Figure - available from: European Journal of Plastic Surgery
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Photographs of characteristic moxibustion burn wounds: round-shaped wound on abdomen (a), round-shaped wound on knee (b), elliptical-shaped wound on lower leg (c)
Source publication
Background
Moxa treatment (moxibustion) is a herbal treatment and based on the theories of traditional Chinese medicine, which has been practiced for over 2500 years. In East Asia, moxibustion has been performed on a variety of diseases and conditions for therapeutic purposes. Traditional moxibustion works by using the heat generated from burning h...
Citations
... Previous reports have described burns caused by moxibustion [16]. Since burn injuries can occur in nursing in- burns, and electrical burns. ...
... Moxa is made with dried Artemisia vulgaris. Burning moxa stimulates acupuncture points and the meridian system with the intention of promoting nourishing warmth [1,2]. Moxibustion effects is thought to including the thermal effect, radiation effects and pharmacological effects of moxa. ...
... The moxibustion technique involves placing burning moxa material on the patient's skin, directly or indirectly. Once the temperature of the skin surface rises to 65℃, tissue damage can result in burns, although the degree of the burn varies depending on the duration of the moxibustion treatment and the patient's posttreatment condition [1,2]. ...
... In Korea, moxibustion is regarded as an alternative medicine rather than a folk remedy because people believe in the principles of Oriental medicine (i.e., Eastern medicine or traditional Chinese medicine) such as acupuncture points or Qi. In addition, people believe that the more scarring produced, the better the effect, and that burns are not serious injuries [1]. For this reason, moxibustion was the most common source of folk remedy burns. ...
Background In this modern era of science-based medicine, some people still accept folk remedies as an alternative form of medicine. However, misinformation and misuse of folk medicines can result in dangerous complications. Among the possible complications of folk remedy use, this study focused on the clinical characteristics of burns caused by folk remedies.
Methods We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of patients who had been treated for burns caused by folk remedies from May 2015 to April 2022. Data were collected on patients' age and gender, type of folk remedy, reason for using the folk remedy, the severity of the burn, the number of wounds, lesion type, and type of treatment.
Results We found 59 patients with burns due to folk remedies. Most were female (76.3%) and ≥ 60 years old (72.9%). The most common type of folk remedy was moxibustion (74.6%), followed by the use of glacial acetic acid (20.3%). The reasons for using folk remedies were arthralgia relief (39%), health improvement (18.6%), and treatment of tinea pedis (11.9%). Most patients had multiple wound sites and had burns that were considered severe, requiring surgical treatment (72.9%). The majority of lesions were on the lower extremity, including the foot.
Conclusion This study described the risk of burns caused by folk remedies and the clinical characteristics of the wounds. The results emphasize the need for greater public awareness of the risk of burn injuries when using folk remedies.
