Warm needling

Burning moxa on the handle of an acupuncture needle inserted in the body. This method, whereby the needle conducts the heat into the flesh, is appropriate for vacuity cold diseases and wind-damp impediment (bì) patterns.

Method: Warm needling is done by first inserting the needle and placing a small piece of paper or aluminum foil around the needle. (Make a hole in the center of the piece of paper.) Moxa wool is then wrapped around the wire handle and lit. The paper will catch any ashes. The moxa is allowed to burn completely, and when no more heat radiates from the handle, the paper and moxa can be removed, and the needle withdrawn. One common practice is to snip a small cylindrical piece of moxa pole, and press a pointed object such as a pencil into the center of the cylinder, thus forming a hole that allows the moxa to be placed on the handle of the needle. This latter method is safer and more convenient because the ash is firmer and less likely to fall from the handle.