Cupping is a method of treatment used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) that involves heating the air inside a cup and placing the inverted cup on some part of the body. A vacuum is created, which anchors the cup to the skin and pulls the skin upward. It is believed by practitioners of TCM that disease is due to stagnation or blocked chi and cupping will unblock and realign chi, thereby restoring health. "Wet" cupping involves puncturing the skin before applying the cup. It is believed that this allows "poisons" and "toxins" to be sucked out of the body. In some cases, the cup may be moved while the suction of skin is active, causing a regional pulling of the skin and muscle (the technique is called gliding cupping).

The 'moxa stick' is the most common form in which moxibustion is used to promote healing. Here the dried mugwort is rolled up tightly and wrapped in paper forming a cigar-like stick. The moxa stick can be held in one place, rotated in circles, or 'pecked' in a motion similar to a sparrow pecking at food over the area of an acupuncture point. The practitioner places a finger next to the point being stimulated to maintain a comfortable level of heat and to guard the patient from the unlikely risk of burn.

The moxa is primarily used to treat a deficiency of 'yang' energy in the body. It is yang energy that governs movement and warmth, and a deficiency of yang results in cold symptoms. The patient may feel cold, or may complain of cold hands and feet. For patients who are very weak and deficient, stick moxa is chosen as a primary treatment due to the fact that it actually adds "yang qi" to the body. Yang qi deficiency can also manifest in incontinence or loose stools, although these symptoms must be carefully differentiated by the practitioner as they may have other causes.