I have been asked to describe how the moxa stick (a cigar-shaped roll of the herb mugwort, encased in paper) can be used
to help bedsores (see my last blog). In
order not to reinvent the wheel, I am attaching below a handout I gave my
students at SOFEA some years ago which covers all the points I would like to
make now. It’s rather a long handout,
because there are so many uses to which we can put the moxa stick!
"Mugwort appears to help cell regeneration and heals at a
very deep level. Its heat, if applied
for a sufficiently long time over traumatized tissue, will eventually draw
blood to the surface, and the action of blood helps in numerous ways to restore
the body to health. Everybody should be
encouraged to have a moxa stick at home because it is one of the most effective
ways of dispelling pain, getting rid of infection and general healing that I
know of. For non-acupuncturists reading
this, you can buy moxa sticks from any acupuncture supplier. It’s also sensible to buy a moxa stick holder
at the same time to help extinguish the stick at the end of use, though a
suitable sized candlestick holder is just as good.
I give below some of the many successful uses of moxa from
my own practice. In many cases the moxa
stick was used as a support to acupuncture treatment, but it is very effective
on its own.
How to use it: You don’t need to remove the paper covering,
a common failing with those using it for the first time. This holds the moxa in place. The stick can be lit through the paper. It takes some time to light the stick
properly, so be patient. A great deal of
smoke must come from it and you must feel great heat from the tip before you
start applying it. It often goes out, and
has to be re-lit. To do this, cut off
the few centimetres of ash before starting to re-light it. You need a lot of patience using the stick,
so you must prepare your patients for this.
There is no point whatsoever applying lukewarm heat. The stick must be so hot that it becomes
painful after a little time, at which point you draw the stick slightly further
away.
Action: Move the stick slowly over the area to be
healed, keeping it as close to the skin as possible so that it receives maximum
heat. Tell the patient to tell you when
it gets too hot so that you can draw it away a little. It is important that maximum heat is applied,
and that you warn the patient that it will get very hot, and that that is
essential. Obviously be careful not to
blister the skin. Don’t move the stick
over too wide an area (an area of a few centimetres at a time is better),
because the skin will cool down too quickly between applications. You need concentrated heat for the stick to
work.
Obviously it is easier if the patient applies the stick
him/herself, as they are better able to control the heat, but this is only possible on areas of the skin which can be reached by them.
For any very localized problem, such as a small cut, do not
move the stick at all, but hold it in one position as close to the skin as
possible, withdrawing it only when it becomes too hot for the patient to
tolerate. This draws the infection out
of the area, and is particularly successful with things like boils or
whiteheads. In these cases, you go as
close to the skin as possible, wait until the patient tells you it is very hot
and draw the stick away completely for a few second to allow the area to cool
down a little, before re-applying
How often do you use
the stick: There have to be frequent applications for any stubborn
infection or skin condition to be relieved.
These must be at least once a day, for a period of at least 10 minutes
and longer if the patient has the patience.
The longer and the more frequent the better. One of my patients with very severe psoriasis
over large areas of the body applied the stick for at least half an hour twice
a day very successfully. It took about
two weeks for the very bad patches to disappear. There is no contra-indication to the
frequency of use.
What it can be used
for
Any infected area at
all: This means things like ulcers,
such as those caused by bedsores, infected fingers, infected scar tissue or
tooth-ache caused by an infected tooth.
Any skin complaints
whatsoever, particularly stubborn ones like psoriasis. Psoriasis leaves a
layer of dead skin on the surface, which eventually cracks and leads to
bleeding below it. A patient should be given a supply of moxa sticks and told
to use it over the most affected area of traumatized skin. Because the heat has to penetrate the dead
skin, it will take some time for the patient to feel any warmth, and the
application of the moxa stick must continue until the area to which it is being
applied becomes really warm to the touch and remains warm once the stick is
removed. Often the psoriasis is over a
very wide area of the body, and it would take too long to moxa every patch of
psoriasis. I have found, though, that
really concentrating on one small patch has an effect throughout the body, as
if the healing in one area leads to healing in another. So try one patch at a time. Since the patient will do most of the work
(although you can help at little each time he/she comes for treatment), it is
important that you don’t give them too great a task to do, otherwise they won’t
do it.
