Class 2 - Needling Techniques
Needle Angles
Perpendicular - 90° (anything over 60°)
Oblique - 45° (30°-60°)
Horizontal/Transverse - 10°-20° (even up to 30°)
Needle Depths
Concerns
1) Concern is always safety of patient
Only use 1 cun long needles, Transverse or Oblique
Neck
Upper Back (T1-T10)
Downwards or towards back bone
Chest Area
Puncture lateral away from organs
Lower than T10 Back, Limbs and Abdomen (well)
Perpendicular
(Ask for lower abdomen punctures for patient to relieve their bladder.)
No lower back and Abdomen during pregnancy
No abdomen during first two days of menstruation
2) Arrival of Qi æ°” (de qi)
Patient Sensation:
Distention, Heavy, Tingle, Electric, Numbness
Practitioner Sensation:
Fish biting a hook
Three reasons of Qi delay:
1) Improper Location of Point
2) Improper Depth of Point
Too deep or too shallow no Qi
Spring and Summer easy and shallow
Winter and Autumn deeper
3) Patient's Body Constitution
Week body, week Qi
3) Direction of Needle
a) Tip towards area to affect
b) Tonify (fill deficiency) or Sedate (get rid of excess)
Sample method:
 Tonify - follows direction of meridian
 Sedate - against direction of meridian
Yin Meridians - Upward (from chest to finger tip)
Tonification and Sedating
1) Through point selection
Yuan-source - most are tonify points
Ren 6, Ren 4, Du 4, St 36, GB 39, etc.
Jing-well - most are sedate points
Lu 1, Li 20, etc.
Ht and PC are exceptions it tonifies
Ying-Spring - all points sedate
Removes heat and sedates
Mother points - Tonify
Son point - Sedate
Moxa - Tonify
Cupping, Electric, and Bleeding - Sedate
Needle Levels
 o
 |
 -
 =|=======================
 | Heaven - tian - 天
 -|-----------------------
 | Human - ren - 人
 -|-----------------------
 | Earth - di - 地
 ------------------------
Basic Promotion of De Qi - å¾—æ°” (Qi Arrival):
1. Lifting and Thrusting
In thick areas
Slight movements
2. Twirling and Rotating
Rotate needle in place at same level
Other Common Methods:
1) Tapping / Pressing - Xun Fa
Tapping the direction of Qi to go
Pressing down to prevent Qi movement in direction not desired
Reducing Qi affect after needle removal possible through tapping out both directions away from point to remove sensation
2) Scraping - Gua Fa
Very good at removing pain when sedating and used heavily and ashi points
Scraping handle of needle
1) Scrape from tail towards root while holding needle to prevent increase of depth. Hold needle using two fingers on body side of needle, other side scraped with thumb nail on needle
Tonify - Scrape down
Sedate - Scrape up towards tail
3) Trembling - Can Fa
Practitioner vibrations on needle from his owned tightened muscle coming from upper arm
4) Swing - Yao Fa (Blue Dragon Wags Tail)
Usually with oblique needle
Gentle movement in arc maintaining oblique insertion
Very good to get Qi to pass a joint
Can be used to sedate since hole is opened wider to release evil qi
5) Flying - Fei Fa (Red Phoenix Returns to Source)
Warms or cools area
Needle is pinched and lightly released with hand opened as hand is removed causing vibration on needle. Turning slightly but not enough to turn needle.
