Acupuncture and moxibustion are two different methods of treating diseases. Acupuncture involves using metal needles to stimulate specific acupoints in the body, using appropriate techniques to regulate the meridians and harmonize qi and blood. Moxibustion generally refers to the burning of moxa sticks or moxa cones to warm and stimulate the skin at acupoints, aiming to promote the circulation of qi and blood, and dispel cold and alleviate pain. Both methods regulate the body's organs and meridians through acupoints, achieving the goal of preventing and treating diseases. The treatment principles of acupuncture and moxibustion are similar to oral medication, using tonification for deficiency patterns and purgation for excess patterns. The therapeutic effects of acupuncture and moxibustion include:
(1) Regulation: Acupuncture and moxibustion treatment aims to adjust the body's imbalances based on the nature of the disease, restoring the body's normal physiological balance. For example, acupuncture can promote normal intestinal movement in cases of reduced intestinal motility, while relieving excessive motility.
(2) Enhancement of immune function: Acupuncture and moxibustion have tonifying effects. Acupuncture and bloodletting have the effect of expelling pathogenic factors. Acupuncture and moxibustion have various effects on enhancing immunity, such as increasing the activity of the reticuloendothelial system and significantly affecting the increase of specific and non-specific antibodies in the body. They are commonly used in clinical practice for anti-infection, anti-allergy, and anti-cancer purposes.
(3) Blood circulation and pain relief: Acupuncture and moxibustion treatment involves needle insertion and moxibustion at acupoints, "regulating the meridians and promoting the circulation of qi and blood," which can effectively promote blood circulation, dissolve stasis, and alleviate pain.
(4) Tissue repair: The tissue repair effects of acupuncture and moxibustion have been widely confirmed in clinical practice. For example, acupuncture at facial acupoints can treat facial nerve paralysis, acupuncture at acupoints in the neck and arm can treat brachial plexus nerve paralysis, and acupuncture at acupoints in the upper limbs can treat median nerve paralysis, all of which have shown good therapeutic effects.
