Other techniques
Natural remedies for health
Moxa and other therapies
Acupuncture and herbal medicine are amazing on their own, but sometimes they benefit from something a little extra. Moxibustion, cupping, breath-work, qi gong, yoga, energy work and sensory techniques can all bring specific benefits to treatment and help re-connect you with yourself.
I might incorporate some of these techniques into a treatment session, or show you a simple exercise or breathing technique you can do at home.
I also run a variety of occasional workshops, such as’Forest bathing’ The 5 senses, ‘forest bathing;, or The Vibrational world,.
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Moxa
Moxibustion used alone or together with acupuncture, is an ancient Chinese treatment often used to bring warmth to a cold system or local area. Its use probably predates acupuncture by several centuries.
The moxa herb is gathered from the underside of the leaves of the motherwort plant – Ai Ye in Chinese medicine. This ‘wool’ is dried in the summer sun and can be used in various ways
Small rolls of moxa – about as thick as your little finger – can be placed on the end of a needle to amplify its function, Tiny threads or small cones of the moxa ‘wool’ can be used – (on top of a barrier cream) – directly on an acupuncture point or at the base of a needle. A large cigar shaped roll can be used indirectly to warm larger areas or specific points.
Moxa might be used to alleviate pain, to ‘warm the uterus’ or treat infertility and is famously used to turn breach position babies.
I don’t know many patients who don’t love moxa treatments. They are warming, soothing – and somewhat mysterious..
For those of you who are interested here’s an article about modern research into moxibustion
Cupping
Cupping has been used for centuries all over the world, usually for the treatment of musculo-skeletal problems. The ancient Chinese expanded on this, developing techniques for treating problems such as respiratory, digestive, gynae and urinary problems.
Traditional chinese ‘fire’ cups were made from sections of bamboo, but today glass ones are generally used. A lighted taper is used to burn up the air inside the cup which is then quickly placed on the body.
The vacuum gently pulls the flesh up into the mouth of the cup, improving the flow of blood to the area, with all it’s healing properties. More recently, glass or plastic cups can be used with a vacuum pump.
Cupping usually leaves circular bruise marks. Athletes (and Holywood A listers) have often been seen wearing them as badges of honour!. The marks soon fade, but I wouldn’t recommend a cupping treatment just before you wear a backless evening gown!
Gua sha
Chinese thinking is based on the idea of change and movement. Your bodily energies need to move if you are to be healthy. When something stops the energies from moving, they are said to ‘stagnate’.
Gua sha is a method of scraping the skin to ‘move stagnation’ and so ‘release toxins’. By bringing blood and oxygen to the area It helps your cells work better, and promotes healing. It’s been used in China for over a 1000 years.
Ordinary people would use the edge of one of those ceramic chinese soup spoons, the more affluent might use jade or precious metals
Today, Gua Sha is not only used to treat such things as painful conditions, upper respiratory disease and headaches, but also as a gentle beauty treatment to help lift the facial contours and reduce wrinkles.
Meditation and visualisation
We live in such a hurried and scurried world that it’s easy to lose contact with who we are. Meditation and visualisation techniques can help us to find the stillness at the centre that provides a solid foundation for everything we do.
When we get in touch with ourselves, we can have a different relationship with our hopes and dreams and guide ourselves towards them with more certainty.
There’s loads of research showing that mindfulness techniques, breath-work and centering exercises such as qi gong, tai qi or yoga can help us overcome stress and even remove obstacles to becoming pregnant.
Breathing techniques
All so called ‘internal arts’ use some form of breathing technique. Yoga takes breathwork to a whole other level with its Pranayama, Qi Gong synchronises breathing with the exercises, and many meditation techniques use observation of the breath as a means to stilling the mind.
It may sound strange, but we can forget how to breath properly, especially when we’re stressed. Learning how to use your diaphragm properly and breathe into your abdomen (belly breathing) can really help you feel calm and in control, and help release tension in your abdomen and shoulders.
Breathing techniques really don’t need to be anything mystical or exotic Really simple techniques like observing the breath as it comes and goes, or counting the same number of seconds for the in-breath and out breath can also be very effective.
Qi Gong and yoga
Qi Gong is a series of gentle ancient chinese exercises, which can be used to treat health conditions or more broadly to reconnect mind, body and spirit. There are exercises for specific health issues, and famous routines such as the 8 Pieces of Brocade. The exercises are all fairly easy, don’t take too long and you can do them at home.
Yoga is more or less the grand-daddy of health exercise. It really became known in the west when the Beatles brought BKS Iyengar over to the UK. Although styles such as Ashtanga, or Bikram yoga focus largely on the physical aspects, in fact yoga (meaning a Yoke) is intended to unify the mind and body.
Most people have a preference for either a moving style such as Qi Gong or a static style such as yoga.
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