HEAT THERAPY
Heat is another component of the therapeutic recommendations of Traditional Chinese Medicine. In order for our bodies to function optimally, we need warmth and proper circulation.
Heat used for therapeutic means, can be generated in several ways. Through Moxibustion, TDP lamps and Heat packs/water bottles.
Heat used for therapeutic means, can be generated in several ways. Through Moxibustion, TDP lamps and Heat packs/water bottles.
Moxibustion
This part of Chinese medicine uses moxa, a soft woolly substance prepared from mugwort leaves (Artemisia vulgaris). The herb is lit and as it smoulders slowly, a therapeutic heat permeates the skin and affects the flow of Qi and Blood in the area being treated.
Direct Moxibustion
This is more commonly used for specific areas needing treatment. The practitioner shapes the moxa into a tiny cone and places it directly on to the body before lighting. The lit moxa cone is removed as soon as the patient feels any sensation of heat.
Indirect Moxibustion
Moxa can be applied indirectly when it is loosely rolled and piled on the handle of an acupuncture needle and burned there. The heat transfers through the needle deeply into the tissue.
Moxa can give off quite a bit of smoke, so Smokeless Moxa sticks are made by compressing moxa into charcoal. Smokeless moxa is burned near the body to warm up acupuncture points or specific areas.
Moxa can also be burned in a wooden ‘moxa box’ which is placed on the skin. Traditionally this is how they would warm large areas of the body.
Moxa can give off quite a bit of smoke, so Smokeless Moxa sticks are made by compressing moxa into charcoal. Smokeless moxa is burned near the body to warm up acupuncture points or specific areas.
Moxa can also be burned in a wooden ‘moxa box’ which is placed on the skin. Traditionally this is how they would warm large areas of the body.
TDP lamp
TDP (Thermal Design Power) lamps, run off electricity and are infrared heating devices, used to warm large areas of the body. Some lamps have two ‘heads’, which can be individually placed at a distance from the skin, to warm different parts.
They are increasingly used in acupuncture clinics to support acupuncture treatment or to replace moxibustion where the patient (or practitioner) is sensitive to moxa smoke and/or there is inadequate ventilation.
It is commonly used on the upper or lower abdomen or back (in combination with needles) especially for cold and deficient patterns.
They are increasingly used in acupuncture clinics to support acupuncture treatment or to replace moxibustion where the patient (or practitioner) is sensitive to moxa smoke and/or there is inadequate ventilation.
It is commonly used on the upper or lower abdomen or back (in combination with needles) especially for cold and deficient patterns.
Heat packs / Water bottles
If a patient has signs of cold or deficiency, I recommend warming themselves at home either by using their shower or by utilising some form of heat pack, particularly across the lower back to warm the kidneys. Hot water bottles are quite popular as most people have them at home, others use microwavable heat packs or wheat bags.
