Acupuncture and moxibustion are two distinct ther-apeutic methods. Acupuncture treats disease by punc-turing certain points of the human body with different types of metal needles, while moxibustion is the appli-cation of heat produced by ignited moxa-wool made from dry moxa leaves over the points of the skin sur-face or certain locations in the human body. Although the equipments and materials used in the two methods are different, the therapeutic and preventive results in both cases are similarly achieved i.e.through promoting
smooth circulation of the channels and adjusting qi（氣）and blood （血）by stimulating the points and channels，thus achieving the aim of prevention and treatment of diseases. Clinically, acupuncture and moxibustion me-thods are frequently used combinedly and are there-fore known as acupuncture and movibustion therapy.
The Advantages of Acupunc-ture and Moxibustion Therapy
For thousands of years acupuncture and moxibus-tion therapies have been widely popular as methods of preventing and treating diseases. These techniques have been increasingly acceptable by the people of the world,as the foreign policy of our country has become more open, Acupuncture and moxibustion will become one of the methods for the effective prevention and treatment of disease in support of” Health and care for all by the year 2000″ statement put forward by the World Health Organization (WHO) of the United Nations.
Acupuncture and moxibustion are possessed of the following advantages.
(1) The clinical applications have a very wide range.There are many indications which show a marked response,Acupuncture and moxibustion have some indi-cations with evidence of very high efficacy in the spheres of internal medicine,surgery,gynecology,pedia-trics, dermatology, otolaryngology, ophthalmology and stomatology.There is no basis for comparison between Chinese and western medicine.
(2) Simple to study and easy co use. The techni-ques of acupuncture and moxibustion are easy to learn and convenient to use.As long as one has knowledge of the basic therapy,remembrance of the location of points and their indications and is proficient in the manipu-lation, then one can treat the patient. Of course, it is advisable to make a great deal of effort for the perfec-tion of the art.
(3) Safe and reliable. If you ensure sterilization and proceed according to the operating rules,no hazards develop and no side-effects occur.
(4) The techniques and methods are simple and economice We can treat the disease at any time and at any place if we have some needles and moxa wool or moxa sticks, alcohol, sterilized cotton balls,and so on.Acupuncture and moxibustion may save on the costs of medicine and lighten the patient’s economical burden by means of the simple equipment and convenient usage.Acupuncture and moxibustion also possess these specific advantages when used as first-aid treatments.