Скачать или смотреть SCALP ACUPUNCTURE Needle Techniques

Most modern acupuncture practitioners use disposable stainless steel needles of 0.18-to-0.30 mm diameter, sterilized with ethylene oxide or by autoclave. The upper third of these needles are wound with a thicker wire, a metal pipe, or covered in plastic in order to stiffen the needle and provide a handle for the practitioner to grasp and manipulate while inserting and stimulating. The size and type of needle used, and the depth of insertion, depend on the acupuncture modalities being practiced.

For scalp acupuncture, the size of Chinese needles is #30 to #36. The size of Japanese needles is #6 to #9. Needles 1 or 1.5 inches in length are commonly used for scalp acupuncture, depending on the area to be stimulated and the patient’s condition. For the novice practitioner, relatively thicker needles are recommended because the scalp is tougher than the skin and thinner needles are too easily bent upon insertion.

It is common for patients to experience early positive results and then to reach a plateau of improvement after only a few treatments. It is also common that the patient’s initial positive responses do not relieve the symptoms of their major complaints. In such conditions, an additional technique or needling area in combination with the original ones can be very helpful. For example, it might be necessary to stimulate the Speech II or Speech III areas after a patient with motor aphasia has shown some signs of improvement.

After a patient has shown major improvement, the treatment strategy would change to focus on continuation of treatments as infrequently as possible with the objective only to maintain and consolidate the improvements already achieved. As the reader can see, every case is different based on a myriad of conditions and practitioners must be ever vigilant and open to the changes and needs of their patients.