The focus of tJotN is the use of acupuncture needles in Healthcare. Acupuncture needles or needle like instruments have been a part of the medical instrumentarium throughout centuries in the East as well as the West, but the most detailed contribution comes from TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine). And most of us will make associations of this kind. But in fact the use of acupuncture needles is much broader. It covers a whole lot of styles and along with it possibilities of treating your patients.
Could we define commonalities and differences?
Commonalities
1.The use of acupuncture needles or needle like devices.
Roughly speaking needle types range from non-invasive ones used in soft needling like japanese techniques to the more aggresive ones used in acupotomology
Other examples ( in miscellaneous order and not complete!):
- Dry Needling
- Dr. Tan’s Balance method
- Traditional Acupuncture
- Percutane Needle Electrolysis
- Electro Acupuncture
- Laser acupuncture
- Ear Acupuncture
- Percutaneous Tibial Nerve Stimulation
2. Mode of action
Definition of the overall mode of action:
To evoke a therapeutic response either local or at a defined target in a body structure, with the use of an acupuncture needle or needle like instrument via points or areas on the body.
3. Hands on.
A typicality that is shared in needling is the feature of being a hands on intervention. This implies that the specific effect lies within the hands of the therapist rather than in the intervention itself like in medication or is a responsibility of the patient as is the case in excercise or lifestyle changes. From a scientific standpoint this makes needling a more closer resemblance to surgery than to pharmaceuticals. Hence the way of scientific conduct should be different.
And How do styles differ?
1. Although all needling evokes a therapeutic response either local or central, needling styles mainly differ in the way how modes of action are explained.
As in all interventions, needling styles are based on theories that define the manner (how and why) of the specific style of needling. They explain the effect of the needling. Theories can be roughly divided in traditional ones and western medical ones. The style of the traditional ones are embedded in eastern cosmological frameworks whereas the western medical ones uses the body’s anatomy and physiology. E.g. points in acupuncture are meaningful units that all have a relation with a mind body interconnected perception of the human body. In contrast with the western medical deductive view which uses a biomedical or neurophysiological viewpoint of the human body. The choice of style is mainly a personal choice.
2. Manipulations
Although the overall aim is shared in needling styles the specific manipulation techniques can differ . Manipulation can be performed by hand or by a device.
With each theory comes a different prescription of manipulation of the needle.
3.Type of needle
There is a huge variation in needle types linked to the different styles of needling.
Johanna Biemans
Left Prince Bernhard, right Frits Philips
I believe that the latter ( which is also part of the EBM triad) is vastly underestimated. Not only based on my own experience but I observed this at the first edition of The Journey of the Needle. Whether it be a more traditional theory based on Qi concepts or a more biomedical oriented one, palpation in the end seems to be crucial for the final needle placement. The identification of these ‘ashi points or areas’ is the first step and often precondition for the requested outcome. Instantaneous (pain) relief can be obtained when appropriate needling is performed. This direct feedback in fact forms the cornerstone of best practice.
