Note: These are instructions for patients at Soma Clinic only.
How to do it:
- Once a day, you will be sitting on a chair, feet flat on ground; or you lying on a chair in incline; or you could be lying sideways on the bed (we would have advised on your position if necessary).
- Your partner (or someone else e.g. your friend or helper) will be doing moxibustion on you.
- How? Light up end of stick until it looks like red-hot ’embers’.
- Note that we use non-smoke Moxa sticks in the clinic.
- Get your partner to start ‘pecking’ on the outer edge of little toe on right foot (start with any side you want though). ‘Pecking’ means you bring it close to the toe until it is hot enough, then you move it away from the toe; and repeated that process.
- Remember that while pecking, he has to put his own finger where your toe is, so he knows when your toe gets too hot. Keep doing this for 15-20mins until the toe and surrounding areas are warm, and she feels the spot has been stimulated.
- Repeat the same ‘pecking’ action on the other foot, with the same outcome of overall warmth in mind.
- Your partner will periodically be tapping of the black ash to expose the red hot ’embers’
- Once you are done, you have to ‘douse’ the embers. Put the moxa stick in a capped jar/bottle.
Other things of note while using Moxa:
- Once a day is good.
- Stick to the 10-day complete course of moxa treatment. No point doing it as and when you feel like it. The effects of moxa treatment are cumulative. Do not stop even if it increases to a rather uncomfortable period of activity, please let me know when that happens though.
- Continue doing positional/postural exercises or other methods you have been taught by your midwife/doula/doctor.