by Pamela Policastro, L. Ac.

Welcome back to our Fertility Acupuncture Tools of the Trade feature.  This week’s topic is moxibustion. 

No, moxibustion is not some sort of wacky-backy. 

 In traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), acupuncture is often used together with moxibustion (some of you know it as that weird smelling cigar we use to heat your needles with).  Moxibustion is used for both prevention and healing of disease . It works through burning moxa or mugwort, which is an herb, to warm the meridians or acupuncture points.  It can help improve the flow of blood and qi, and achieve superior healing effects. 

The history of moxibustion began thousands of years ago in china.  Moxibustion originated after the introduction of fire into man’s life.  It is believed that while warming themselves by the fire, ancient people accidentally found relief from cold and pain when specific areas of the skin were subjected to burning.  Later on, they started using hot stones or hot sand wrapped in animal skins or plant bark, to press on local body areas to treat diseases.  Ancient people eventually learned to use ignited branches or hay to warm the sick part of the body.  From there, moxibustion was begun. 

Moxa leaves were later chosen as the best material.  These herbal leaves are easily ignited and produce a mild heat.  In addition, the aroma of the herb itself  can help enhance the effect of removing obstructions or stagnation of blood and qi.

The major ingredient used for moxibustion is Artemisia Vulgaris.  Moxa is pure yang (active & warm) in nature.  It has the ability to restore the essential yang from collapse (physical exhaustion).  It can regulate qi and blood, expel cold and dampness, warm the uterus, stop bleeding, warm the spleen and stomach to remove stagnation, and regulate menstruation.  When ignited, it can travel through all the meridians and eliminate hundreds of diseases.

The mild heat generated by moxibustion can also penetrate deep into the muscles of the body.  Moxibustion can be used for a variety of diseases, including asthma, common cold and flu, arthritis, abdominal pain, diarrhea, chronic fatigue, and, of course, help with fertility.  Wow..nature rocks it out!

When next we meet, I will discuss fire-cupping.  Peace, Pam

About Pam: 

Pamela received her Masters Degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine from Southwest Acupuncture College in Santa Fe, N.M.  She is nationally certified by the NCCAOM in Oriental Medicine, and is a licensed acupuncturist in the state of Illinois.  She received her Bachelors Degree in psychology from SUNY at Stonybrook, N.Y.  Additionally, Pamela has studied Chinese Herbal Medicine, Oncology Acupuncture at Memorial Sloan Kettering, N.Y.C., and fertility with Dr. Berkley from The Berkley Center for Reproductive Wellness, N.Y.C. 

Pamela is also nationally certified in Chinese Herbal Medicine.  Combining herbs with acupuncture, Pamela strives to attain the best possible results with all her patients.  Specializing in fertility, Pamela works to restore a mind/body balance to optimize natural conception and assisted reproductive therapy.  She is also affiliated with Mercy Hospital.

“There is a soul force in the universe which, if we permit it, will flow through us and produce miraculous results.”   Ghandi

If you would like to book an appointment with Pam for acupuncture, click here.

  A Fertility Acupuncture Primer by Pamela Policastro L.Ac.

Even though it may seem like a new trend to the modern fertility patient, the use of the Chinese healing art of acupuncture to treat fertility is one that can be dated back at least two thousand years.   A lot of my patients are curious about the “tools of the trade,” because like a modern doctor, I do use an array of therapeutic instruments to treat my patients.  The tools I use to help restore my patient’s fertility may not require as much electricity as an RE’s, but since they have been passed down and perfected over a couple thousand years, I would definitey argue that they are pretty state-of-the-art. 

You may have heard that one of the most important concepts of Chinese medicine for fertility (or any other illness/symptom) is that of natural balance.  When proper balance of energy exists, the body has acheived  a healthy circulation of qi, or life force.  Qi flows throughout the body along channels called “meridians”.  When the flow of qi is insufficient, unbalanced, or interrupted, illness may occur.  Acupuncture is the insertion of very fine needles (sometimes in combination with electrical stimulus or with heat produced by burning specific herbs called Moxibustion – more about  this later)  into the skin at specific acupuncture points in order to influence the functioning of the body.  The choice of acupuncture points varies from patient to patient and treatment to treatment and relies on very careful diagnosis of different kinds (another topic!).

Let us first discuss the acupuncture needle.  The earliest primitive acupuncture instrument used in ancient China was the “stone needle” (ouch!).  This eventually developed into what is called “the nine needles” made of metal.  The nine needles were used for various depths of entry into the body and were of different shapes and sizes:  sharpened, round, elongated and miniature.  With the advance of manufacturing technology, acupuncture needles are being made with greater and greater precision.  Modern acupuncure needles are about the thickness of a hair brush wire and are designed to be virtually painless upon insertion.  The needles modern TCM practitioners use are single-use and sterile.

Today, like the acupuncturists of two thousand years ago, the acupuncture needle is used by the practitioner to unblock energy flow in order to restore health or reduce pain.  For example, the acupuncturist can move stagnation to relieve painful pms symptoms.  The needles are also used for supplementing various deficiencies; to treat a woman who has missed a period due to blood deficiency, for example.  Lastly, the needles can also be used to drain an excess which is creating imbalance as in the case of a woman who experiences extra-long periods and may have excess heat in the blood.

So now you know a bit more about acupuncture and needles.  Stay tuned for the next chapter of  “Tools of the TCM Trade.”  Please feel free to comment with any questions you may have about acupuncture and the treatment of infertility. 

To book an initial fertility acupuncture consultation with Pamela at our Arlington Heights office, click here.