In addition to the experience of more than 20 years of clinical acupuncture work in a general hospital, we interpret moxibustion therapy from the perspective of modern physics and propose the “wave-particle duality” principle of moxibustion therapy, so that we can re-understand moxibustion and interbody moxibustion therapy at a new level and provide ideas and directions for the research of moxibustion therapy mechanism. Acupuncture has a history of thousands of years, and its contribution to human health is recognized worldwide. With China’s accession to WTO, the most urgent task in front of us is to bring acupuncture and moxibustion into line with modern medicine.
In the current medical process, great emphasis is placed on the patient’s right to know.
Western medicine treatment often has a clear point of action, such as the inhibition of pathological targets, or blocking, or enhancing the role of the same disease pathology with the same drugs, there are ten thousand changes in the clear treatment principle of the solid. Compared to modern medicine, the research and explanation of the principles of acupuncture treatment is relatively lagging behind. This lag is by no means our acupuncture treatment (operation) means backward, but the current interpretation of acupuncture treatment mechanism and principle is not quite in line with the standards of modern science.
In the past, when all science and medicine were not developed, the simple Chinese medical theory was used to explain and treat diseases that could be accepted by everyone. At present, the application of traditional Chinese medicine theory of yin and yang, internal organs and meridians to explain the treatment principles of clinical acupuncture, including moxibustion therapy, can only be understood by Chinese medicine colleagues, which not only limits the communication with Western medicine colleagues, but also makes it difficult for contemporary patients to accept.
The following is an overview.
The modern physical theory of “wave-particle duality” refers to the fact that a substance has both wave and particle qualities. Under different conditions, it exhibits the properties of waves or particles, respectively.
1, moxibustion therapy “wave nature”
Modern physics has proved that the living human body itself is a natural source of infrared radiation, but also constantly absorbing infrared light from the outside world. And the human body through radiation heat exchange, to maintain the balance between the body and the external environment, to maintain the normal function of the body’s systems and organs. Acupuncture research has found that the infrared radiation spectra of human acupuncture points and non-acupuncture point areas differ greatly; the analysis and comparison of traditional moxibustion and human infrared radiation spectra found that moxibustion and human acupuncture point areas have a surprising consistency in infrared radiation spectra, which suggests that moxibustion must act on human acupuncture points in order to exert its therapeutic effect.
The thermal radiation energy spectrum of moxibustion is between 0.8 and 5.0 μm. When the infrared light of moxibustion acts on the acupuncture point tissues, the tissues absorb the light energy to convert it into bioenergy stored in ATP molecules, and with the hydrolysis of ATP, ATP is converted into ADP and energy is released, while ultra-weak photon radiation is produced, and the released energy is used as the energy source for life activities, and with the help of feedback regulation mechanism, the disordered function of energy/information metabolism in the pathological state is corrected to regulate/mobilize the organism The moxa leaves are used as the energy source for vital activities.
During moxibustion treatment, the temperature of moxa leaves burning emits light wave spectrum (frequency) energy to the tissue with strong permeability, i.e. strong absorption and high biological effect, which can directly increase the energy metabolism of local tissues, which is one of the principles of moxibustion for disease treatment. The temperature of moxibustion can be simply imitated. The moxibustion imitation instruments developed in recent years, is through the study and analysis of the thermal frequency spectrum issued by the burning of moxa leaves, simulating the frequency and temperature of moxibustion heat waves, developed moxibustion imitation instruments such as the divine lamp (TDP), infrared lamp, received good clinical efficacy.
2, moxibustion therapy “the nature of particles”
From the contemporary physical theory of material combustion, we know that “before the material burns, heated to a certain temperature, it will scatter the tiny particles unique to each material, and this scattered tiny particles are the smallest units of material properties, maintaining the chemical biological properties unique to this material.”
It is as if we can know what is cooking in a pot as soon as we enter the kitchen and smell the tiny particles specific to a certain dish. Such particles are unique and have a corresponding chemical-biological effect. Thus, if we are frying chili peppers, the tiny particles of chili peppers can stimulate our nose and tears down. Similarly, in the process of moxibustion, before the mugwort leaves are burned, during the heating process, the unique particles of mugwort escape, and these particles have a unique therapeutic effect on the medicinal properties of the mugwort leaves. This is the “nature of particles” of moxibustion therapy.
At present, the research on the active ingredients of Chinese medicine has achieved certain results, such as the extraction of effective monomers through the medium of water and alcohol, the active ingredient of Salvia miltiorrhiza is “Danshinone”, and the active ingredient of Ginseng is “Ginsenoside”. Although scientific research has known the phenomenon that the combustion of substances will produce their unique micro-particles, there is no scientific means to further study such unique micro-particles.
3.The “wave-particle duality” of moxibustion therapy
First, it is the temperature of moxa leaves burning to emit the corresponding spectral wave energy, which has the therapeutic effect of heat.
