual ailments, acupuncture and herbal medicine treat the underlying cause holistically.

Heat is an important element in acupuncture and herbal medicine. Heat is used as part of a treatment and also seen as the cause of some illnesses. There can be such a thing as excess heat in the body in acupuncture and oriental medicine. Acupuncture is used to restore the body to its natural balance.

The Purpose

A lot of the principles involved in acupuncture and herbal medicine lie in circulation. Thus the treatments are aimed at strengthening circulation of all types. The strengthening of blood flow is seen as an important part of treatment in acupuncture. Stimulating and restoring the energy flow of the body, also known as qi, is also important.

Moxibustion

Moxibustion is the burning of the herb mugwort. There are two types of moxibustion, indirect and direct moxibustion. At the moment indirect moxibustion is the most popular form of this therapy. It is used with acupuncture. It is also considered the safer as there is no threat of burning or scarring the skin, which can happen with direct moxibustion.

Acupuncture and herbal medicine when utilizing moxibustion involves the insertion of an acupuncture needle into certain points of the body. The position of the needle will vary according to the disease being treated and each individual. The tip of the needle is then wrapped in moxa, a stick of mugwort, which is then lighted and left on until enough heat has been generated.

Uses

The uses of this particular form of acupuncture and herbal medicine helps to increase heat in the body and to force out cold. It has been successfully used to help reduce menstrual cramps. Surprisingly it can also be used to help pregnant women who have fetuses in the breech position. It has quite high success rate in helping to turn fetuses into the correct position for childbirth.

The reason for the high success rate of this therapy is though to lie in the fact that mugwort helps to increase blood flow. Particularly in the pelvic, uterine, and pelvic areas. Not everyone should use this therapy. Those who have a condition stemming from too much heat in the body should not use this moxibustion as a treatment. People suffering from breathing disorders may find the smoke and pungent odor from the moxa disturbing.