Moxibustion and acupuncture are both traditional Chinese medicine therapies. Many people will think that moxibustion is a branch of acupuncture, and mistakenly think that the effects of moxibustion and acupuncture are basically the same.

Moxibustion, like acupuncture and moxibustion, selects the corresponding parts in the internal information pathway of the human body, and artificially stimulates the sensory transmission with specific factors to restore and consolidate the virtuous circle and block the vicious circle, so as to achieve the effect of disease prevention and treatment.

What is the difference between moxibustion and acupuncture? What are their respective characteristics?

Characteristics of Moxibustion

Moxibustion is a traditional Chinese medicine therapy that uses burning moxa sticks to suspend moxibustion on human body points.

Moxibustion, originated in ancient China, is a kind of moxibustion material made of moxa leaves, which can stimulate acupoints or specific parts on the body surface with the heat of moxa,

It is a therapeutic method to adjust the physiological and biochemical functions of human body disorder by stimulating the activities of meridians and qi, so as to achieve the goal of disease prevention and treatment.

Moxibustion therapy has a wide range of applications, and was the main means of treating diseases in ancient China.

In traditional Chinese medicine, it has the functions of warming yang and replenishing qi, warming meridians and unblocking collaterals, eliminating blood stasis and dispersing knots, and tonifying the middle and replenishing qi.

First of all, the effect of moxibustion is amazing.

Moxibustion therapy has a wide range of applications, and was the main means of treating diseases in ancient China. It can be widely used in internal medicine, surgery, gynecology, pediatrics, and ENT diseases, especially for mastitis, prostatitis, periarthritis of shoulder, pelvic inflammation, cervical spondylosis, diabetes, etc.

Secondly, moxibustion has a unique role in health care.

It has been thousands of years in China to use moxibustion to prevent diseases and prolong life. "The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine" says that "when strong wind perspires, moxibustion on Xixue points" is a health care moxibustion method.

The research on the anti-cancer effect of moxibustion made by Japanese Xu Teng Zuo and others also shows that moxibustion can activate the potential anti-cancer effect in skin tissue and play a role in cancer treatment and anti-cancer.

Characteristics of Acupuncture and Moxibustion

Acupuncture refers to inserting needles (usually filiform needles) into the patient's body at a certain angle under the guidance of TCM theory, and using twirling, lifting and inserting acupuncture techniques to stimulate specific parts of the human body to achieve the purpose of treating diseases.

Acupuncture and moxibustion do not rely on taking medicine to cure a disease, but only use acupuncture at a certain part of the patient's body to prick the nerves and cause local reactions, or use the warm heat of fire to stimulate and burn the part to achieve the purpose of curing the disease.

Acupuncture and moxibustion therapy in clinical practice, according to the traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis and treatment methods to diagnose the cause of disease, find out the key to the disease, and identify the nature of the disease.

Then, the corresponding acupoint prescription is given for treatment.

It can dredge channels, regulate qi and blood, balance yin and yang, and harmonize the functions of viscera, so as to prevent and treat diseases.

Differences between acupuncture and moxibustion

1. Drug properties and physical therapy

Acupuncture and moxibustion both aim to cure diseases and maintain health by stimulating human acupoints,

But acupuncture and moxibustion are only physical therapy,

Moxibustion is made of "moxa", which has the reputation of "king of all kinds of herbs" and "rejuvenating herbs",

For moxibustion, it can play a dual combination of drug therapy and physical therapy.

2. Side effects

If acupuncture is not well controlled, it will have some side effects. If the needle is not well disinfected, it may also cross infection,

Moxibustion, on the other hand, belongs to external natural therapy and has no side effects.

The saying that "moxibustion can cure chronic diseases after many years" is popular among the people, which means that moxibustion has an unexpected effect on the treatment of chronic diseases.

It is recorded in the Fourteenth Volume of the Secret of the Outer Platform:

"To resist the wind evil, we can cure fire wormwood with decoction, acupuncture, steaming and ironing. It is unique in its ability. If acupuncture, medicine, soup and powder are all inferior, wormwood is the most important."

The so-called "needle does not do, Ai should do" is the truth.

3. The patient's experience is different

Acupuncture and moxibustion therapy mainly stimulates the acupuncture points of the human body, which will cause people to feel tingling,

The principle of moxibustion is to smoke, burn, moxibustion and roast the lighted moxa stick or moxa stick at the corresponding points of the human body,

With its own pharmacological effect, it will make people feel relaxed,

Therefore, it is suggested that some people who are afraid of tingling may choose moxibustion therapy.

4. Nourishing and purging

The ancients paid attention to that the method of acupuncture was mainly used for purging, and the method of moxibustion was mainly used for replenishing,

Acupuncture and moxibustion both have the dual role of strengthening the healthy and eliminating the evil.

In some sense, the role of moxibustion is to replenish more and reduce less, and the role of acupuncture is to reduce more and replenish less.

Acupuncture and moxibustion are mainly used to dredge the meridians, not to replenish Yuanyang.

Moxibustion is the first tonic and then laxative. While improving the healthy qi, let the evil qi get rid of itself.

"To overflow strange evils, to camp and defend, there are surplus to be purged, and deficiency to be remedied" is the flexible application of moxibustion therapy to these basic principles of Chinese medicine.

Long term moxibustion can strengthen the body, cure diseases, maintain health, strengthen the body and eliminate evils, and prolong life,

It is very suitable for cold constitution and aphrodisiac regimen.

In ancient Chinese medical books, moxibustion was mentioned as a therapeutic method:

"If the medicine is not enough and the needle is not enough, moxibustion must be used", which means that many diseases that are not cured by acupuncture and medicine can be cured by moxibustion.

"The way to protect your life is to burn the wormwood first", which means that the wormwood can prolong your life and replenish your kidney.