Moxibustion in North American Acupuncture
Admin • 26 November 2020
Moxibustion in North American Acupuncture: Historical Perspective
The Pacific Wellness Institute, Toronto, Ontario
Dept. of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tsukuba University of Technology, Japan
Tim H. Tanaka, Ph.D. December 14, 2006
Although moxibustion has been an integral part of the original concepts of acupuncture, I was surprised to learn that it is somewhat ignored by many acupuncturists in Western countries. A growing number of Canadians have experienced acupuncture, yet only a few have ever tried moxibustion treatment.
Why has this strange phenomenon occurred in North America? One reason could be related to one historical event that took place in China which opened many Westerners eyes to the hitherto unknown possibilities of non-western medicine.
In 1971 when President Nixon visited China, New York Times foreign correspondent James Reston wrote a personal account about how acupuncture reduced his post surgical abdominal pain. His well-publicized article is considered the first news of acupuncture to hit the mass English-speaking media. The curiosity and excitement generated further intensified shortly after when successful open heart surgery using only acupuncture as anesthesia was reported (1). A sharp incline in the number of acupuncture studies published in English has strengthened the case for acupuncture’s potential as a painkiller. The technique used in the Chinese hospital involved application of intense electric current using inserted acupuncture needles as electrodes. Since there is a similarity to conventional physiotherapy procedures, this modern version of acupuncture technique called electro-acupuncture was quickly adapted into many pain management clinics in North America as an additional analgesic method. Accordingly, a number of training courses in acupuncture have also been established. Most of the courses offered (especially the ones for medical professionals such as MDs, physiotherapists, Chiropractors, etc.) largely focus on electro-acupuncture and do not cover in depth many traditional acupuncture techniques such as moxibustion.
Although the initial excitement about acupuncture anesthesia three decades ago has long been over (surgery is rarely attempted with acupuncture alone, even in China1), electro-acupuncture is still very commonly used technique in North America today, especially for the temporal management of pain. It is interesting to note that electro-acupuncture is also one of the main techniques used by Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners (TCM is the most common acupuncture system used in the US and Canada. See www.acupuncture-treatment.com/styles.html to learn more about different acupuncture styles).
In my opinion, the history of acupuncture in North America basically began with the modern version of acupuncture called electro-acupuncture which does not typically involve Eastern diagnosis and other ancient techniques such as moxibustion. The influence has carried on thereafter.
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Effects of moxibustion for COVID-19 convalescence A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis
Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is still spreading around the world. Moxibustion, as a significant therapy in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has been widely used to treat COVID-19, especially in recovery period. The study will aim to assess the efficacy and safety of moxibustion for COVID-19 convalescence. Methods: We will systematically search the relevant randomized controlled trials in the 7 databases from inception to February 2021, including PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Clinical Trials Database, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database. No language and publication status restrictions will be applied. Two reviewers will independently conduct and screen all included studies and the meta-analysis will be performed with RevMan V5.3 (The Cochrane Collaboration, Oxford, England). Results: The study will provide a high-quality convincing assessment of the efficacy and safety of moxibustion for the treatment of COVID-19 convalescence, which will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. Conclusion: Our study will give more comprehensive evidence of the effectiveness of moxibustion for COVID-19 convalescence. Source: https://journals.lww.com/md-journal/Fulltext/2021/04090/Effects_of_moxibustion_for_COVID_19_convalescence_.72.aspx
Alternative medicine of Corona virus