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About Moxa
 

Moxa is a herb that is used in acupuncture, along with needles, to stimulate the flow of 'qi' in the body. You may receive moxa at Gateway to enhance the potential effectiveness of treatment. From a Chinese medical perspective it is possible that moxa can be an especially useful adjunct treatment for auto-immune problems such as Crohn's disease - but there is no research as of yet. Moxa is more well known as a treatment for correcting breech birth, and whist further research is required, its cost effectiveness has been demonstrated - see below.

Moxa comes in various grades - from very course to very pure - and it is used in different ways. It might be burnt as a moxa stick and  used to gently warm an area of the body. It might also be burnt on the top of a needle. Finally, there is 'direct moxabustion' which is where cones of moxa are placed directly on the skin, and burnt - taking care not to cause pain or skin damage. Japanese practitioners tend to favour direct moxa, especially the use of very tiny 'thread moxas' , which can be used to disperse or build the qi. Scientific research has suggested moxa may have powerful effects (see Craig and Young, North American Journal of Oriental Medicine;) these may be due to multiple mechanisms such as heat triggered responses from receptor proteins, autonomic nervous system responses, chemical responses and cellular responses that are activated by the absorption of specific wavelengths of infra red. 

The potential for this inexpensive herb to help with a range of problems looks very interesting indeed. Dutch health economists (van den Berg et al 2010) suggest that offering moxa to women with a breech foetus at 33 weeks is a highly cost effective option; it would save on the number of cesarian sections required, and of course it is far less intrusive and unpleasant to receive than mechanical manipulation. This treatment might be of great benefit in the developing countries and the third world - because it is a cheap treatment - it easy to grow moxa and easy to train people how to use it. Currently research is underway in Africa to investigate the potential for moxa to help patients suffering with drug resistant Tuberculosis. Conventional medicine is beyond the reach of millions of Africans and without treatment they will die. Here at Gateway we fully support the efforts of Moxafrica, the charity that is raising money to investigate whether moxa can be of help for drug resistant TB.