ANN/THE STAR – For centuries, heat therapy has played a vital role in treating various ailments in traditional medicine practices. Whether it involves a hot drink, bath, pack, fire, or simply rubbing the palms together and applying them to a “cold” area, the goal is to warm the body.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), a technique called moxibustion is used, which involves external heat therapy using mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris L) leaves to promote healing.
This plant has been valued for its medicinal properties across Asia for thousands of years, with its use extending beyond China to Japan, Vietnam, Korea, and Mongolia.
Mugwort leaves are dried, ground, and rolled or shaped into small sticks or cones called moxa (similar to incense), and put on or over specific points on the body.
IMU University senior lecturer and clinician in charge of Chinese medicine Dr Ong Siew Siew said: “Mugwort is a herb that can be consumed in its raw form or used as an ingredient in daily recipes, such as mixing it in to fry an egg.
“More often, these herbs are used in herbal formulas and prescribed for women in confinement and people with gastrointestinal issues.
“You might also see them being sold as an essential oil or plaster; the effect is the same – it warms the body.”
QI BLOCK
TCM works on the premise that a vital force of life, called qi, surges through the body – any imbalance in qi can cause disease and illness.
Moxibustion is closely related to acupuncture, which posits that the human body contains some 2,000 points that connect to an unseen network of pathways, or meridians.
These meridians transport qi and blood to all cells, tissues and organs in the body.
Dr Ong explained, “When the qi does not flow well, it may lead to congestion in certain parts of the body.
“When you apply moxibustion on the acupoints, the smoke and heat are absorbed into the skin, and help redistribute and regulate this qi. When the blockages are released, the qi can then flow smoothly again.”
For example, your hands and feet may be cold, but other parts of your body may be warm, so there is some imbalance in the body.
“A lot of patients who walk into my clinic are averse to cold, and energy cannot flow into their fingers as it is stuck somewhere along the ‘highway’.
“When I place the moxa cone or stick on certain acupoints, the first thing they notice is that their fingers are no longer cold.
“Ideally, the treatment should be combined with acupuncture so that the effect can be amplified,” she said.
According to TCM textbooks, moxibustion is contraindicated for people with “warm” constitutions.
But Dr Ong personally believes that we are not bound by a single constitution.
“Most of us have a mixed constitution like in the example above,” she said.
DIRECT AND INDIRECT
Moxibustion can be applied directly or indirectly. In the direct method, a small moxa cone is applied directly on the skin and burnt.
Practitioners might place the moxa on a piece of gauze, ginger, garlic or salt to protect the skin.
Dr Ong said: “Just before the burning moxa comes to an end, the practitioner will remove it so that it doesn’t burn the skin.
“This is known as non-scarring moxibustion.The heat provides a warming sensation deep within the skin, but does not produce any burn or scarring.”
Conversely, during scarring moxibustion, practitioners will leave the moxa to burn until it dies out.
The skin may burn or blister as a result, potentially leaving a scar after it heals.
“Traditionally, the Chinese believed in this technique as they think the heat will be trapped once the scar forms, so the effect is better.
“But I’ve hardly come across anyone doing it here, only in China,” she added.
With the indirect method, as its name implies, the moxa stick does not touch the skin, but is waved at a distance of roughly two inches away from the acupoint.
Or at a TCM clinic, the practitioner might light the moxa cone at the exposed tip of an acupuncture needle already inserted into the patient for faster results.
“The heat penetrates faster, like the bullet train that bypasses traffic,” Dr Ong joked.
Many studies show that moxibustion can aid with menstrual cramps, muscle tension and arthritis pain.
Also proven to be beneficial for middle-aged and elderly people, it is especially helpful in maintaining the health of the spleen, stomach and kidneys.
In a 2023 article published in the journal Supportive Care in Cancer, researchers reviewed literature from randomised controlled trials and found that moxibustion may have a therapeutic effect on cancer-related fatigue.
For maintenance, Dr Ong teaches her patients to do indirect moxibustion at home, without the needles.
“It may reduce pain and inflammation.
“Some TCM proponents believe this therapy strengthens the immune system as it balances the energy in the body so that the body becomes more resilient.
“Depending on what the problem is, I advise patients to do five minutes on each acupoint.”
NEED FOR MONITORING
However, moxibustion cannot simply be used on any part of the body.
Dr Ong said, “When we diagnose a patient from the TCM perspective, we look at their tongue, skin, hair, pain, face colour, etc.
“We look at the exterior and interior, and usually, the disease moves from the exterior to the interior, so we need to expel these diseases before they go in.
“For instance, abdominal pain can be due to irritable bowel syndrome, gallstones, etc, but in TCM, we use syndrome differentiation based on the eight principles of qi.
“So the pain could come from excess or weak qi, cold or dampness, or stasis in the stomach.
“Therefore, moxibustion is not suitable for all abdominal pain, and sometimes, acupuncture needles alone are enough to alleviate the problem.”
Just like exercising and dieting, consistency is key in achieving results, so patients must be diligent in doing moxibustion daily.
Dr Ong cautioned, “My only worry is that patients sometimes get carried away, they will do up to an hour because it’s so soothing.” – Revathi Murugappan
