Questions about Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine

What is it? How is it practiced? Does it Hurt?

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Cupping & Moxibustion

Here is where you'll find information related to cupping and moxibustion.

What is Cupping?

Cupping is a method of treating specific health conditions by using a specially shaped glass jar to stimulate the acupuncture channels on the skin and muscle layers. First, a vacuum is created in the jar, then it is applied to the skin and either massaged around the area, or allowed to remain stationary at a specific place for a period of time.

What ailments does cupping treat?

I primarily use cupping to treat certain types of muscular pain, especially back pain, and for the treatment of common colds. The results I have had in treating early stage colds using cupping have been quite remarkable. According to TCM theory, many of the pathogens that cause colds enter into the body through the skin and acupuncture channels of the neck and upper shoulders. Cupping is used to draw these pathogens out through the pores of the skin. This is why your grandma made you put on your scarf during winter; “so you don’t catch a chill.”

What is Moxibustion?

Moxibustion, commonly shortened to being called moxa, is the use of an herb called Artemesia Vulgaris or commonly, mugwort, which is burned over particular areas or specific acupuncture points. Moxa has a warming, invigorating quality and is generally used to treat conditions of weakness by bringing extra energy into the acupuncture points and channels, or to expel cold and damp pathogens from the channels.
Loose moxa is commonly rolled into a ball and placed over a piece of fresh ginger, onto a specific area of the body or acupuncture point. Ginger adds to the warming energy of the moxa and serves as a barrier between the moxa and skin. Moxa also comes in tightly rolled sticks which can be held directly over acupuncture points or channels.

What ailments does Moxibustion treat?

Moxa is commonly used to treat cold/damp types of arthritis and rheumatic pain. When you can tell that it’s going to rain based on that funny feeling you get in your knee, it’s time to get a moxa treatment.
In addition to arthritis and cold types of pain, moxa is also useful for certain types of digestive disorders and conditions of deficient energy.

Does it hurt?

In my personal practice, nearly one half of the new patients that come to see me have never had acupuncture before. Of course the primary question on their minds is “will it hurt?” I assure them that it is not painful. Though some slight sensation may be felt on the needle’s insertion, many times patients report that they didn’t even feel the needles going in. To this day I’m happy to report that 100% of my new patients have had a pleasant experience.

How does acupuncture work?

According to TCM theory, there is an energetic circulation through the body that coincides with and encompasses both the blood circulation and lymphatic circulation. This energetic circulatory system manifests itself as the 12 primary acupuncture channels, or meridians, as they are sometimes called. These 12 primary channels, in addition to the 8 “extraordinary” energetic channels, flow across the body’s surface and comprise the energetic circulatory system of acupuncture.
All health problems, according to TCM theory, are accompanied by a blockage of the energy circulation throughout the channels of the body. Acupuncture serves as a means to unblock this flow of energy by stimulating specific points on the acupuncture channels. From a western medical perspective, acupuncture also has an effect on the central nervous system and the neurochemistry of the brain. This is why acupuncture is well known as a natural means of managing pain and relieving mental and emotional stress. Acupuncture has a system-wide regulatory effect on the body that helps to restore balance on many levels.
Of the 12 primary acupuncture channels that run through the body, 11 of them correspond directly to the body’s internal organs. The internal/external relationship between the energetic channels and the internal organs allows for the effective treatment of a great many internal medical conditions. Although acupuncture is still best known in the U.S. for its remarkable results in relieving pain, as you will see, the scope of conditions that can be effectively treated by acupuncture is quite extensive.

Questions and Answers - Chat Room

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What is acupuncture?

Acupuncture is a medical therapy that involves the insertion of extremely thin needles into specific points on the body to effect a beneficial change in a person’s overall health.
The origins of acupuncture date back to pre-history in China, between 4,000 to 5,000 years ago. In the early stages of the development of acupuncture, bone and stone implements were used as early prototypes of the acupuncture needle. The more formal organization of Traditional Chinese Medical (TCM) theory began in the Zhou dynasty around 3,000 years ago. And has continued unabated to the present day.