Needles

When Size Does Matter!

Acupuncture uses needles inserted beneath the superficial layer of the skin to simulate the underlying points and channels to correct and maintain good health. The idea is to keep your qi, your life energy, flowing smoothly through your body. Pain is said to be "stuck qi." Acupuncture needles move the qi along its pathways head ‘em up, and move ‘em out.

The earliest acupuncture needles were made of stone (remember the Flintstones?). They were called bian, which is a Chinese term which means "using stone to treat disease." As tools and technology changed, so did the needles. The quest for the best needle continued from bone to bamboo, through ceramic, bronze, and iron, then to steel. Several gold and silver acupuncture needles were discovered in a 2,000-year-old tomb in Hebei province, proving you can take it with you. Today, most needles are very fine and made from stainless steel although some practitioners use silver, gold, copper or zinc needles for the metals electrical conductivity properties. Acupuncture needles are thin,hairlike and painless. After all, comfort counts!

No pain and lots of gain is what you get from modern acupuncture. When you think of needles, I’ll bet you think of the shot in the arm you get from your doctor. Hypodermic needles are chisel-shaped to cut through muscles and large enough to inject medicine. Acupuncture needles are small and hairlike, carrying no medicine in or on the needle. They have rounded tips to slide through muscle, not cut it. That’s why they don’t hurt!

Needle Knowledge

In 1996, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the use of acupuncture needles as medical devices. The acupuncture needles are made of high-quality surgical stainless steel that are so thin they might remind you of a strand of hair. Although most practitioners use sterile disposable needles, you’ll be given a choice by your practitioner to use either reusable needles that the practitioner will sterilize as he or she would other medical equipment, or disposable needles thrown out after each use.

Students of acupuncture practice using these needles on pieces of fruit or tightly bound foam to acquire just the right skill. Inserted quickly and gently, acupuncture patients feel nothing but a slight pinch. When you arrive at your first acupuncture appointment, your acu-pro will choose needles of lengths and sizes appropriate for your body type and condition. The practitioner may put in and take out a needle quickly, or may have you relaxed while the needle stays put for about 20 to 30 minutes in order to move qi blocked within the acu-point. The practitioner may decide to add mild electrical stimulation to aid in greater qi movement.

A mild electric current may be connected to the acupuncture needles to enhance the circulation. This technique is frequently used in cases of severe or chronic pain and dysfunction.

Electromagnetic acupuncture is a non-needle technique, using magnets that have a mild electrical current which pass through the magnet and stimulate the acupoints and channels. You may feel a light tapping feeling or a little buzzy sensation on your skin. We use this technique frequently for joint pain and injuries or where the area may be too sensitive to the patient for needle acupuncture.