What is Moxibustion? Moxibustion is an ancient traditional Chinese treatment (TCM) that involves the burning of Mugwort near the surface of the skin. Mugwort is a common name for several species of aromatic plants belonging to the genus Artemisia. Other names include wormwood and green ginger. Moxibustion is frequently used in conjunction with acupuncture treatments. …
In medicine we regard pain as a symptom associated with an injury or some type of pathological process. However this excludes a large proportion of sufferers with psychological pain where there is no obvious physical cause. Unlike acute pain which usually has an organic cause, patients with psychological ailments have no obvious cause of the …
Endometriosis is a painful chronic condition that occurs when tissue similar to the endometrium (the tissue that lines the walls of the uterus) begins to grow outside of it e.g. ovaries and fallopian tubes. There is painful inflammation in the surrounding tissue which results in the formation of scar tissue. Typically this leads to pain …
Chronic pain affects a significant number of people worldwide. The exact number of people with chronic pain is not known but the numbers are not minuscule. For decades, acupuncture has been used to manage several types of acute and chronic pain disorders. The therapy utilities very fine needles that are inserted at specific anatomical sites …
St John’s Wort (SJW) also known as Hypericum perforatum is a shrub that has star shaped yellow flowers, leaves and stem commonly found in Europe and the US. Historically, it has been extensively used medicinal herb. The flowers and leaves contain active ingredients ‘hyperforin’ and ‘hypericin’ and new research suggests that taking the whole preparation …
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disorder that causes pain, stiffness, inflammation of the joints, joint deformity and reduced physical function. Autoimmune disorders are characterised by the body’s immune system attacking healthy body tissue. Both T- and B- immune cells are implicated in the underlying pathology due to overproduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Inevitably, it …
One would have thought that anatomist would have discovered everything there was to discover in the human body. Au Contraire! Hidden in plain sight researchers discovered the “Interstitium”; a mesh network of fluid filled spaces that lies along the web of collagen and elastin tissues throughout the body. It is estimated to be 20% of …
Smoking is a significant risk factor for many diseases including cancer, cardiovascular, chronic lung diseases and gastric ulcers. According to The WHO smoking kills nearly 6 million people each year i.e. approximately one death every six seconds. 5 million of these results directly from smoking, while more than 600,000 are due to passive smoking. Due …
Fibromyalgia is a chronic conditions that causes widespread pain in the body. It is accompanied by increased pain sensitivity, extreme tiredness, muscle stiffness, sleep difficulties, headaches, functional impairment e.g. memory and concentration (known as “fibro-fog”) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The cause of fibromyalgia is not well understood, but genetic, automimmune factors, traumatic events and …
Acupuncture has a long history of use to treat many conditions, including pain, depression, fatigue and addictions. It is known to effect local responses as well as distal changes through neurological and endocrine systems. When used together with heat treatment it can cause multiple biological responses, seen both in animals and humans. However, the mechanism and …
