Design and application of a new type of long snake moxibustion box

Abstract

Long snake moxibustion, a kind of indirect moxibustion therapy for stimulating the midline part of the back of the patient's body after playing a layer of ginger or garlic mud, is frequently used to treat spine disorders and deficiency-cold type syndromes. In the present paper, we introduced our newly made moxibustion box for applying long snake moxibustion which is safe and easy to operate and can be freely moved at any time in the treatment of vertebral diseases, and conveniently makes the ignited-moxa close to the locus. This newly-designed moxibustion box is made of two lines of paralleled flexible connection side plates hinged ends to ends and two U-like connection plates at the opposite two ends to construct a rectangular frame device. The hinged design makes the long snake moxibustion box conform to the physiological curvature of human body and its length can be adjusted according to the height of patients. When used in clinical practice, it can enhance the patients' safety and reduce the operator's working intensity, and may be helpful to the popularization and development of long snake moxibustion therapy.