I wouldn't do it if the payoff weren't so big. Having someone hold a cigar shaped incense-like stick, the tip glowing orange with heat, mere inches from my belly is not high on my Fun Times list.

But it's so worth it.

Moxa might sound a little bit like torture, but it's actually a super fab form of Chinese medicine that is nothing short of a miracle. The moxa stick is lit and heated until it glows, then it's applied to acupuncture points. The practitioner (in this case Barrett as he has a better view and steadier hands than I do), amidst billowing smoke and ashes that get tapped off into a fire safe container, holds the stick a few inches above the acupuncture point and makes tiny little circles.

It discourages dampness and invigorates my vital qi. In other words, I feel GREAT after and the liquid retention in my belly seems to shrink up a bit each time we do it–which is pretty much every day.

I only get that sensation of being singed every once in a while when the moxa stick gets just a little too close.

Love to you all,

Bridget