(I) Dispelling Wind and Cold, Warming and Dispersing Cold Pathogens Moxibustion therapy, with its warm and stimulating properties, plays a role in dispersing cold pathogenic factors, which include both externally contracted cold and deficiency cold in the middle burner. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), externally contracted cold is often caused by exposure to cold environments or consuming cold foods, leading to symptoms such as chills, cold limbs, aching cold pain, preference for warmth, and curling up; deficiency cold in the middle burner is often due to internal injury from long-term illness, which depletes the body's yang energy, manifesting as cold limbs, curling up, lack of thirst, thin phlegm and nasal discharge, clear and long urine, and loose stools. Moxibustion can expel cold pathogenic factors, restore yang energy, disperse cold completely, and gradually warm cold limbs. From the perspective of modern medicine, the warm characteristics of moxibustion cause local capillaries in the patient's body to dilate, tissues to be congested, blood flow to accelerate, metabolism to speed up, and improve areas of ischemia, hypoxia, and malnutrition, thus playing a role in dispersing cold pathogenic factors. Therefore, it can be used to regulate symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, and dysentery caused by externally contracted wind-cold and deficiency cold in the middle burner. "Blood and qi prefer warmth and dislike cold; when cold, they congeal and do not flow; when warm, they dissolve and disperse." (Suwen · Tiao Jing Lun) (II) Warming Meridians and Collaterals, Promoting Blood Circulation and Expelling Bi Syndrome TCM believes that the body's qi and blood, as well as body fluids, are the basic substances for human survival and circulate throughout the body. Their pathways are the meridians throughout the body. If the meridians are blocked or not smooth, it can lead to pain in the limbs and joints, weakness in movement, or disharmony in the functions of the internal organs, resulting in diseases. Poor passage of meridians is often due to cold pathogenic factors invading the meridians, qi stagnation, or damage to the meridians, manifesting as limb movement disorders, joint pain, headache, back pain, abdominal pain, dysmenorrhea, or stroke paralysis, and facial muscle weakness. Moxibustion acts on acupoints, playing a role in warming and unblocking the meridians. According to modern medical views, moxibustion accelerates local tissue metabolism, causing inflammatory pain substances to move quickly and be expelled from the body. At the same time, it regulates nerve excitability, inhibiting overly excited nerves and exciting weakened nerves, thus achieving the purpose of pain relief, regulating nerve paralysis, and limb paralysis. Therefore, moxibustion has the effects of warming meridians for pain relief and promoting blood circulation to expel Bi syndrome. (III) Reviving Yang and Preventing Collapse, Raising Yang and Lifting Sinking Yin and Yang are the foundation of human beings. When yang declines, yin becomes predominant, leading to cold, counterflow, and even collapse. The body often has unstable yang energy due to long-term illness and physical deficiency, or sudden loss of qi and blood, resulting in loose interstitial spaces, susceptibility to wind and cold, and even downward sinking of vital energy, organ prolapse, or extreme yang deficiency, separation of yin and yang, pale complexion, cold limbs, profuse sweating, and low blood pressure. "When genuine qi is deficient, the person becomes ill; when genuine qi collapses, the person dies. Moxibustion is the foremost method for preserving life." (Bian Que's Heart Book) Using moxibustion to exert its warm nature can warm and supplement the yang energy that is deficient and collapsing, and enhance its function. From the perspective of modern medicine, moxibustion can adjust the body's stress response, improve tolerance, regulate the function of various glands, and maintain physiological functions of the body. Therefore, moxibustion can be used to regulate symptoms caused by spleen and kidney yang deficiency, such as chronic diarrhea, chronic dysentery, nocturnal emission, impotence, collapse, and organ prolapse caused by the downward sinking of vital energy, as well as metrorrhagia. "For diarrhea, cold hands and feet, and absence of pulse, moxibustion should be applied." (Treatise on Cold Damage) (IV) Eliminating Blood Stasis and Dispersing Swelling, Removing Toxins and Releasing Heat Regarding stasis and swelling, TCM believes that stasis and swelling are mostly caused by cold congealing or insufficient qi and blood circulation, leading to phlegm and dampness obstruction or blood stasis, manifesting as boils, lumps, or blood stasis. Moxibustion can regulate the flow of qi, harmonize nutrients and defenses, and disperse stasis and swelling naturally. Therefore, it is commonly used in clinical practice for diseases with qi and blood stagnation, such as early mastitis, enhanced scrofula, and goiter. According to Western medical research, moxibustion can increase the number of neutrophils, enhance phagocytic ability, reduce inflammatory exudation, and thus disperse cold congealing, reduce swelling, and dissipate boils or abscesses with warmth, or promote the rapid decay of pus in cases of abscess formation, or promote the removal of decay and the growth of new tissue in cases of insufficient qi and slow wound healing, achieving the effects of eliminating blood stasis, dispersing swelling, and relieving pain. "For heat conditions, moxibustion is used to draw out the suppressed heat." (Medical Entrance) (V) Preventive Health Care and Longevity Bian Que's Heart Book states: "When a person is healthy, regularly moxibust the Guanyuan, Qihai, Mingmen, and Zhongwan points; even if immortality is not achieved, one can ensure a life span of over a hundred years." This indicates that moxibustion can play a role in preventing diseases and maintaining health. That is, moxibustion without illness can stimulate the body's genuine qi, enhance the ability to resist diseases, and make people energetic and long-lived. Western medical research suggests that moxibustion on Zusanli and Baihui points can reduce blood coagulation, blood lipids, and cholesterol, so self-moxibustion without illness can enhance the ability to resist diseases, make people energetic, and prolong life. (VI) Cosmetic Effects In recent years, moxibustion technology has been increasingly used in beauty treatments, evolving from local moxibustion mainly for adjusting alopecia areata, facial paralysis, facial muscle spasm, acne, and freckles, to overall beauty moxibustion for adjusting obesity, hair care, skin nourishment, and facial appearance, occupying a place among many beauty moxibustion methods and gradually attracting people's attention. Its main mechanism is through the warm stimulation and pharmacological effects of moxibustion, causing obvious congestion of the moxibustion area, strengthening nutrition, and vigorous metabolism, while also having antibacterial and sterilizing effects, making tissues regain their youthfulness. The historical moxibustion master, Bao Gu of the Jin Dynasty, believed that "Moxibustion not only cures diseases but also enhances beauty." "Moxibustion not only cures diseases but also enhances beauty." (Bao Gu, Jin Dynasty)