Quote:
Originally Posted by hippieintraining
I came across these terms for the first time today, I'm kind of interested on you guys take on them. My theory is that moxibustion seems like the only one that may not be harmful. Kind of want to try moxibustion now...
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Moxibustion, which is a traditional medical treatment having originated in China, is actually the one which may produce the most harm. Following are excerpts from two articles about moxibustion, as well as Links to the entire articles. One article is from the
National Institutes of Health in the United States, and the other article is authored by three staff members from both the
Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Shanghai, China, and the
Shanghai Research Center of Acupuncture & Meridian, also in Shanghai, China.
The authors of both the U.S. article and the Chinese article try to tiptoe around the safety issue. However, despite the positive spin that the authors wrote into their lengthy compositions, it's clear from the relatively brief excerpts that moxibustion is not as safe as they conclude.
First, from the
National Institutes of Health article, entitled:
The Mechanism of Moxibustion: Ancient Theory and Modern Research
"There is still a debate on the safety of moxa smoke. Some reports showed that moxa smoke may be harmful to the human body, such as causing allergic reactions [49, 50]. The mugwort leaf contains terpenes; it may produce polycyclic aromatic carcinogens [cancer causing substances] in the process of combustion, and during moxibustion, the concentration of pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and particulates, is tenfold higher than the level of standard class II which was issued in the State Environmental Protection Act. They would do damage to the patients and staffs [51]. But a research giving consideration to short-term and long-term exposure showed that the volatile matter and carbon monoxide generated by the smoke of moxa under normal operating conditions did not exceed the safety level [52]."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3789413
Next, from the three authors with the
Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the
Research Center of Acupuncture & Meridian, both in Shanghai, China - an excerpt from their article entitled:
Safety of Moxibustion: A Systematic Review of Case Reports by
Ji Xu, Hongyong Deng, and Xueyong Shen
"ABSTRACT
Moxibustion is a traditional medical treatment originating in China. It involves using the heat of burning moxa to stimulate acupoints. It is considered safe and effective and is widely used throughout the world. The increasing use of moxibustion has drawn attention to the procedure's adverse events (AEs). This review covers a total of 64 cases of AEs associated with moxibustion in 24 articles, reported in six countries. Some evidence of the risks of moxibustion has been found in these cases. AEs include allergies, burns, infection, coughing, nausea, vomiting, fetal distress, premature birth, basal cell carcinoma ( BCC) [skin cancer], ectropion ["Ectropion is a condition in which the eyelid is turned outward and doesn't come in contact with the eyeball. ...the two eyelids can't meet properly, and tears aren't spread over the eyeball. ...can be treated by surgery, if necessary" from the
MERCK MANUAL OF MEDICAL INFORMATION HOME EDITION, 1999], hyperpigmentation, and even death. The position, duration, distance between moxa and skin, proficiency of the practitioners, conditions of the patients, presence of smoke, and even the environment of treatment can affect the safety of moxibustion. Improving practitioner skill and regulating operations may reduce the incidence of adverse reactions and improve the security of moxibustion."
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2014/783704
My advice - forget about moxibustion, that is if you're interested in good health!!!
Magnet therapy, cupping, and moxibustion?
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