Time taken: Probably at least 10 minutes on each badly
infected patch until it glows with warmth. You know things are moving if the dry skin starts to drop
off, the bleeding stops and a layer of fresh new, pink skin appears round the
edges of the psoriasis patches. This is
the new skin forming below the surface which eventually pushes off the dead
skin. Carry on moxaing over the new
skin, but more gently and from further away, as it is very delicate and you
obviously don’t want to blister it.
If the skin complaint is on the face such as pimples, where
the moxa could burn the skin, place a layer of paper between the skin and the stick
as protection, placing your hands carefully over the paper so that is does not
get so hot as to burn. The skin should
be red and glowing when you finish, so suggest the patient does the moxaing in
the evening, not just before they go out to work.
Boils: For very localized skin complaints, like
boils, do not move the stick, but hold it right above the boil. You will find that the infected material will
gradually be drawn out to the surface through the heat.
Whiteheads: These can cause quite unsightly lumps on
the skin, and are usually removed surgically.
The method for removing them is to hold the stick closely above
them. Again, the impacted sebaceous
gland will heal itself, releasing the sebum.
If it is a large whitehead it may leave a little crater, possibly with
some residual infection. If this is
so,carry on moxaing until the area looks really healed.
Cuts and blisters: If there is bleeding, you can see a layer of
healed tissue forming very soon after you moxa.
Large and weeping blisters will develop a healing skin overnight if moxa is
applied. Cuts also heal very much more
quickly.
Surgical adhesions: If there is scarring either on or below the
surface after surgery which is causing adhesions, applying the moxa stick over
the area will help the distressed scar tissue reintegrate better. A patient of mine had had a hysterectomy two
years before, and the scar still tugged painfully deep inside. She used the stick successfully to get rid of
the pain. She said she could feel the
tightness loosening as she applied the moxa stick. It is very important to give a patient
recovering from any form of surgery a stick to speed the healing, and it is
excellent to get rid of infections over the surgical area, for example in the
case of a Caesarian.
Viral complaints
such as herpes and shingles: I suggested
that one of my patients should use the stick on a painful herpes patch of skin
on her buttock which appeared at the time of each period. To my surprise it disappeared after one
application, never to re-occur. I have
also given it to a patient with shingles, and this alleviated the pain
enormously. I imagine it would also help chicken pox sufferers but I have not
yet had an opportunity to try this out.
Pain of any kind: Wherever there is pain, such as aching
joints, twisted ankle, soreness. The
stick will help the area feel warm and loved, and the pain often goes or at
least lessens.
Drawing a splinter
out: If you can’t get the splinter
out (i.e., if it is deeply below a nail), moxa over the nail. This will get rid of any infection that might
build up under the nail, and I have found that the splinter is gradually pushed
out as the nail grows.
Finally, the
secret is always to think of the moxa stick if there is any problem on the
surface of the skin. If the patient
feels better from doing it, then tell him/her to carry on, if worse (which I
have actually never found), then to stop. If nothing happens after 4-5 days of
application, then there is no point continuing because it is ineffective.
Three warnings: 1. Patients (and practitioners) often don’t
apply the heat for long enough or close enough to the skin. You have to get the technique right and have
the patience and time to carry on applying the stick over some days for it to
work.
2. Make sure you have
extinguished the heated stick properly, otherwise it will continue to smoulder
for a long time.
3. Because it creates quite a lot of smoke, it's best to use it in a well-ventilated room, or ideally outside in the open, such as in the garden. Some people find the smell it leaves behind quite strong, but don't allow that to stop you from using it!
Copyright: Nora Franglen 2014"
I hope those reading this will start using the moxa stick more.
