by Chen Zhiyong
for China Daily
orig. pub. date: 1/17/07
A 30-something woman complains to Dr. Changwei Fan about her unbearable stomach pain and perplexing headache. Fan offers her tea, as he does for every visitor to his clinic, to calm the mind. Fan asks questions about the busy Beijing woman's lifestyle and then instructs one of his apprentices to apply the heat of a smoking herbal stick over three acupuncture points on her body.
Fan says Ms. Wang is a typical patient with "excessive liver fire." "When the fire rises to the head, she feels a headache," he explains. "On the other hand, people with heat in the upper body commonly have cold in the lower body, which causes stomach aches. This treatment will lead the upper heat downward, and push the lower cold out." About an hour later, Ms. Wang steps out of the treatment room feeling refreshed. She vows to return for a more systematic health check-up after the upcoming Spring Festival.
Wang was treated with moxibustion, a type of heat therapy used in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) to stimulate qi, and the circulation. A burning stick of mugwort is positioned over the acupuncture points. Mugwort, also known in the West as Amber or St John's Wort, was used in ancient China to keep evil away. Even the Christian prophet John the Baptist was believed to wear a belt made from this herb for the same reason. Though the herb, which is extracted from a daisy-like plant, has been the focus of superstition, TCM has included the crushed plant as a treatment for patients over 1,000 years.
The original Chinese term for acupuncture was Zhen (needling) and Jiu (moxibustion). Compared to acupuncture, moxibustion has received far less attention. However, some TCM doctors, such as Fan, are devoted to moxibustion practice.
Dr. Fan uses an apparatus consisting of metal pots with small
holes at the bottom filled with burning mugwort grains.
"Pot moxibustion" produces less smoke and can warm several
acupuncture points simultaneously.
The moxibustion stick is created by rolling mugwort powder into a piece of paper. The burning stick is waved a few centimeters over the acupuncture points. Heating one such point takes between 10 to 15 minutes until the skin becomes slightly reddish. During the process, mugwort vapors and other TCM ingredients enter the pores of the skin. According to Fan, moxibustion has benefits that modern science cannot explain but can be clearly felt by people receiving it. Knowledge of acupuncture points is the key to its effectiveness.
For example, when heating the Yang Guan point, which is located on the waist between the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae, the patient can feel his entire stomach becoming warm. Also, the heat spreads from the waist to the buttock and legs, down to the feet. Moxibustion is commonly used for people who have a cold. TCM teaches that cold in the body results in slow flow or even stagnation of qi, thus causing different ailments. The heat from moxibustion can move qi, quicken the blood, and expel cold and dampness. According to doctor Fan, moxibustion therapy is effective in treating diarrhea, asthma, rheumatism, inflammations, hypertension, menstrual disorders and cramps, bone wound, stomach and abdomen pains.
He cited menstrual cramps as an example of effective treatment with moxibustion. A majority of women nowadays have a cold constitution. This is partly because of dieting and wearing fewer or thinner clothes, according to Fan. As a result, their menstrual blood tends to become stagnant owing to cold, thus causing pains. When the cold is dispersed, the blood flows smoothly again and the pain symptoms disappear.
Practicing moxibustion is not simply a medical practice and practitioners should be well-versed in traditional Chinese culture and morals, according to Fan. "Moxibustion is not simply burning a stick of mugwort, but also manipulating the heat with the mind. Any mental disturbance in the process affects the cure. Only the well-cultured practitioner can concentrate on the therapy," he said.
He tells his apprentices that healthcare practitioners should learn how to preserve their own health first because the patients often view their doctors as their role models. Modern life seems to have little effect on Fan's own life. He observes strictly a traditional schedule of work and rest. He goes to bed at about nine o'clock every evening. He barely watches any TV. Early in the morning, he leads his apprentices to play Tai Chi.
The ancient Chinese cultural classics, such as The Analects of Confucius, Tao Te Ching, and The Yellow Emperor's Canon of Internal Medicine are a must-reads for the apprentices. They also practice Chinese calligraphy. Every Friday afternoon, all the workers in Fan's clinic sit together to learn the Apprentice Regulation, a textbook of etiquette and morals for the young people. For example, they learn respect for their parents, caution, keeping to their word and not tolerating waste.
Doctor Fan believes that the key to good health is a calm mind. When the mind is calm, the flow of qi and blood is smooth, and this keeps diseases at bay. Moxibustion helps restore this harmony.
