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While the majority of Acupuncturists follow traditional methods of locating Acupuncture points, some have been seeking electronic gadgets (electro-acupuncture and laser-acupuncture) to locate and identify the points to apply the treatment. Infra-red ‘torches/guns’ have also been developed for use on the acupuncture points to relieve pain.
A variant of Acupuncture is Acupressure which involves the application of pressure by the finger or a blunt object. Cupping is application of vacuum over Acupuncture points. Homoeo-puncture is the practice of dipping the Acupuncture needles in a Homoeopathic drug before administering Acupuncture (Jayasuriya, 1997).
MOXIBUSTION
Moxibustion is a 2,000 year old Chinese therapeutic technique. It involves burning a piece of the Chinese drug plant moxa (Artemisia moxa, Asteraceae), either on the head of an Acupuncture needle to conduct heat into the body, or as in some cases directly on the surface of the body. This practice is closely associated with Acupuncture, because the sites chosen for Moxibustion are usually the Acupuncture points. The leaves of the moxa plant are ground into a cotton or wool-like substance (moxa wool) which is made into sticks, moxa sticks, (20 cm x 1.4 cm), either in the pure form or mixed with other herbs such as ginger, garlic, onion, aconite, with or without salt. On burning, the heat and fumes are believed to stimulate the flow of energy in channels and collaterals, ameliorate the syndromes arising from cold or wind, and promote circulation of blood and vital energy (Wei, 1983). When moxa is burnt directly on the body, it may be the scarring or non-scarring procedure.
Like Acupuncture, Moxibustion is used to treat a variety of disorders (Turner and Low, 1978; Anonymous, 1980; Wei, 1983).
REFERENCES
Anonymous. 1980. Advances in acupuncture and acupuncture anaesthesia. : Abstracts of papers presented at the National symposium of Acupuncture, Moxibustion and Acupuncture anaesthasia. The People’s Medical publishing House, Beijing.
Jayasuriya, A. 1997. The future of complementary medicines. Medicina Alternativa, Colombo. pp 63.
Keys, J.D. 1976. Chinese herbs. C.E. Tuttle Co., inc., Tokyo.
Kun, K.A. 1983. The Western Pacific Region. In Traditional medicine and health care coverage. (eds.) Bannerman, R.H., Burton, J. and Ch’en Wen-Chieh. World Health Organisation, Geneva. pp 263-268.
Leavitt, D. 1974. Chinese herbal medicine. DHEW Publishers, New York.
Lewith, G.T. 1982. Acupuncture. Thorsons Publishers Ltd., Wellingborough. pp 14; 32-33.
Pei, W. 1983. Traditional Chinese medicine. In Traditional medicine and health care coverage. (eds.) Bannerman, R.H., Burton, J. and Ch’en Wen-Chieh. World Health Organisation, Geneva. pp 68-75.
Stuart, G.. 1911. Chinese materia medica of vegetable kingdom. International Book Distributors, Dehra Dun (reprint).
Turner, R.N. and Low, R.H. 1978. The principles and practice of Moxibustion: a guide to the therapeutic application of heat to acupuncture points. Edisem, Quebec.
Wei, Ru-Shu. 1983. Acupuncture and moxibustion. In Traditional medicine and health care coverage. (eds.) Bannerman, R.H., Burton, J. and Ch’en Wen-Chieh. World Health Organisation, Geneva. pp 76-81.
West, R. and Travelyan, J.E. 1985. Alternative medicine. Mansell Publishing Ltd., London.
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