Port Wellness Acupuncture

  • Welcome
  • Meet Kathleen
  • Medicine
    • About The Medicine
    • FAQs
    • Glossary of Acupuncture
  • Treatments
    • Does acupuncture hurt?
    • Your First Treatment
    • Introducing Classical Five Element Acupuncture!
    • Herbal Medicine
    • Cupping
    • Essential Oils
    • Micro-System Treatments
    • Moxibustion
    • Mei Zen Cosmetic Acupuncture
  • Testimonials
  • Articles
  • Reflections
  • Contact
  • Insurance Coverage
  • Shop
You are here: Home / Uncategorized / Moxa is smoking on your belly…and now your Spirit is revived!

July 30, 2020 By Kathleen Port, L.Ac.

Moxa is smoking on your belly…and now your Spirit is revived!

salt in the navel, preparing for a moxa cone

If you’re new to acupuncture, you may be surprised by some of the techniques, but they have stood the test of time and still serve us today.  One of my favorite treatments is on the belly, on the navel. It gives a soothing, warm boost to the spirit.  First I’ll tell you about it, and then explain it.

When I first started getting acupuncture, I didn’t know anything about it.  I had just moved to a new city, far from home, and was experiencing depression, which was getting worse.  A friend suggested acupuncture.

My practitioner didn’t say much, just gave me the strangest explanation of what he was about to do.

He started by filling my navel with salt. Salt??!

moxa smoking on the belly-aaaah!

Then he rolled a large pinch of dried, fluffy herb, called moxa*,  into a navel-sized cone and set it on top of the salt.

He said, “Now I’m going to light it with this stick of incense…” but I was so surprised at that, I started laughing. My belly shook and the herb cone toppled over. So I got control of myself, became still, and he was able to light the herb cone.   IMG_2113

It burned slowly, filling the treatment room with fragrant smoke. This was so very strange, and yet so very relaxing.  When it burned almost to the level of the salt and I could feel the warmth, he removed the cone and tossed it in a small cup of water. He repeated this several times.

After a series of treatments with other points, my depression lifted. One day I commented to him that, oh by the way, I usually have back pain, but I notice it’s not bothering me anymore.   That was one of my earliest experiences of a body-mind-spirit connection.  That treatment was so far out of my norm at the time, it stands out in my memory from over 30 years ago. What also stands out is how I got the salt out of my navel.**

So what was it all about?

In Chinese Five Element acupuncture, we are curious about the state of the body, mind and spirit. And sometimes, the person’s highest need is at the spirit level.

Acupuncture is such a flexible healing modality that it can handle, for example, the physical pain of a sore back from gardening, as well as the mental pain of having too much responsibility, as well as the spirit-level pain of years of family distress that ends up gripping the back.

Back then, I was suffering at the spirit level. This point helped revive my spirit, as part of a course of treatments. It gave me enough of a respite from depression to see that I needed a more help untangling the emotions that resulted in depression. So I began a productive course of psychotherapy.

a wooden bowl retains the moxa heat, and catches the salt when one rolls over.

Not everyone who needs a spirit-level acupuncture treatment needs psychotherapy. But it’s good to know when to add another health care practitioner to your team, if necessary. Ask your acupuncturist for a referral if you need additional help.

*mugwort, artemesia vulgaris

**I rolled over, onto my side, with a small wooden bowl covering the salt. Gravity emptied most of it!

 

Filed Under: Acupuncture, heat therapy, moxabustion, Uncategorized Tagged With: acupuncture, artemisia vulgaris, classical five element acupuncture, depression, Five Element, moxa, moxibustion, psychotherapy, salt, spirit, spirit-level

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Comments

  1. Martha says

    July 30, 2020 at 11:08 pm

    I’ve had acupuncture before but I’ve never heard of this! Very interesting.

    • Kathleen Port, L.Ac. says

      July 30, 2020 at 11:16 pm

      Teachers, cultures and clinical discoveries all contribute to a rich and diverse practice of acupuncture, like life itself.

Get your Glow On

Sign up for your free copy of “Get your Glow On: 48 Ways To Look Your Best from the Inside Out”.

Select list(s) to subscribe to


By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: Kathleen R Port, L.Ac., 2001 S. Barrington Ave., Los Angeles, CA, 90025, http://www.portwellnessacupuncture.com. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact

SHOWCASE

  • Spring, flowers, a poem and songs to lift your spirits April 13, 2021
  • How often should you get acupuncture? April 12, 2021
  • Cupping + Acupuncture for the Change of Seasons March 18, 2021
  • Gong Xi Fa Cai! Happy Ox Year 2021! February 11, 2021
  • Jennifer Lopez’s wardrobe choice for her Inauguration performance reflected some the most auspicious colors for 2021! February 5, 2021
  • Lunar New Year: Don’t take a shower! Wear red! And one more thing… February 3, 2021
  • I choose to be vaccinated against Covid-19 February 1, 2021
  • Out with Demons! In with Happiness! Today is Setsubun! February 1, 2021
  • How comfortable are your patients in your treatment room? December 28, 2020
  • Your Winter Water Mind December 21, 2020

Resources

Here are some additional resources that you may find helpful in your journey for all aspects of your health. Not … Read More...

Topics

Acupuncture Chinese Astrology Classical Five Element Acupuncture Covid-19 emotions Essential Oils exercise Feng Shui heat therapy Herbal Medicine Home Page 2/3 Insurance mental health mental well-being mind moxabustion Nutrition public safety Qi Gong recipe Resources seasonal therapy Self-care skin care Slider supplements Uncategorized

NCCAOM Diplomate

Top 10 Acupuncturists in Los Angeles, CA
Voted one of the best Los Angeles practices in Acupuncture for 2015
Verified by Opencare.com

Kathleen R. Port, L.Ac., Dipl. Ac & CH

2001 S. Barrington Ave., Ste 219
Los Angeles, CA 90025
voice 310-617-4194

Kathleen Port explains acupuncture and herbal medicine, what it's like to have a treatment, and how it can keep you healthy.

Search

Recent Posts

  • Spring, flowers, a poem and songs to lift your spirits
  • How often should you get acupuncture?
  • Cupping + Acupuncture for the Change of Seasons
  • Gong Xi Fa Cai! Happy Ox Year 2021!
  • Jennifer Lopez’s wardrobe choice for her Inauguration performance reflected some the most auspicious colors for 2021!

Get your Glow On

Sign up for your free copy of “Get your Glow On: 48 Ways To Look Your Best from the Inside Out”.

Select list(s) to subscribe to


By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: Kathleen R Port, L.Ac., 2001 S. Barrington Ave., Los Angeles, CA, 90025, http://www.portwellnessacupuncture.com. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact

Copyright © 2023 · PORT WELLNESS ACUPUNCTURE · PRIVACY POLICY · DISCLAIMER · TERMS & CONDITIONS