Acupuncture. Give it a try it before running to a lab coat
and stethoscope on two legs enslaved by Big Pharma.
You'll be glad you did. Thanks for reading.
.
for China Daily
orig. pub. date: 1/17/07
Moxibustion is not simply burning a stick of mugwort,
but also
manipulating the heat with the mind. Any mental
disturbance [in the practitioner's mind during]
the
process affects the cure. --Dr. Fan
 |
| Some claim mugwort has a calming effect when drank as a tea or smoked. |
Fan says Ms. Wang is a typical patient with "excessive liver fire." "When the fire rises to the head, she feels a headache," he explains. "On the other hand, people with heat in the upper body commonly have cold in the lower body, which causes stomach aches. This treatment will lead the upper heat downward, and push the lower cold out." About an hour later, Ms. Wang steps out of the treatment room feeling refreshed. She vows to return for a more systematic health check-up after the upcoming Spring Festival.
Wang was treated with moxibustion, a type of heat therapy used in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) to stimulate qi, and the circulation. A burning stick of mugwort is positioned over the acupuncture points. Mugwort, also known in the West as Amber or St John's Wort, was used in ancient China to keep evil away. Even the Christian prophet John the Baptist was believed to wear a belt made from this herb for the same reason. Though the herb, which is extracted from a daisy-like plant, has been the focus of superstition, TCM has included the crushed plant as a treatment for patients over 1,000 years.
The original Chinese term for acupuncture was Zhen (needling) and Jiu (moxibustion). Compared to acupuncture, moxibustion has received far less attention. However, some TCM doctors, such as Fan, are devoted to moxibustion practice.
Clearing the cold
The moxibustion stick is created by rolling mugwort powder into a piece of paper. The burning stick is waved a few centimeters over the acupuncture points. Heating one such point takes between 10 to 15 minutes until the skin becomes slightly reddish. During the process, mugwort vapors and other TCM ingredients enter the pores of the skin. According to Fan, moxibustion has benefits that modern science cannot explain but can be clearly felt by people receiving it. Knowledge of acupuncture points is the key to its effectiveness.
For example, when heating the Yang Guan point, which is located on the waist between the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae, the patient can feel his entire stomach becoming warm. Also, the heat spreads from the waist to the buttock and legs, down to the feet. Moxibustion is commonly used for people who have a cold. TCM teaches that cold in the body results in slow flow or even stagnation of qi, thus causing different ailments. The heat from moxibustion can move qi, quicken the blood, and expel cold and dampness. According to doctor Fan, moxibustion therapy is effective in treating diarrhea, asthma, rheumatism, inflammations, hypertension, menstrual disorders and cramps, bone wound, stomach and abdomen pains.
He cited menstrual cramps as an example of effective treatment with moxibustion. A majority of women nowadays have a cold constitution. This is partly because of dieting and wearing fewer or thinner clothes, according to Fan. As a result, their menstrual blood tends to become stagnant owing to cold, thus causing pains. When the cold is dispersed, the blood flows smoothly again and the pain symptoms disappear.
More than medical practice
Practicing moxibustion is not simply a medical practice and practitioners should be well-versed in traditional Chinese culture and morals, according to Fan. "Moxibustion is not simply burning a stick of mugwort, but also manipulating the heat with the mind. Any mental disturbance in the process affects the cure. Only the well-cultured practitioner can concentrate on the therapy," he said.
He tells his apprentices that healthcare practitioners should learn how to preserve their own health first because the patients often view their doctors as their role models. Modern life seems to have little effect on Fan's own life. He observes strictly a traditional schedule of work and rest. He goes to bed at about nine o'clock every evening. He barely watches any TV. Early in the morning, he leads his apprentices to play Tai Chi.
The ancient Chinese cultural classics, such as The Analects of Confucius, Tao Te Ching, and The Yellow Emperor's Canon of Internal Medicine are a must-reads for the apprentices. They also practice Chinese calligraphy. Every Friday afternoon, all the workers in Fan's clinic sit together to learn the Apprentice Regulation, a textbook of etiquette and morals for the young people. For example, they learn respect for their parents, caution, keeping to their word and not tolerating waste.
Doctor Fan believes that the key to good health is a calm mind. When the mind is calm, the flow of qi and blood is smooth, and this keeps diseases at bay. Moxibustion helps restore this harmony.
No comments:
Post a Comment