Acupuncture has been a major part of primary healthcare in

China for over 4,000 years. It is used extensively in over 40

countries for medical purposes ranging from:

 

disease prevention & treatment

 

pain relief (physical & emotional)

 

infertility

 

and more

 

 

Some techniques used in conjunction with acupuncture are:

 

Moxibustion or "Moxa"

 

Moxibustion is the burning of the herb mugwort on or near

an acupoint.  Moxa stimulates the flow of Qi and can be

used to drive cold from an area.  Many types of pain are

associated with cold in Chinese medicine, especially back

pain.

 

Moxa can be made into a cigar-like roll and held close to

the skin to create warm sensations.  Sometimes the moxa

is put on a needle.  It can also be placed directly on the

skin but this is not a technique that I use.

 

When you enter the office you may smell moxa in the air.

 

Cupping

 

Cupping is the placement, by suction, of glass cups at

strategic places on the body. The strength of the suction is

about what you might experience from a good vacuum

cleaner hose.  Cupping can be used at the onset of a cold

or when you just don't feel right.  I mostly use cups to relax

tight muscles.  When a muscle is so tight it's hard to tell

what is muscle and what is bone or when the muscle feels

like a rope or when the tightness is chronic and either the

muscle does not relax or stay relaxed with other types of

treatment, I think of cupping.

 

Forms of cupping have been used not just in China, but

northern and eastern Europe as well as around the

Mediterranean and ancient Egypt.  Ask elders in your family

and you may be surprised that cupping is a part of your

family tradition.  It is a versatile technique that has been

part of folk traditions around the world.

 

The cups are usually left in place between 5 and 15

minutes. The suction is obtained by lighting an alcohol

swab, twinkling it the cup and quickly pressing the cup to

the skin.  There is no heat on the skin, merely the suction

due to the expansion and expulsion of air from the cup.

 

The cups range in size from about as big as a mouthwash

bottle cover to nearly as large as the small fish bowls beta

fish are displayed in.  After a treatment, the area will likely

look and feel like a bruise.  The darker the color, the deeper

the stagnation.  A successful treatment can bruise the skin

(as seen in this photo of Gwyneth Paltrow) and look very

ugly but it can bring relief like nothing else.