Moxibustion (a manipulative and body-based practice Manipulative and Body-Based Practices Five categories of complementary or alternative medicine are generally recognized: Whole medical systems Mind-body medicine Biologically based practices not usually used in conventional medicine... read more ) is a therapy within traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese Medicine Originating > 2000 years ago, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a medical system based on the philosophy that illness results from improper flow of the life force (qi). The movement of... read more (1 Reference Moxibustion (a manipulative and body-based practice) is a therapy within traditional Chinese medicine ( 1). Dried moxa herb (a mugwort) is burned usually just above but sometimes directly on... read more ). Dried moxa herb (a mugwort) is burned usually just above but sometimes directly on the skin over acupuncture points. The herb may be in the form of incense sticks or wool.
Moxibustion is used to treat conditions similar to those approached with acupuncture Acupuncture Acupuncture, a therapy within traditional Chinese medicine, is one of the most widely accepted components of integrative therapies in the western world. Specific points on the body are stimulated... read more .
Moxibustion can result in circular burns (which resemble burns from cigarette tips) and vesicobullous lesions.
(See also Overview of Integrative, Complementary, and Alternative Medicine Overview of Integrative, Complementary, and Alternative Medicine Integrative medicine and health (IMH) and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) include healing approaches and therapies that historically have not been included in conventional, mainstream... read more .)
Reference
1. Deng H, Shen X: The mechanism of moxibustion: ancient theory and modern research. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 379291, 2013. doi: 10.1155/2013/379291
