The tuberculosis plague represents a global blind spot towards one particular human right – the universal right to decent health care. I’m happy to be supporting the Moxafrica, a campaign to research and implement sustainable use of moxa to address the huge humanitarian health issue that modern biomedicine is failing to solve keeping millions of lives at risk. For everyone in the NYC Metro area who donates $100 or more to this research campaign this month, myself and my colleagues will provide a complimentary acupuncture treatment.
Moxafrica is not only conducting primary research on the effectiveness of using moxa to treat TB, but they are establishing collaborative partnerships including training carers to provide treatment in their communities. Moxa just might have a critical part to play against this dreadful disease, particularly in those environments where the might of scientific medicine is remote.
Why are we so keen to investigate whether moxa might help TB in Africa?
- It was used for centuries in China to treat TB, as well as in the 1930s and 40s in Japan to treat and cure TB and was investigated at the time.
- It is an extremely low-tech type of treatment and easy to teach.
- It is basically safe.
- It is extremely cheap, and cannot be patented for profit.
Why Africa?
- Because the disease is out of control on the continent, incidence rates rising five-fold in the last fifteen years.
- Because the highest rates of co-infection of TB with HIV/AIDS are in Africa.
- Because of the desperate lack of diagnostic infrastructure on the continent which is vital for proper drug treatment of TB.
