General Introduction about Acupuncture-moxibustion Therapy

Acupuncture-moxibustion therapy
Acupuncture-moxibustion therapy (zhēn jiǔ liáo fǎ 针灸疗法) which mainly consists of both acupuncture (zhēn jiǔ 针灸) and moxibustion (ài jiǔ 艾灸) is an unique approach to medical care in China and is also an indispensable component of Chinese medicine (zhōng yī 中医). The acupuncture treatment is the insertion of different fine needles on the body's surface according to a certain point (xué wèi 穴位), to stimulate certain parts of the body and use various methods to evoke the channels (jīng luò 经络) as well as the vital energy (qì 气) of human body, in order to adjust physiological functioning of the body so to cure diseases. Moxibustion is the burning of moxa (ài 艾) on or near a person's skin as a counterirritant. For a long time, acupuncture and moxibustion treatment are often combined together in clinical practice application, therefore we collectively referred to them as Acupuncture-moxibustion therapy.

Acupuncture-moxibustion therapy

Acupuncture
Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese method of treating disease or relieving pain by inserting one or more metal needles (zhēn 针) at a certain point or certain points of the human body. The earliest written record that is available about acupuncture is Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine (orYellow Emperor's Inner Canon  huáng dì nèi jīng 黄帝内经), which suggests acupuncture originated in China and would explain why it is most commonly associated with traditional Chinese medicine.

Acupuncture needle

Acupuncture Therapy
An acupuncturist (针灸医生 zhēn jiǔ yī shēng) usually pays due attention to the basic techniques including the way the needle is inserted rapidly or slowly, the depth of insertion, the length of time the needle should be left in the body, and the number of needles required to the treatment.


Moxibustion
According to Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine, "the coldness hidden in the body would bring illness which could be expelled through moxibustion". Moxibustion, another effective therapy, was discovered by ancient people when they sat down around a fire. They found that the heat not only kept them warm but also relieved physical pains. Then they started to use moxa leaves for the same purpose. Today, in the treatment moxa leaves are ignited over certain points on the skin's surface.

Artemisia argyi

The efficacy
Dredging the meridian (jīng luò 经络); Regulating Yin (yīn 阴) and Yang (yáng 阳); Strengthening the body resistance and eliminating pathogenic factors

Advantages
Acupuncture and moxibustion have many advantages. First, they are applicable in various kinds of diseases and suit therapeutic needs in internal medicine (nèi kē 内科), surgery (wài kē 外科),gynecology (fù kē 妇科), as well as in preventive medicine (yù fáng yī xué 预防医学). Second, they produce prompt and appreciable cures: increase resistance to disease by providing simulation at certain points, and stop pain. Third, they are easily practiced and mastered. Furthermore, they produce on or slight side effects, are generally safe, and can be applied together with other therapies.

Ancient TCM therapy

AIAITIE is a revolution product of acupuncture and moxibustion therapy.

For more than 2000 years, Acupuncture-moxibustion therapy has been popular in China and has been rapidly spread and wide accepted in many areas all over the world. Acupuncture and moxibustion play an important role not only in advancing Chinese medical science, but also in promoting medical and health science of the whole world.

Acupuncture VS Moxibustion

Both acupuncture and moxibustion are belong to the traditional Chinese medicine therapy. Many people would consider acupuncture as the same thing with moxibustion. And some of you may want to know how these two ancient therapy work in modern society. Today we are going to talk about their similarities and differentiae.

       

acupuncture

moxibustion

To start with, the mechanism of these two therapy are both by stimulating the acupuncture points to achieve the purpose of curing disease (strengthen the blood, stimulate the flow of qi,)and preserving health. But there is one big difference between them, acupuncture generate physical effects while moxibustion achieves its effect through a compound action of herbal medicine(moxa) and physical interaction.

AIAITIE moxa stick

Secondly, moxibustion therapy belongs to external natural therapy, so it doesn't have any side effect, you could perform it at home by yourself. As for acupuncture, you have to go to the professional practitioner, who are well competent for acupuncture. And the needles have to be disinfectant thoroughly, or else it can cause side effect.