Second, moxa leaves in the process of heating, four dispersed with moxa leaves unique pharmacological effect of particles, and thermal radiation wave energy together to change the disease regression.
This dual action of heat (waves) and medicine (particles) in moxibustion therapy is called “wave-particle duality”.
In this way, it is easy to understand the unique therapeutic principle of moxibustion treatment, isolation (medicine) moxibustion. It is also a good idea to understand the “wave-particle duality” of moxibustion therapy, which will enable us to re-conceptualize moxibustion treatment in a new level.
4. Indirect Moxibustion
Indirect interbody moxibustion is a pure moxa wool, rolled and kneaded by hand into a conical moxa cone. The moxa cone is then ignited and moxa is applied. According to the physical theory of material combustion, when the drug is heated, the tiny particles of the drug will escape and can effectively pass through the skin tissue and play a unique therapeutic role through the corresponding acupoints. The therapeutic effect varies depending on the drug used in the spacer.
The textbook “Acupuncture and Moxibustion” describes the following commonly used indirect moxibustion.
(1) Intermittent ginger moxibustion: it is a thin slice of fresh ginger cut into about 2-3 cm in diameter and 0.2-0.3 cm in thickness (such as the size of a dollar coin), with several holes pierced with a needle in the middle to facilitate heat transmission. Then place the ginger slices on the acupuncture points or affected areas, and then place the moxa cones on the ginger slices and light them for moxibustion, and when the moxa cones burn out, apply moxibustion with easy cones. When the moxa cone is burned out, the moxa cone will be used again. The moxa cone will be used for the required number of times to make the skin red and not blistered.
Moxibustion with ginger has the effect of “dispersing cold and relieving pain, warming the stomach and stopping vomiting”. It is good for treating rheumatism (paralysis) pain, deficiency cold diarrhea, deficiency cold abdominal pain and vomiting.
(2) Garlic moxibustion: use fresh garlic, cut into thin slices about 0.2 to 0.3 cm thick, prick several holes in the middle with a needle, place it on the acupuncture point or the affected area, then place the moxa cone on the garlic slices and ignite to apply moxibustion. When the moxa cone is burned out, the cone will be re-moxibustion until the prescribed number of times.
The garlic moxibustion has a “detoxifying and antiseptic” effect, and the allicin contained in garlic has a strong antibacterial effect, which is particularly effective in treating unbroken sores and itchy swellings.
(3) Moxibustion with salt: fill the umbilicus with pure table salt (only for the umbilicus), or place a thin slice of ginger on top of the salt and moxibustion with moxa cones.
It is very effective in treating acute diarrhea (watery diarrhea) and deficiency.
(4) Moxibustion: the Chinese herbal medicine “sapodilla” is ground into powder and mixed with wine to make a sapodilla cake about 3 cm in diameter and 0.8 cm thick, with several holes in the middle, placed on the acupuncture point or the affected area, and then put moxa cones on top to apply moxibustion.
The moxibustion has the effect of “warming the kidney and tonifying Yang”, treating various Yang deficiency, impotence, premature diarrhea, and has anti-aging effects. Pepper, Chen Pi, Hou Pu, Ma Huang, etc.
Discussion.
After a long period of medical practice, the ancestors repeatedly chose to use different materials and finally settled on moxa leaves as the main material for moxibustion treatment.
Moxibustion treatment does not simply use the temperature generated by burning, but also takes into account the medicinal effects of the mugwort leaves themselves. For this reason, the scope of moxibustion treatment was also expanded and various moxibustion therapies using other drugs were invented. Understanding the “wave-particle duality” of moxibustion therapy, we know that moxibustion therapy is effective through both temperature and medicinal properties of mugwort on human acupuncture points. The research of moxibustion needs to start from two directions, one cannot be missing.
We know that “light (heat) has fluctuation (spectrum) and particle nature”. Reviewing the research literature on moxibustion treatment, most of the reports are only on the “waves” of thermal radiation produced by moxibustion. Moxibustion produces a spectrum (frequency) of energy that is highly absorbable and biologically effective to biological tissues. At present, although there are many alternatives to moxibustion (moxibustion therapy instruments), the efficacy is not satisfactory. The reason for this is that these instruments may simply mimic the effect of a single variable, the temperature produced by moxibustion, on the human body. As for the tiny particles of unique medicinal therapeutic effects of moxa leaves and other herbs, due to the current scientific and technological means, there is no ability to analyze these tiny particles of escaping substances, let alone to utilize the medicinal therapeutic effects produced by moxibustion. Therefore, the current alternative instrument products for moxibustion cannot completely replace the traditional moxibustion therapy.
Mugwort has a medicine-like therapeutic effect, and the released particles from its combustion will have the same therapeutic effect. Taking these as the entry point, the research to explore the mechanism of moxibustion therapy to produce good effect on the organism will make us re-understand moxibustion therapy in a new height.