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Acumoxatherapy

針灸 〔針灸〕 zhēn jiǔ

Acupuncture and moxibustion. The term acumoxatherapy is often used include related therapies such as shiatsu and tuī-ná. The term acupuncture is also used in such extended senses.

What is Acumoxatherapy?

Acupuncture involves the insertion of metal needles into the flesh in order to influence the qì of the channel and network vessel system. Moxibustion is the burning of moxa (dried and flossed mugwort leaves) on or close to the skin to influence qì in the channels and network vessels.

Acupoints

The places where needle or moxa stimulus is applied are called acupoints or points (针灸穴道 zhēn jiǔ xué dào).

In Chinese, acupoints are referred to as holes or caves (穴 xué ), because they are mostly located in spaces between harder structures of the body, notably sinews and bones, that can be felt when pressure is applied to the flesh. Most points are fixed points located on channel pathways. However, there are fixed points not located on any channel; these are called non-channel points (经外奇穴 jīng wài qí xué). Unfixed points that happen to be sensitive to pressure, are referred to as ouch points or by their Chinese names as ā shì points (阿是, lit., ah, that’s it). Stimulus is sometimes applied at ouch points.

Locating Acupoints (取穴 qǔ xué)

Points located at fixed positions are identified by the distance at which they lie from certain landmarks, such as bony prominences. Intriguingly, the distance is measured in terms of a cùn (pronounced tswun), a proportional body inch, which is calculated from the length of specific body parts of the patient’s body. For example, ST-36 (zú sān lǐ) is located on the medial aspect of the lower leg, 3 cùn superior to the tip of the medial malleolus, on the line connecting the malleolus and SP-9.

Selecting Acupoints

The choice of needling sites is of great importance. The selection of acupoints is customized for each patient and each individual treatment session. Acupoints are chosen according to their ability to exert beneficial effects on the bowels, viscera, and specific body parts. Individual points are usually combined to reinforce and complement each other. Additionally, practitioners maximize the effect of treatment by employing several basic principles of point selection in nearly all cases. The essential components of point selection are outlined under point selection. Most treatments involve the use of several points. The ways in which points are combined are discussed under point combination.

Applying Stimuli

The way in which qì is influenced depends upon the sites at which the needles are inserted, on the direction of insertion, and on the way that they are manipulated after insertion. A sensation known as obtaining qì (得气 dé qì) is achieved by needle manipulation and is considered by many practitioners to be an essential component of treatment success. Needles are typically left in place for a given period of time before removal. This is called needle retention (留針 liú zhēn). During this time auxiliary techniques may be added to strengthen the effect of the treatment.

Electroacupuncture (电针 diàn zhēn), whereby electrical stimulation is applied to needles for greater effect, is beyond the scope of this book.

Needling Techniques

Depending on the condition, the practitioner applies a supplementing or draining stimulus by varying the needling technique (针法 zhēn fǎ), also called needle manipulation technique (针刺手法 zhēn cì shǒu fǎ). There are numerous ways to produce supplementing and draining stimuli. These involve twirling (rotating) the needle, repeated lifting and thrusting, or angling the needle in specific directions (described under acupuncture).

Different needling techniques are appropriate for different patients. Robust patients suffering from repletion conditions can typically accept multiple needle insertions and stronger stimulus. Some patients respond well to thicker needles, while others prefer thinner needles of a lighter gauge. The depth of insertion varies as well; it is affected by the season, by the patient’s body type, and by the nature of the illness. See acupuncture.

Moxibustion (灸 jiǔ)

Moxibustion involves the burning of dried mugwort on or near the body. Moxa is prized in this application because it burns at a constant temperature. It may be burned on the needles themselves to add warmth to the point being stimulated. Poles of moxa are also commonly burned and held near the insertion site for the same therapeutic goal. Moxa is also burned directly on the skin at specific points. It can be used directly on the skin, mounted on salt or a slice of aconite or ginger, or on needle handles.

Acumoxatherapy Indications

Acupuncture and moxibustion are effective for the treatment of many disorders. The practitioner should know which diseases are most effectively treated with these methods, to give the patient the best advice. In regard to internal disorders, acumoxatherapy is especially effective for treating pain, impediment () patterns, gastrointestinal diseases, panting (asthma), wilting (wěi), paralysis, insomnia, liver yáng diseases, and incontinence. In pediatrics, it is especially effective for fright wind, epilepsy, gān accumulations, and wilting (wěi) in polio victims. Acumoxatherapy treats gynecological disorders such as vaginal protrusion, vaginal discharge, amenorrhea and menstrual pain with generally good results. Acupuncture and moxibustion also are useful for the treatment of facial palsy, toothache, deafness, and throat impediment (hóu bì). However, in treatment of such illnesses as acute high fever, bleeding due to external injury, bone fractures and parasites, acumoxatherapy is of little immediate value, though it may serve a complementary role in treatment.

Modern Uses of Acumoxatherapy

Applications based on biomedicine have developed, including the selection of points based on relationships with the nervous system. Such applications are commonly used in sports medicine or stroke rehabilitation. Acumoxatherapy is a vast field with many directions to explore.

Moxa
The word moxa comes from the Japanese mugusa, meaning mugwort. The borrowing of this word attests to the influence of Japanese acupuncture in the transmission of East Asian medicine to the West. While acupuncture was in a state of decline in China, it was being used and developed in Japan when Western traders made their appearance there in the nineteenth century.

See following items:

Acumoxatherapy-Related Therapies

Acupressure (指压 zhǐ yā), also shiatsu: A method of treatment involving the application of finger pressure at acupuncture points.

Cupping, fire cupping (拔火罐 bá huǒ guàn): Cupping involves the application of glass or bamboo cups to the skin, which are held in place by creating a vacuum within the cup. This is accomplished by using fire to consume the air in the cup, or by mechanical suction. Cupping is commonly used for respiratory conditions and for pain. It may be combined with acupuncture to provide a stronger effect than cupping alone, although this technique is uncommon in the West.

Ear acupuncture (耳针 ěr zhēn: A method of treatment that involves the needling of specific points of the ear. In a wider sense, it also includes massage, medicinal injections, and application of pressure to seeds or metal balls at specific points.

Guā-shā (刮痧 guā shā): Also literally translated as sand scraping. A method of treatment that involves scraping the skin on the back, limbs, and other parts of the body usually with a ceramic spoon, the edge of a rice bowl, or a purpose-made scraper until deep-red speckles called sand (痧 shā) appear on the skin. The process is understood to draw out sand toxin, which obstructs the channels and network vessels in various conditions. The area is first treated with oil, such as sesame oil or nowadays often petroleum jelly (Vaseline), as a lubricant and then scraped until red papules become fully visible and start to coalesce. Guā-shā is usually applied to the back, where the area either side of the spine is scraped, working from the shoulder downward. The papules may be then pricked with a three-edged needle to drain blackish-purple blood and allow toxin to escape. Cupping can also be applied to help draw out the toxin.

Tuī-ná (推拿 tuī ná): The tuī-ná the name used for China’s traditional massage or physical manipulation practices. The term tuī-ná literally means pushing and grabbing, which are two representative kinds of manipulation among many others. Tuī-ná relieves physical discomforts and promotes the movement of qì and blood.

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