Acupuncture needles
introduction
The most important tool of any acupuncturist is of course that Acupuncture needle. Not all needles are created equal. There are a number of different qualities in acupuncture needles as well as product features that are important and that the patient does not actually know. When choosing a needle, one should consider the age and constitution of the patient as well as the location of the puncture, whereby the needle technique of the acupuncture practitioner also plays a very decisive role. Acupuncture needles are available in different strengths and lengths as well as in various price ranges.
history
At the beginning of traditional chinese medicine one dotted with relatively thick stone needles and cut with stone chips. Needles were later made from bamboo, bones and, in the Bronze Age, from metals. Today, mostly sterile single-use needles are used.
Types of needles
The following types of needles can be roughly divided:
- Acupuncture needles and needle bodies that have been treated with silicone oil or with a silicone-coated or plastic-coated needle body, as well as needles with or without a plastic handle
- uncoated acupuncture needles and
- (Ear) permanent needles
Treated needles / needles with plastic handles
Acupuncture needles with plastic handles, the needle shaft may also be coated with plastic, silicone or silicone oil are sometimes very controversial in their use and represent a double-edged sword. The coatings should primarily serve to make the needles easier to prick. However, this is not necessarily always the case. Of course, the essentials also depend on the Stitch technique as well as the experience of the therapist using it.
When using such needles, it cannot be completely ruled out that tiny particles of the coating or additional plastic, silicone or similar coatings will loosen when the needle is pulled out or when the needle is manipulated in the patient's body. In the rarest of cases it can Granulomas (Inflammatory nodules) at the puncture site. All in all, these needles are completely safe!
The classic Chinese acupuncture cannot be used with silicone or silicone oil or plastic-coated needles and plastic handles. According to Chinese teaching, the energetic connection between the doctor or therapist and the patient plays an important role in treatment. For the therapist "Isolated" acupuncture needles with plastic handles etc. are not used there because no energetic “exchange” is guaranteed. Also, not all facets of the original can chinese acupuncture can be easily executed. So would the plastic handles on the Moxibustion (Warming) melt away. The very proven Electrical stimulation (Electro acupuncture) is also Not to the extent possible with coated acupuncture needles or plastic handles, as it can be carried out comparatively with uncoated steel needles, as these also have a particularly conductive silver helix handle.
Uncoated needles
Alternatively, there are highly polished, uncoated acupuncture needleswith which there is no risk that the substances mentioned can be released as residues in the body. All facets of the traditional chinese acupuncture implemented.
The international standard is sterile single-use needles made of steel with a length of 3 cm (without handle) and a thickness of 0.3 mm. A metal spiral handle is advantageous for additional stimulation with electricity.
Permanent needles
Especially in the French Ear acupuncture gold and silver needles are also used. Sterile permanent ear needles resemble small, thin “thumbtacks”; smaller than a 1 cent piece. You will usually put your thumb in the Ear points pressed in and fixed with a small plaster. There are also other types of ear probing needles with small “barbs” for a better fit and an applicator for placement. As an alternative to ear needles, there is the traditional option of Seeds (usually mugwort seeds) to stick with small square patches on the ear points concerned. If the acupuncture doctor or acupuncture therapist deems it necessary, the points can be re-stimulated regularly by pressing the seeds yourself (or the permanent needles). E.g. in the Smoking cessationwhen the craving for a cigarette develops or when the Weight reductionwhen you feel hungry.
More options
In addition there is also Acupuncture needles with so-called Guide tube or with Guide tube. Guide tubes are lancing aids for acupuncture therapists. The mostly transparent plastic guide tube, similar to a straw, is placed over the Acupuncture point put on. Depending on the brand, the acupuncture needle is already inserted into the tube or the acupuncture needles are inserted into the guide tube after they have been removed from the pack. The handle of the acupuncture needle protrudes slightly from the upper end of the guide tube (the tube is shorter than the acupuncture needle). The acupuncture needles are then "splinted" into the acupuncture point from above through the guide tube. For right-handers e.g. the guide tube is often held between the thumb and forefinger of the left hand, placed on the point and then with a "Index finger tip" the right hand, splinted from above onto the needle handle or needle head, similar to "knocking off ash" with a cigarette. When the acupuncture needle is securely in place, the plastic guide tube is carefully pulled up over the acupuncture needle. With extremely thin needles or acupuncture points that are difficult to pierce, e.g. a guide tube can be useful. In the Chinese specialist clinics, however, guide tubes are generally not used. As the routine increases, acupuncture doctors and acupuncture therapists often resort to thinner acupuncture needles. Depending on the quality, e.g. uncoated, thinner acupuncture needles have a significantly lower puncture resistance than thicker acupuncture needles. However, thinner acupuncture needles are usually more elastic than thicker acupuncture needles. For inexperienced acupuncturists, particularly thin acupuncture needles are therefore not immediately suitable.
