Moxibustion
Moxibustion warms a point with a smoldering stick of mugwort held near the skin, never on it. It is offered with an acupuncture visit and only if you want it.
Who usually comes in
People who like warmth, and who come in cold or tense. It is an add-on to a visit: ask for it, or ask your acupuncturist whether it suits you.
Services
What a visit is like, in order
A visit with moxibustion adds about ten minutes, and you may feel warm and a little sleepy afterward.
- 01
Step 1: We talk
Your acupuncturist asks about heat, smoke and scents before anything is lit. Say if any of them bother you.
- 02
Step 2: We choose the point
The warmth is held a few inches from the skin over a point or an area, and moved away when it feels warm.
- 03
Step 3: You say when
You tell us right away if it feels too hot. The stick is held in a metal holder and put out in a dish of sand after use.
- 04
Step 4: A little time to settle
The room is aired afterward. You may smell mugwort on your clothes for an hour or so.
Services
Tell us first
Say any of these when you book, and again at the visit.
A treatment cycle or a pregnancy
If you are or might be pregnant, or in a treatment cycle, tell us before you book. We may leave moxibustion out and will explain why.
Blood thinners
A blood thinner doesn't change moxibustion much, but it changes the needle part of a visit. Tell us either way.
A bleeding disorder
A bleeding disorder matters mostly for the needles. Tell us, and we plan the whole visit around it.
A pacemaker or an implanted device
Moxibustion doesn't use electricity. Tell us about a pacemaker or an implant anyway, so your acupuncturist plans the rest of the visit.
Lymph node removal
Lymph node removal changes how we use heat on that limb. Tell us and we avoid it.
A fear of needles
Moxibustion has no needles. You can ask for it alone, after your acupuncturist has talked it over with you.
How many visits, and what this does not do
Some people ask for it at every visit and others once. Your acupuncturist suggests it, and you decide.
What it does not do
Moxibustion does not replace your clinic's care. We make no promise about a result, and we don't use it with a numb area of skin or a fever.
When to see a doctor instead
Call your reproductive clinic or your doctor first for heavy bleeding, severe pelvic pain, a fever, sudden swelling, or any symptom your clinic has told you to report. For chest pain, trouble breathing or sudden weakness or numbness, call 911.
Book a first visit
Tell us your clinic's dates and we will plan around them. See how fees work before you book.