Indirect Moxibustion.

Congratulations! You have chosen to give your pet the benefits of the time-proven treatment called moxibustion. You will find it easy and quick to perform. Dr. Van Cise has already demonstrated and explained the proper technique so this handout you hold will serve as a reference.

When using traditional moxa sticks, you will want to have excellent ventilation. The vapors and smoke moxa produces will cling to everything. Anything in the immediate vicinity of the treatment will retain the moxa odor for some time. This includes your skin and clothes. It is a good idea to change the clothes you wear during the treatment before going out in public. Police officers tell us the odor of moxa wool and the odor of marijuana are very similar. This could lead to some rather unsettling conversations with friends or law enforcement personnel. This is a modern, virtually smokeless, version of these moxa sticks that have very little odor. You can choose to use this type for follow up treatments but they do not produce as consistent results as the traditional sticks.

Your best results will come from practice. If you practice on yourself you will develop a feel for moving the stick and how close to the skin you can get. The easiest place to practice on yourself is the soft skin on the side of your hand below your index finger directly across from the base joint of your thumb. Besides being easy to reach, relatively hairless, and not heavily pigmented, this is also one of the main points for adding energy to your body. You benefit from an energy lift while learning to help your pet!

The pink spots on the charts indicate where to treat your pet with the moxa wool sticks. Actual location of most of the points you treat are indicated by the black dots. Since these points are inside the body, you will not really be touching them during the treatment. This is why the pink spots sometimes seem separated from the actual acupuncture point. Certain times of the day may allow the treatment to be more effective for the conditions you are treating, but they will help no matter when you get a chance to treat. Start by treating all points once daily. When your pets seems to be doing well, you can reduce the frequency of treatments to whatever level maintains the benefits.

This includes the moxa stick, an ash tray, and something to smother the stick when you are done. Dipping the stick in water will extinguish it but will also ruin the stick. A snug fitting, heat resistant bottle or tightly wrapped aluminum foil (wrapped around stick using a pot holder) work well. If you use aluminum foil, remember to place the covered stick in the ashtray since the foil will get very hot.

Initially these may be areas where the fur was shaved. When the fur grows back, you will need to refer to the charts. You might consider using a permanent marker to make a dot at the treatment sites while the fur is still short. Since you are warming an area rather than inserting needles, you do not have to worry about being exactly over the point.

A gas stove top works well. Slide the green paper cover back away from the tip since this paper may flame up and will create more ashes. Moxa wool and the fibrous white outer wrap smolders and smokes but does not flame. The entire end of the stick needs to be evenly lit. Gently blowing on the lit tip lets you see any cold spots.

Center the point to be treated between your thumb and index finger on the hand not holding the moxa. This will allow you to spread the fur out of the way. You will also be using your fingers in this position to monitor temperature changes. You should keep about two inches spread between the tips of your thumb and index finger. Resist the temptation to soak the fur as a precaution against burning. The conditions you are treating may be aggravated by cool or damp conditions even on this limited scale.

Hold the stick perpendicular to the treatment point using your other thumb and index finger. Rest the tip of your middle finger on your pet next to the point to treat. This arrangement gives your hand support while using the stick and if your pet moves during the treatment he will push your hand away avoiding a burn. Touching skin with lit moxa will cause a significant burn and scar. This is standard practice in traditional acupuncture but it not usually needed to get the intended benefits. Move the lit top of the moxa stick in a clockwise (viewed from the top) motion. Adequate, although not necessarily maximum, stimulation is indicated by ANY detectable response from your pet. Some of the things you might see include skin twitches, your pet looks at warmed area, he tries to move away or shift positions, or the skin turns pink. If you have not seen any of these reactions but your fingers get hot, stop treating that point. There is no set length of time to treat each point. Sometimes you get a response in a few seconds while other times it may take almost a minute.

Repeat steps four and five for each indicated point. Remember to occasionally knock the ashes off the stick into the ashtray. Ashes insulate the tip prolonging the treatment and decreasing its effectiveness. Falling ashes are hot and can accidentally burn you or your pet. There is no particular order to treating the points. Most of the time the order is determined by convenience and your pet's cooperation. Attempt to treat all indicated points each day but do not create stress for you or your pet. If he resists treating a particular point, skip it for this treatment and try again later.

Smother tip of stick in a heat resistant cylinder, narrow bottle, or aluminum foil wrap. REMEMBER the container will get HOT! Do not place container on any surface likely to get damaged by heat. VERY GOOD! You have succeeded in giving your pet health benefits denied to most pets.

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!