Stressed-out lawyer Wang Hui enters the Traditional Chinese
Medicine (TCM) clinic and is greeted by the distinct smell of burnt
mugwort wafting through the decorated rooms.
The 30-something woman complains to Dr Fan Changwei about her
unbearable stomach pain and a perplexing headache. Fan offers her
tea, as he does for every visitor to his clinic, to calm the
mind.
Fan asks questions about the busy Beijing woman's lifestyle and
then instructs one of his apprentices to apply the heat of a
smoking herbal stick over three acupuncture points.
Fan says Wang is a typical patient with "excessive liver fire".
"When the fire rises to the head, she feels a headache. On the
other hand, people with heat in the upper body commonly have cold
in the lower body, which causes stomachaches. The treatment will
lead the upper heat downward and push the lower cold out."
About an hour later, Wang steps out of the treatment room
feeling totally refreshed. She vows to go in for a more systematic
health check-up after this Spring Festival.
Wang was treated through moxibustion, a type of heat therapy
used in TCM to stimulate qi, and the circulation. A burning stick
of mugwort is positioned over the acupuncture points.
Mugwort, also known in the West as Amber or St John's Wort, was
used in ancient China to keep evil away. Even the Christian prophet
John the Baptist was believed to wear a belt made from this herb
for the same reason.
The herb, which is extracted from a daisy-like plant, has been
the focus of superstition but TCM has applied the crushed
daisy-like plant to treat patients for more than 1,000 years.
The original Chinese term for acupuncture was Zhen (needling)
and Jiu (moxibustion).
Compared to acupuncture treatment, moxibustion received far less
attention. However, some TCM doctors, such as Fan, are devoted to
moxibustion practice.
Clearing the cold
The moxibustion stick is created by rolling mugwort powder into
a piece of paper. The burning stick is waved a few centimeters over
the acupuncture points.
Heating one such point takes between 10 to 15 minutes until the
skin becomes slightly reddish. During the process, mugwort vapors
and other TCM ingredients enter the pores of the skin.
According to Fan, moxibustion has benefits that modern science
cannot explain but can be clearly felt by people receiving it.
Knowledge of the acupuncture points is the key.
For example, when heating the Yang Guan point, which is located
on the waist between the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebra, the
patient can feel his entire stomach becoming warm. Also, the heat
spreads from the waist to the buttock, legs, down to the feet.
Moxibustion is commonly used for people who have a cold. TCM
believes that cold in the body results in slow flow or even
stagnation of qi, thus causing different ailments. The heat from
moxibustion can move qi, quicken the blood, and expel cold and
dampness.
According to doctor Fan, moxibustion therapy is effective in
treating diarrhea, asthma, rheumatism, inflammations, hypertension,
menstrual disorders and cramps, bone wound, stomach and abdomen
pains.
He cited menstrual cramps as an example of effective treatment
with moxibustion.
A majority of women nowadays have a cold constitution. This is
partly because of dieting and wearing fewer or thinner clothes,
according to Fan. As a result, their menstrual blood tends to
become stagnant owing to cold, thus causing pains. When the cold is
dispersed, the blood flows smoothly again and the pain symptoms
disappear.
More than medical practice
Practicing moxibustion is not simply a medical practice and
practitioners should be well-versed in traditional Chinese culture
and morals, according to Fan.
"Moxibustion is not simply burning a stick of mugwort, but
manipulate the heat with the mind. Any mental disturbance in the
process affects the cure. Only the well-cultured practitioner can
concentrate on the therapy," he said.
He tells his apprentices that healthcare practitioners should
learn how to preserve their own health first because the patients
often view their doctors as their role models.
Modern life seems to have little effect on Fan's own life. He
observes strictly a traditional schedule of work and rest. He goes
to bed at about nine o'clock every evening. He barely watches any
TV. Early in the morning, he leads his apprentices to play Tai
Chi.
The ancient Chinese cultural classics, such as The Analects
of Confucius, Tao Te Ching, and The Yellow
Emperor's Canon of Internal Medicine are a must-study for the
apprentices. They also practice Chinese calligraphy.
Every Friday afternoon, all the workers in Fan's clinic sit
together to learn the Apprentice Regulation, a textbook of
etiquette and morals for the youngsters. For example, respect for
their parents, caution, keeping to their word and not tolerating
waste.
Doctor Fan believes that the key to good health is a calm mind.
When the mind is calm, the flow of qi and blood is smooth and this
keeps diseases at bay. Moxibustion helps restore this harmony.
(China Daily January 17, 2007)
