Services - Auxiliary Modalities

Cupping

Cupping consists in applying one or several cups to the skin with suction created either with a vacuum pump or with heat. Cups are placed on the body for 5 to 20 minutes over acupuncture points or covering a wider area, such as the back or the abdomen. This painless process turns the skin red or purple and leaves a mark which may last up to one week.

Cupping literally sucks out excess moisture, chills, dampness, and leaked blood. It is used for problems caused by ‘wind-chill' or ‘excess damp' which include symptoms like:

• Arthritis - Rheumatic conditions
• Abdominal pain - Bruising and abscesses
• Indigestion - Headaches
• Common colds - Cough
• Low back pain
• Painful menstruation, and more.

‘Gua Sha' ("Scraping")

‘Gua Sha' is widely used as a home remedy in the East for diseases caused by‘Wind' or ‘Cold', ‘Summer Heat' or ‘Dampness' which are pathogens leading to blockage of the meridians.

Using a round edged tool, commonly a Chinese soup spoon lubricated with salted water or oil, the skin is "scraped" until the area turns red. If small petechiae or ecchymotic patches form, these indicate stagnation of ‘Blood', known as ‘Sha syndrome'. If the skin turns just a pink blush, Sha syndrome is not present.

‘Gua Sha' is commonly used for drawing excess heat, expedite acute illnesses and prevent the onset of illnesses. Among the most common symptoms treated are:

fever - heat stroke - colds - headaches
painful joints - indigestion - rigidity - numbness
pain - constriction, and more.

Moxibustion

Moxibustion is often used in conjunction with shiatsu or acupuncture treatments because it is an ideal way to boost the benefits of those therapies.

This practice may appear quite foreign and even "primitive" to some Westerners who find it hard to believe that something which causes a burn or a scar, could possibly be considered a health practice. This belief was further reinforced when Occupation Governments systematically banned acupuncture, moxibustion and all traditional forms of medicine for being mere barbaric and primitive practices. Traditional practitioners however, vigorously fought back and eventually prevailed, and so, these traditional forms of medicine survived to this day.

Moxibustion (from "moxa"or burning in Japanese) consists in giving a heat stimulus to the body by burning various points on the surface of the skin. Dried "wool" from the leaves of the mugwort plant (artemisia vulgaris), is the combustion material used ; in Japan, it is also used internally as an effective diuretic and antipyretic.  This herb also stops bleeding and promotes digestion.

There are essentially two methods of applying ‘moxa': the direct method and the indirect one.

Direct ‘Moxa'

This method burns ‘moxa' directly on the skin after applying an ointment (‘shiunko') made of sesame oil, bees wax and honey to protect the skin. A small amount of ‘moxa' (the size of half a grain of rice) is burnt to give a heat stimulus. The heat produced rather than dispersing over the skin surface, penetrates deeply into the underlying tissues similar to the heat stimulus achieved by lasers. This procedure may leave a reddish spot on the skin. A small closed bamboo tube is sometimes used over the ignited ‘moxa' and pressed down to disperse and stop the heat bite. Alternatively, the ignited ‘moxa' can simply be removed just before the fire reaches the skin. In Japan, however, it is not unusual to deliberately burn the skin when doing ‘moxa', for it is believed that the full effects on chronic cases are only shown after a scab is formed. In the West, causing burns is not considered to be sound health practice.

Indirect ‘Moxa'

This method uses filters between the skin and the ‘moxa', such as slices of ginger, onion, garlic, salt or miso. ‘Moxa' applied in this way is less hot and will definitely not mark the skin. ‘Moxa' sticks are also used. Ignited ‘moxa' sticks are held close to the skin to generate the heat stimulus.

Purpose of Moxibustion

‘Moxa' is used essentially for:
- warming the meridians and expelling ‘Cold'
- inducing a smooth flow of ‘Qi' and ‘Blood'
- strengthening ‘Yang'
- preventing diseases and maintaining good health.

Benefits of Moxibustion

There are many benefits to moxibustion. Among the most important are:

* Increase of blood cell counts, especially white blood cells (i.e. better
immunity)
* Effective reduction of pain and inflammation (because of its deep penetration)
* Improvement of motor nerve functions
* Stimulation of the functions of the internal organs
* Normalization of the ANS resulting in: increased resistence to diseases,
better sleep, restored appetite and improved general well-being.

Compresses and Poultices

Compresses and poultices are widely used as home remedies in both the Eastern and Western traditions. Compresses are usually made of liquid solutions into which a cloth is dipped and placed on the body. Poultices are composed of herbs or other substances, often mixed with flower and placed on the body for longer periods of time.These practices usually aim at:

- increasing blood and lymphatic circulation
- drawing out excess heat
- warming cold areas

These home remedies do help with:

pain - strains - arthritis - rheumatism - abscesses - bruising
swelling - nervous disorders - strengthening the internal organs.

Common types are:

* Ginger Compresses: for muscle tension, blood stagnation, poor circulation
* Mustard Plasters: for cold conditions (bronchitis, common colds, etc.)
* Salt Packs: for abdominal / menstrual cramps, diarrhea, ear pain
* Potato Plasters: for inflammation, internal fever, allergies, fibroids, swelling and pain.

Direct Moxa