Traditional Chinese Flu Treatments

Acupuncture is an effective treatment for various ailments. And the Chinese have also been using it to prevent and treat the common flu.

[Fan Changwei, Acupuncturist]: (Male, Mandarin)
„The flu is growing and spreading, actually the ancient Chinese had many methods to prevent epidemics and moxibustion was one. The mugwort herb used in moxibustion was the most important medicine in ancient China for treating epidemics.“

Usually associated with just needles, acupuncture in fact consists of two elements. The first involves inserting of needles into acupoints in the body, and the other is moxibustion – the burning of moxa over the body.

The practice of burning moxa and the herb mugwort, can treat ailments like stomach pain, infertility, and insomnia… among other things.

A burning stick of moxa is moved across a patient’s skin, either in circular pattern or along the spine or focusing on certain points.

Acupuncture doctor Fan Changwei uses the moxibustion method on his patients and it has been effective for flu symptoms.

[Yang Shuling, Acupuncture Patient]: (Mandarin)
„A friend of mine told me that Dr. Fan offers good treatments so I came to see him. I stopped coughing after three visits. Before that I had been coughing for almost two weeks. Recently I have felt a pain in my wrist so I am here again, I feel really released after the treatment.“

Traditional Chinese medicine theory states that the human body is made up of an energy known as qi. This energy is then split into „yin“ and „yang“ which are seen as two opposing elements.

Moxibustion is linked with „yang“ and the plant mugwort is believed to be full of „yang“ energy. Therefore it is used as a treatment for diseases caused by too much coldness, or „yin,“ in the body.

For more daring clients, small cones of moxa are also placed above pressure points and burned directly onto the skin.

(NTDTV)