In daily life, it's common to experience unexplained insomnia, headaches, soreness in the neck, shoulders, and lower back, as well as fatigue, weakness, and decreased physical strength. In severe cases, digestive issues may even arise. These are all manifestations of suboptimal health. Here are some practical solutions for addressing suboptimal health in everyday life, which I hope will be helpful.
Insomnia
Traditional Chinese Medicine views insomnia as a condition characterized by persistent inability to achieve normal sleep, stemming from either inadequate nourishment of the heart-spirit or disharmony of the spleen and stomach. Treatment involves the patient sitting upright. A medicinal moxa stick is lit and placed inside a bell-shaped moxa cover. After adjusting the temperature, it is positioned over the Baihui and Sishencong acupoints, secured with a rubber band. Warm moxibustion is applied for 30 minutes, once daily, with 7 sessions constituting one course of treatment.
Headache
Headaches have complex causes and varied patterns, yet moxibustion often yields remarkable results.① Moxa-point therapy. Primary points include Baihui (GV20), Fengchi (GB20), Fengfu (BL10), Dazhui (GV14), Touwei (EX-HN1), Yintang (EX-HN3), and Taiyang (EX-HN5). Additional points are selected based on syndrome differentiation: - For exogenous headaches: add Quchi (LI11), Lieque (LU7), and Hegu (LI4) - For kidney deficiency headaches: add Shenshu (BL23) and Taixi (KI3) - For liver yang hyperactivity: add Taichong (LR3) and Xingjian (LR2) - For qi and blood deficiency: add Pishu (BL20), Weishu (BL20), and Zusanli (ST36)For phlegm-dampness headaches, add Fenglong and Yinlingquan. For blood stasis headaches, add Xuehai and Sanyinjiao.Form mung bean-sized moxa cones using a small amount of musk and moxa wool. Ignite them over an ethanol lamp and rapidly apply moxibustion to the corresponding acupoints, like a sparrow pecking at food—touch and lift immediately. This constitutes one moxa cone application. Apply three cones to the Baihui acupoint and one cone to each of the remaining acupoints. Perform once daily; five sessions constitute one treatment course. ② Bell-shaped moxa cap therapy.For headaches due to Yang deficiency or Spleen-Kidney Yang deficiency, apply bell-shaped moxa capsules. Select only Baihui and Sishencong points, following the same method as above. One headache patient reported relief on the same day after treatment. After one course, headaches significantly reduced. Continuing the same formula and method for one month eliminated symptoms. Follow-up two months later confirmed no recurrence.
Neck-Shoulder Syndrome, Lumbar-Leg Pain
① Medicated Stick Moxibustion. Primary points: Fengchi (GB20), Fengfu (GV16), and Dazhui (GV14). Grind Chuanxiong rhizome, dried tangerine peel, Aquilaria agallocha, Santalum album, Asarum sieboldii, Aquilaria sinensis, Clove, and Cinnamomum cassia into fine powder. Mix with cinnamon oil to form 0.2–0.5 cm diameter sticks.Take a segment of the stick, ignite it until the flame dies down, then quickly apply it to the selected acupoint for a single light touch, counting as one moxa cone. Apply 1–5 cones as appropriate. ② Bell-shaped moxa cap therapy. Target acupoints primarily include Shenshu (BL23), Mingmen (GV4), and Ba-liao (BL31). Apply warm moxibustion for 30 minutes. This method is suitable for patterns of kidney qi deficiency with impaired qi and blood circulation.
Functional Dyspepsia
Functional dyspepsia refers to a group of chronic or intermittent upper gastrointestinal symptoms caused by non-organic factors. It is the most common functional gastrointestinal disorder, presenting with upper abdominal discomfort such as bloating, abdominal pain, early satiety, belching, loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting.It corresponds to the TCM categories of "fullness and distension," "epigastric pain," and "gastric heart pain." TCM treatment focuses on strengthening the spleen and nourishing the stomach, regulating liver qi, and warming the middle jiao to promote qi circulation.Place a lit medicinal moxa stick inside a bell-shaped moxibustion cover. After adjusting the temperature, position it over the Shangwan, Zhongwan, and Xiawan acupoints and secure with an elastic band. Apply warm moxibustion for 30 minutes, once daily, with 10 sessions constituting one course of treatment. Symptoms show significant improvement after one course, with near-complete recovery after three courses.
Fatigue, Weakness, Declining Physical Strength
Patients experiencing excessive mental strain, spleen-stomach impairment from dietary imbalances, or prolonged illness without proper nourishment may develop deficiency of vital energy. This leads to disharmony in the organs' qi, blood, yin, and yang, falling within the scope of chronic fatigue syndrome treatment. The approach emphasizes tonification, supplemented by warming yang, promoting qi circulation, resolving stagnation, and unblocking meridians.The bell-shaped moxa cap therapy can be applied, targeting primary acupoints such as Qihai (CV6), Guanyuan (CV4), and Zhongji (CV3). After igniting the medicinal moxa stick, place it inside the bell-shaped moxa cap. Once the temperature is adjusted, position the cap over the selected acupoint and secure it with a rubber band. Apply warm moxibustion for 30 minutes, once daily, with 10 sessions constituting one course of treatment. After two courses of moxibustion therapy, patients can generally restore yin-yang balance.