What are the types of moxibustion?

Moxibustion can be direct moxibustion, which is to directly ignite some tiny moxa and then do moxibustion on the acupuncture points. At this time, the acupuncture points will feel very hot, but it should be noted that direct moxibustion requires high operating skills and must be done by a professional doctor, otherwise it is easy to cause skin burns. Moxibustion can also be foaming moxibustion or scar moxibustion. Different types of moxibustion have different effects.

Local moxa fumigation: use 3 to 6 moxa sticks, tie them into a row with tape, and keep them 10 to 30 mm away from the skin, and then fumigate up and down. Before fumigating your whole body with moxa sticks, you should drink ginger, red dates and longan soup to nourish your health and replenish your yin. Use 3 slices of ginger, 10 red dates (pitted), 10 longans (pitted), add water and boil for 15 minutes, pour into a blender and blend into a paste to drink. Light one end of the moxa stick and place the burning end close to the acupuncture point on the skin so that the acupuncture point can be warmed quickly. Slowly lift the moxa stick up, 3 to 4 cm away from the skin, and keep it still. During moxibustion, the warm feeling will make the skin red but not burning pain, and there will also be comfortable feelings such as soreness and numbness in local and distal parts.

Moxibustion experience: At the beginning, the burning end of the moxa stick should not be too far away from the acupuncture point, otherwise the warm feeling will appear too slowly. When lifting the moxa stick, the speed should be fast to avoid interruption of the heat sensation; if the patient feels too hot, move the moxa stick up, down, left, right, or in a circular motion to continuously stimulate the acupuncture points with warmth. When applying moxibustion to people with insensitive local skin, children, and the elderly, you can open the middle and index fingers of your left hand and place them on both sides of the affected acupuncture points to sense the local heat level and adjust it at any time. When the patient feels itchy, hot, or painful, rub, knead, or press with fingers to help relieve the discomfort.

Moxibustion can also be indirect moxibustion, which means there is a layer between the old moxa and the skin. The most common method is ginger slices. After cutting the ginger into slices, light the old mugwort, and then perform moxibustion through the ginger slices. The ginger slices should not be too thick, otherwise the heat will not reach the skin and will not work. In addition to ginger slices, you can also use garlic to separate the skin and the aged mugwort for moxibustion.