Moxa, cupping, Gua Sha, or Tui Na?
That’s a tough question for an acupuncturist because each of these therapies has its own unique benefits and place within Traditional East Asian Medicine. But if Dr. Katrina had to choose just one, there would be no hesitation: moxibustion—better known as moxa—wins.
Her love for moxibustion stems from her extensive training in Japanese style acupuncture, where classes and clinic shifts went more in depth into applying moxa in treatments.
Japanese Acupuncture: Same Roots, Different Approach
Japanese-style acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine share many of the same classical roots and foundational texts, but the approaches can differ in how those principles are interpreted and applied. Dr. Katrina discovered that she particularly enjoyed the Japanese approach both when receiving acupuncture herself and when treating patients because those treatments yielded better results.
While earning her master’s degree, she specifically chose Japanese acupuncture electives and even audited the classes after completing them to strengthen her education. She trained under supervisors who specialized in Japanese acupuncture, attended seminars to expand her knowledge, and continued studying the techniques beyond the basic curriculum. She also served as a tutor while in school, helping fellow students better understand Japanese acupuncture as well as other areas of their education.
Throughout those classes and clinic shift, Dr. Katrina’s love of moxa as a therapy grew as she continued to develop her techniques and expand her knowledge.
What Exactly Is Moxa?
Moxibustion is a traditional therapy that uses the gentle, therapeutic heat produced by burning moxa, which is made from the leaves of mugwort, to warm specific areas of the body or stimulate acupuncture points. The herb commonly used in Chinese medicine is known as Ai Ye.
Moxa has been used for centuries throughout East Asian medicine, and there is a reason it has remained an important part of traditional practice. Depending on how it is applied, the gentle heat can help warm areas of the body, promote circulation, relax muscles, and ease discomfort.
Dr. Katrina also has a particular appreciation for the quality of the moxa she uses. She likes to joke that moxa is a little like fine wine—it gets better with age. High-quality moxa tends to burn differently from lower-quality material, while inexpensive or lower-grade moxa can be considerably smokier and less pleasant for both the practitioner and patient.
Because creating a comfortable treatment experience is important to her, Dr. Katrina prefers using high-quality moxa whenever possible.
Why Does Dr. Katrina Love Moxa?
There is something uniquely soothing about the warmth of moxa. Unlike many other therapies, moxibustion brings heat into the treatment itself. Depending on the technique and the individual patient, that warmth may help promote circulation, relax muscles, ease discomfort, reduce swelling, warm areas of the body, and support the body’s natural healing processes.
Of course, moxa isn’t appropriate for every person, every condition, or every treatment. The individual patient’s health history, presentation, treatment goals, and the specific area being treated all help determine whether moxibustion is appropriate and how it should be performed. Proper technique, careful monitoring, and experience are especially important because moxa involves heat and must be used with care and precision.
That’s part of what Dr. Katrina enjoys about it. Moxa isn’t simply one technique. There are numerous ways to incorporate it into a treatment, each providing a different therapeutic effect. The most frequent ways she incorporates moxa in her patients’ treatments are Tonetskyu (rice grain moxibustion), Chinetskyu (heat perception moxibustion) and Shintokyu (needle head moxibustion).
Rice Grain Moxibustion
As the name suggests, rice grain moxibustion uses very small pieces of moxa—approximately the size and shape of a grain of rice. The moxa is carefully formed and placed on specific areas or acupuncture points.
Because the pieces are so tiny, this technique allows Dr. Katrina to work with remarkable precision. A small amount of burn cream may be used to help secure the moxa and protect the skin. The moxa is then carefully burned then extinguished between her fingers, before the burning portion reaches the patient’s skin. This creates a brief, concentration of therapeutic warmth that penetrates the area.
It’s a tiny amount of moxa, applied to a tiny area, but it can be a fascinating and very precise traditional technique.
Heat Perception Moxibustion
This approach involves forming moxa into a cone shape, approximately the size of an almond. The cone is carefully secured to the skin with burn cream then burned close to the skin while the practitioner monitors the heat and the patient’s response. Before the burned portion reaches the skin or it starts to feel hot for the patient, the moxa is removed and placed in water or an ashtray.
This allows the warmth to be experienced over a broader area and can be particularly soothing when addressing areas of muscle tension or discomfort. It is extremely effective for swelling in certain areas, as well.
Needle Head Moxa
Another technique Dr. Katrina uses involves placing specially prepared, high-quality smokeless moxa cones on the ends of acupuncture needles. Moxa guards can be positioned around the needle to help support the needle and protect the skin.
As the moxa burns, the warmth travels down through the needle and into the surrounding area. Depending on the location of the needle and the therapeutic goal, this technique can provide deep warmth while helping relax muscles, promote circulation, and stimulate the acupuncture point.
And these are only a few examples. There are many other ways moxibustion can be incorporated into acupuncture treatments, which is part of what makes it such a versatile therapy.
There’s a Reason Training Matters
Moxa can look deceptively simple from the outside. But proper moxibustion requires considerably more than that. The practitioner needs to understand the material being used, the technique being performed, the patient’s individual presentation, the location being treated, the amount of heat being applied, and when moxa should—or shouldn’t—be used.
That’s why Dr. Katrina’s education and additional training in Japanese acupuncture and moxibustion are so important to her practice. The goal isn’t simply to use a traditional technique because it has been around for centuries. It’s to understand why you’re using it, how to use it appropriately, and how it fits into an individual’s overall treatment plan.
There’s a big difference between knowing about a therapy and knowing how to practice it safely and effectively.
For Dr. Katrina, moxa is one of those therapies that reminds her why she became so fascinated with Traditional East Asian Medicine in the first place. It combines centuries of tradition with the skill, precision, and individualized approach that she values in her practice.
So while she may have plenty of tools in her acupuncture toolbox, if someone puts her on the spot and says, “Pick one,” her answer is easy: Moxa.
