Autumn Moxibustion: Warm and Unblock Three Points to Dispel Cold-Damp
As autumn arrives, yang qi in heaven and earth gradually withdraws while yin grows. Dr. Wu Mingjie often teaches the principle of "seventy percent nourishment, thirty percent treatment"—following the four seasons and protecting yang qi is the very root of autumn wellness.
At this time the body is most easily besieged by cold-damp: heavy fatigue all over, a dry throat, and sneezing fits each morning. These may look like minor complaints, but they are actually signals of insufficient yang qi and internal obstruction by cold-damp. Fengyang Daoist Medicine classifies such a state as "deficient root with excess manifestation"—once righteous qi turns deficient, external pathogens seize the opening.
Against cold-damp, moxibustion is the method of "warming and unblocking." Using the pure yang fire of mugwort, it penetrates the acupoints and enters the meridians, warming and dispersing cold-damp, unblocking the channels, and supporting righteous qi. As the Huangdi Neijing says, "When righteous qi is present within, pathogens cannot invade." Moxibustion that supports righteous qi is precisely the superior physician's approach to preventive care—preventing disease before it arises and containing it once it has.
For home wellness, three points may be moxa'd regularly:
Below the navel (Guanyuan, CV4)—cultivates original qi, warms and nourishes the lower burner, consolidating the root;
Below the outer knee (Zusanli, ST36)—fortifies the spleen and boosts qi, strengthening the acquired foundation;
Below the protruding bone at the nape (Dazhui, GV14)—rouses the body's yang qi, holding external pathogens at the gate.
Used together, these three points warm yang above, fortify the spleen in the middle, and consolidate the root below—the daily expression of "seventy percent nourishment."
After moxibustion, be sure to avoid wind and avoid contact with cold water; slowly drink a cup of warm water to help yang qi return to its source and guide fire downward. Two or three times a week, with gentle warmth and comfort as the measure—there is no need to seek a scorching heat.
Nourish one part of yang in autumn, and suffer three parts less illness in winter. Let this thread of moxa fire enter the body gently, and store ample reserve for the winter ahead.