Though acupuncture and moxibustion are frequently used together to treat ailment ranging from internal problems to gynecological and pediatric diseases, acupuncture and moxibusion are two distinct therapeutic approaches to curing a variety of ailments. Acupuncture treats diseases by puncturing points of the body with different types of needles. Moxibusion applies heat produces by ignited moxawood over certain points in the body. Although different equipment and materials are used, the therapeutic and preventive results are similar. Both promote the circulation of qi and the blood in the channels by stimulating the key points and channels of the body. The results are often quick with little or no side effects.
The locations where needles are inserted or where heat is applied are known as points. By focusing on specific points, different effects or reactions can be produced in corresponding parts of the body. The discovery of there points and the effects of stimulating them have led to the theory of channels and collaterals. Early acupuncturists believed that needle manipulation at a point would affect other parts of the body along a defined route. Points at different locations would also produce similar results. Thus, acupuncturists studied the relationship between there points and developed the theory of channels and collaterals.
The vertically distributed "trunk lines" were described by physicians in ancient times as "channels" while the large and small branches of these "channels" were referred to as "collaterals". To gather a network can be defined