Abstract
“Acupmoxa” is a hybrid word of “acupuncture” and “moxibustion” that more closely resembles the Chinese ideograph for this treatment. People in Western countries are more familiar with acupuncture, while moxibustion is less popular, partially due to the paucity of scientific studies. Although the evidence-based efficacy of moxibustion needs to be further clarified, the mechanisms by which moxibustion may work include temperature-related and nontemperature-related ones. Local somatothermal stimulation (LSTS), one type of moxibustion, is achieved by application of a heat source to and above the acupoint. Such mild heat stimulation of the acupoint induces little skin damage, in contrast to the burning effect of moxibustion, but does provoke mild oxidative stress in the viscera. Thus, preconditioned LSTS at the peripheral acupoints LR 14 and PC 6 of animals is able to induce visceral HSP70 expression and to protect the liver and the heart against ischemia-reperfusion injury. Nontemperature-related mechanisms include smoke, herbs, and biophysical (far infrared) stimulation. We conclude that LSTS, a remote preconditioning method, has potential clinical usefulness. However, evidence-based efficacy and safety studies involving large-scaled clinical trials are needed in order that this approach will pass muster with Western scientists.
Highlights
“Acupmoxa” is a hybrid word of “acupuncture” and “moxibustion” that more closely resembles the Chinese ideograph for this treatment
Direct moxibustion is defined as application of moxa sticks onto or above the destined acupoints on the body surface, while indirect moxibustion is the application of herbs between moxa sticks and the acupoints
Local somatothermal stimulation (LSTS), which was compared with whole-body hyperthermia, was achieved by the application of a heat generator to and above (0.5 cm) the acupoint without any contact with the skin surface; a fluctuating skin temperature was obtained by intermittently turning on and off the heat generator (4 minutes on and 5 minutes off for three cycles)
Summary
“Acupmoxa” is a hybrid word of “acupuncture” and “moxibustion” that more closely resembles the Chinese ideograph for this treatment. In contrast to the development of Western medicine, which can be traced back to Hippocrates via a clear and distinct route, Chinese acupmoxa theory was already fully developed by the end of the 2nd century BCE. In 1972, documents written on silk scrolls in a Ma-Wang-Dui tomb sealed in 198 BCE were discovered in China. This discovery included documents that only relate to moxibustion and do not include any references to acupuncture or acupoints. The documents refer to eleven lines of channel (meridians), which suggests that the origins of moxibustion and of meridians are earlier than those of acupuncture and acupoints [3]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
