Pain is one of the most commonly treated conditions in our Flatiron office. We use a multifaceted approach utilizing chiropractic, physical therapy and acupuncture.
Chiropractic focuses on correcting structural abnormalities, physical therapy examines movement patterns in everyday life which may be contributing to the pain and aims to re-educate how the body moves through space.
Acupuncture focuses on soft tissue work releasing adhesions and restrictions in muscles, fascia, and connective tissue.
Sometimes pain may worsen with certain weather conditions. I have noticed in NYC that the weather can change very quickly from day to day. This year in 2020, we were experiencing temperatures of 60 degrees plus in January, which then drops back to the 30’s by the next day.
You may have heard of people who know when it is going to rain because they can feel their joints start to ache. In these cases acupuncture is combined with moxibustion to alleviate this pain pattern.
What is Moxibustion?
Many have heard of acupuncture, but in our Manhattan office, whenever I ask patients who have previously had acupuncture, if they are familiar with moxibustion, most are not. Moxibustion is made from the herb mugwort which is burned as a heat source to warm various tissues of the body.In traditional Chinese medical theory, when the weather changes usually going from hot to cold, circulation in the joints or previously injured areas are decreased. Sometimes there are people who have histories of prolong exposure to cold.
Benefits of Moxibustion
When this occurs, cold may get stuck in the body. Stuck coldness in the body is a strange phenomenon. When treating these areas that have chronic cold, the needle handles will actually become cold although a heat lamp is placed over the area. Treating cold in the body may take a long time and is likened to a glacier melting in nature.
Moxibustion is a wonderful supplementary technique to alleviate cold conditions. There is something special about the moxa herb which penetrates deeper in the body promoting circulation and relaxing areas that are tense.
Methods of Using Moxibustion
There are different methods of moxibustion one is direct the other is indirect. Direct moxibustion is the original practice of moxibustion. The herb is actually burned on the skin, but don’t worry, this method does not burn you or leave scars because the amount of Moxa placed is the size of 1/2 a rice grain.
Moxa sticks are another method, where a pole of Moxa is held above the skin. This method is good because it can warm a larger surface area, but it does not penetrate as deeply into the body. However, Moxa sticks are very easy to use and patients can be given a stick to take home and use daily. Daily use of moxibustion can really aid in the healing process.
The last method is called warm needle technique where the Moxa is placed on the needle handle and heats the needle as well as the surrounding tissue. This is a wonderful technique to alleviate localized painful conditions which are fixed in the body. Because the needle is touching the areas of inflammation, when Moxa is placed on the needle handle, warmth is promoted directly to the diseased area.
Both of these modalities work synergistically. Acupuncture works on releasing the muscles and connective tissue, while moxa promotes healing by improving blood flow through warmth. Moxibustion and acupuncture together can alleviate stubborn and chronic pain conditions especially those which are worsened by cold weather.
