On the urging of my acupuncturist I am doing “moxibustion” which is burning a moxa stick about a half inch near 5 points on my body. It feels very voo doo and pointless but it supposedly helps “optimize embryo growth, keep the uterus warm, and prevent miscarriage”. They do it automatically when I go in for acupuncture treatments which I never minded before. They urged me to do it 1-2 times at home during my previous pregnancy, but I tried to blow it off as it seemed silly and pointless. This round I felt like, what the hell, what could it hurt? Why not just go with it for a change.
So here I am holding burning herbs over my head and next to my big toes twice a day for 1-2 minutes. Afterwards I always smell burnt hair because, well, it’s pretty hard to hold it 1/2 inch away from my head and not singe my flyaways. While I don’t know if it is making any difference, I do know that I am relieving my guilt for NOT doing it as they ask me every time I go to the acupuncturist. So there is at least ONE good thing about it.
Has anyone else tried Moxa or followed other Chinese medicine practices along the way? It is an interesting field and I am totally new here.
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I’ve been doing Moxa every since I started acupuncture. My acupuncturist doesn’t do it in her office, but I do it at home. I really enjoy it, but I have no idea if it’s making much difference. I totally get how you just want to do it so you won’t feel guilty–makes perfect sense!
Thanks. I am glad at least someone else is doing it. Sometimes I wonder if someone is just playing a practical joke on us when they ask us to do these things. It’s amazing the weird things we are willing to try if it might help (or at least not hurt) our chances.
Thanks for your comment on my blog this week. I’m so sorry for all your losses. And so happy to see you are pregnant! Yay!
I think you’re so right even if stuff is not helping from a medical standpoint (which it very well may be), it’s good to do it just so you felt like you tried everything you could.
xo
I’ve done acupuncture, but not moxa. The acupuncture didn’t do anything for me, but hey, it can’t hurt to try.
It’s all very unclear what works and what doesn’t when you have unexplained infertility. We can only hope something works.
Thank you for your positive comment! You’ve got it. I am J=just crossing one more thing off the list.
I have been taking Chinese herbs now since September. My acupuncturist changed the formula once I got pregnant and I have been getting acupuncture weekly for the same amount of time. Acupuncture does help me relax. I have no idea if it’s helping me hold this pregnancy but I am sure as hell not changing anything now. She did do moxa for me once or twice pre-conception. My acupuncturist specializes in infertility however I am her first RPL patient.
Congratulations again on the pregnancy! I am so excited for you. It sounds like your acupuncturist is a lot like mine. My clinic also sees a lot more folks with infertility than RPL. While I have no idea if it is helping at all, it can’t hurt at this point. Right?