Traditional Chinese medicine's moxibustion.

By Jiang Wanjuan

With acupuncture and moxibustion last week included on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list, their lesser-known compliments that don't involve needles or breaking the skin and form the practice of zhenjiu, are also attracting attention.

"Although using needles is most common, there are other ways of zhenjiu to stimulate the points and meridians that work equally effective," said Guo Changqing, professor of acupuncture and moxibustion at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine.

During nearly three decades of teaching and treating patients using traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) techniques, Guo, who is also a TCM doctor at Beijing's Hong Yitang Hospital, said that alternatives such as ear acupressure, cupping and scrap-ing are methods of zhenjiu that were first recorded over 2,000 years ago in the ancient Chinese medical text Huangdi Neijing, also known as The Inner Canon of Huangdi.

Moxibustion

It is generally believed that moxibustion appeared soon after the Chinese learnt to use fire some 3,000 years ago and people discovered that certain pains could be relieved by using heat from fire. TCM practitioners then developed this into a treatment by using moxa (mugwort), a herb of yang (warm) nature, to stimulate certain points and warm meridians to boost qi (energy) and blood circulation.

Moxa is usually dried and processed into sticks like cigars. Practitioners often light the stick and hold it about one inch above the skin for 20-30 minutes. Due to its yang nature, moxibustion is effective in treating diseases caused by wind, cold and damp, according to Guo.

"Because of the nature of the season, moxibustion is used more in winter than summer," he said. "But as people catch cold more often because of using air conditioners, I also treat many patients with moxibustion in summer."

Other common problems that can be treated by using moxibustion include arthritis, poor digestion, menstruation pain and fatigue and neck, shoulder and waist pain.

"For people with no particular problem, doing moxibustion on often-used acupoints can help them stay healthy and prolong life," Guo said.

Such acupoints include zusanli, three inches down from the knee, guanyuan, four finger-widths below the navel and mingmen, on the lower back, at the level of the navel.

Hospitals do not use moxibustion as often as needle acupuncture because it is less profitable and has a pungent smell that may upset other patients, Guo added.

"As moxibustion is not painful at all, many of my patients who are afraid of needles ask for it," he said. "After I give them some simple directions, they can do it at home."

Moxibustion sticks are easy to use and available at most TCM clinics and even online. The price can be as low as 10 yuan ($1.50) for a pack of 10.

People who suffer from cold hands and feet in winter can do moxibustion at home to warm up the body, according to Guo, but for people with more serious problems, it must be done under the supervision of doctors. Pregnant women and women who are menstruating should avoid moxibustion, he said.

Traditional Chinese medicine's cupping.

Ear acupressure

In China and places where TCM is popular, it is not hard to come across people with tiny squares of sticking plaster taped to their ears.

Ear acupressure is a special type of healing that uses small pellets plastered onto the ears at acupoints.

In TCM theory, the ear is like a microsystem and each part corresponds with a certain part of the body, so different symptoms in the body can be relieved through corresponding points on the ear. For example, the earlobe relates to the mouth and face and the middle ear relates to internal organs.

"It is similar to hand and foot therapy," Guo explained.

Ear acupressure can treat most problems associated with functional change, such as menstruation pain, kidney disease, headache and insomnia.

The pellets used in ear acupressure can be millet, green bean or rapeseed, with the most frequently-used wang bu liu xing, or cowherb seed, which is a quarter of the size of a green bean.

"It causes no pain or trauma and can function on the ears for a few days, so a lot of patients prefer it," Guo said.

"It is sometimes used together with needle acupuncture on the body to enhance the treatment," he added.

Cupping and scraping

Cupping involves creating a vacuum by burning the oxygen in a lightbulb-shaped container and then sticking it to the skin to draw fresh blood to the surface. It is used for many conditions including back, shoulder and neck pain and colds.

The cups usually stay on the skin for 10-15 minutes. Although bamboo and iron cups still exist, glass cups are used in most cases because it allows the practitioner to see the color change on the skin.

Scraping helps move stagnation and draw out toxins by vigorously rubbing the skin, usually on the patient's back, with a smooth-edged instrument until the skin turns red. It can remove cold, damp and heat in the body and is commonly used to treat fever, heatstroke and joint pain.

"Cupping and scraping can both boost the blood flow and unblock meridians, while cupping functions at a deeper level and scraping at the surface of the skin," Guo said.

"Nowadays, cupping and scraping are also often used to relax tight and aching muscles to relieve tiredness and fatigue," he added.

While cupping and scraping are considered relatively safe, Guo said that people who want to practice it at home, should seek guidance from a qualified TCM doctor.

Wang Ning contributed to the story.