Acupuncture needles
Acupuncture needles
Acupuncture is an age old
method of curing many diseases. This method originated in China over
2500 years ago. This method involves stimulating many anatomical
locations that are located in or on the skin. There are many types of
acupuncture in the world. Each of these methods differs only by a very
small extent. The mechanism of stimulating the acupuncture points
involves penetrating the skin using thin needles either electrically or
manually. Mostly needles are used for this purpose today. This has to
be done very carefully as placing the needles improperly on the skin
may lead to side effects. The first acupuncture needles were pieces of
flint or bone. These were called as bian stones. Later as advancement
in this field increased, metals such as copper, iron, bronze, silver or
even gold were used to make needles. Metal acupuncture needles began to
surface only during the Iron and Bronze ages. Today, the acupuncturists
use needles made out of stainless steel that have a handle made of
steel or copper. The needles vary in their width gauze and size.
Sometimes, even gold acupuncture needles are used for certain ailments.
There are as much as nine diverse types of acupuncture needles. Out of
these, only six are used commonly.
Acupuncture needles are inserted into the skin surface from 15 to 90
degrees. The needle is inserted using a technique by the acupuncturist.
Acupuncture is painless, but initially some may experience slight pinch
when the needle is being inserted. This needle is kept for 20-30
minutes. FDA also indicates that it is safe and effective to employ
acupuncture as treatment. Acupuncture needles today are available as
disposable and can be used only once and hence the risk of infection
getting transmitted from one to another is also totally eliminated.
There are practitioners using sterile needles, but the patient must
ensure that they are properly sterilized to avoid any sort of
infection. Single use needles are disposed after use and it is the
best. These needles are inexpensive and rules out the risk of any sort
of contamination. These needles are thin between 38 to 32 gauges. The
needles are inserted very shallow and the depth varies from one person
to another depending on the treatment and the part of the body. The
average point is 1/4 to 1/2 inch. The fleshy regions may have a deep
insertion to a couple of inches. However, the sensitivity level varies
in patients, and majority of them fail to experience any discomfort.
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