Mom's courage of conviction leads to new therapy center

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-11-04 10:32

When Wang Jijuan first tried moxibustion at her home in 2006, her husband asked her to move to the balcony or the bathroom, because of the smoke. But three years later, the same man handed over 300,000 yuan ($43,900) so she could open a moxibustion center.

The 32-year-old Beijing woman quit her journalism job to start the Aimama (moxibustion mum) Moxibustion Health Preservation Center.

The turning point came with their daughter. In 2006, Wang began to self-study traditional Chinese medicine and the use of moxibustion. Once her daughter, then barely 2, came down with a fever. Her husband wanted to take the child to hospital, but she insisted on treating her herself.

"After just half an hour, her fever came down," she recalls. "My husband began to see moxibustion differently."

Since then, the couple have relied on this traditional therapy for their daughter. Wang says she has found moxibustion very effective in the treatment of a range of children's problems, such as cold, fever, indigestion, diarrhea, poor sleep, crying at night, allergies and even pneumonia.

"Now my daughter has a bright face and a good appetite. We no longer worry about her health," she says. Her husband too has benefited from moxibustion, claims Wang, saying he no longer loses his temper as often.

She has also applied the treatment to cure herself of her allergy, painful menstruation, and chest pains.

"Before, I coughed and caught a cold whenever autumn arrived," she says. "But now I don't catch a cold so easily and also feel a lot more energetic."

Another discernible benefit is that their medical bills have come down. A pack of 12 moxibution sticks costs just 10 yuan at a pharmacy. Wang also tries to make her own moxibustion sticks with moxa of better quality. She constantly refers to old books on traditional Chinese medicine to learn more about moxibustion.

"The reason I opened a moxibustion center is because I want other moms too to benefit from ancient Chinese wisdom," she says.

She offers free training at her center and says being able to use moxibustion has made her a much more confident mom.

"I used to think my child's health rests in the hands of the hospital and doctors," she says. "But I can treat my kid's health problems myself."