Tonify - hand floats w/turn forwardÂ
Sedate - hand floats w/turn backwards
6) Quick and Lightly Rotating - Cuo Fa
Very good strengthen Qi quickly and used for anesthesia before electricity
Rotate needle back and forth between fingers
7) Flicking needle
Promotes qi
Light flick of needle
Needling Techniques - Basic
1. Lifting and Thrusting - Ti Ca Bu Xie
In thick areas
Slight movements
Tonify -Â
1. De Qi - å¾—æ°”
2. life gentle from Earth-di level to Heaven-tian level
3. Insert slowly pressing strongly with fingers on needle
greater strength tonifies more
Sedate
1. De Qi - å¾—æ°”
2. Pull gentle from Earth-di level to Heaven-tian level pressing strongly on needle. Greater strength sedates more
3. Insert back slowly
2. Twirling and Rotating - Nian Zuan Bu Xie
Rotate needle in place at same level
Tonify- Strong forward twirl than week rotate back all in same level (with possible very slight movement deeper and return)
Sedate-
Strong backward twirl than week rotate forward all in same level (with possible very slight movement shallower and return)
3. Rapid and Slow - Xu Ji Bu Xie
Movement of needle
Tonify -
Slow movement in and out
Slow rotation
Sedate -
Fast movement in and out
Quick rotations
4. Open or Close - Kai He Bu Xie
Used during removal of needle
Sedate -
Lift slow, vibrate in whole to open as leaving and leave whole open
Tonify -
Left needle more quickly, cover whole by pulling skin with cotton ball
5. Follow and Against - Ying Sui Bu Xie
Direction of needle
Tonify -
Towards big number
Follows direction of meridian
Sedate -
Towards smaller number
Against direction of meridianÂ
6. Special Respiration - Hu Xi Bu Xie
According to patient respiration
Tonify
Thrust/Stimualte during exhalation
Opposite direction of needle (needle in air out)
warm air in system
Sedate
Thrust/Stimulate during inhalation
Same direction of needle (needle in air in)
Cold air in system
Full pushing from the inside to push out evil qi
7. Open and Closed Points of Lunar Calendar - Zi Wu Liu Zhu
Lunar Calendar
(See Chart)
Sedate -
If point punctured just before open
Tonify -
If point punctured just after open time
Needling Techniques - Comprehensive
1. Setting the mountain on fire - Shao Shan Huo
Strongest method of tonification
A) Insert needle until de qi
B) Lift and thrust (Ti Ca) in tian level (gentle lift strong thrust) 9 times (yang #)
C) Lift and thrust in ren level (gentle lift strong thrust) 9 times
D) Lift and thrust in di level (gentle lift strong thrust) 9 times
Can replace thrust with rotation tonify technique (Nian Zuan) 9 times if area to shallow.Â
For less strength use 3 times instead of 9 or even 1 at each level
2. Penetrating the heaven coolness - Tou Tian Liang
Strongest method to sedate
A) Insert needle until de qi
B) Lift and thrust (Ti Ca) in di level (strong lift gentle thrust) 6 times (yin #)
C) Lift and thrust in ren level (strong lift gentle thrust) 6 times
D) Lift and thrust in tian level (strong lift gentle thrust) 6 times
Can replace thrust with rotation sedate technique (Nian Zuan) 6 times if area to shallow.Â
For less strength use 2 times instead of 6 or even 1 at each level
3. Yin within the Yang - Yang Zhong Ying Yin
Shallow Tonify, Deep Sedate
Predominate Yang - excess is due to deficiency / deficiency causing excess
Cold then fever symptoms
Mixed excess and deficiency at same time
A) Insert needle until de qi
B) Lift and tonify (9 thrusts - gentle lift strong thrust) in shallow top 1/2
C) Insert to second 1/2 and sedate (6 thrusts - strong lift gentle thrust)
4. Yang within the Yin - Yin Zhong Ying Yang
Deep Sedate, Shallow Tonify
Predominate Yin - deficiency is due to excess / excess causing deficiency
Fever then cold symptoms
Mixed excess and deficiency at same time
A) Insert needle until de qi
B) In lower second 1/2 sedate (6 thrusts - strong lift gentle thrust)
C) Lift and tonify (9 thrusts - gentle lift strong thrust) in shallow top 1/2
5. Midnight and noon hole dig - Zi Qu Dao Jiu
Mixed excess and deficiency at same time
(Severe Cases:) Treat edema and Qi stagnation
A) Insert needle until de qi
B) Strong thrust and gentle lift full space to qi 9 times
C) Gentle thrust and strong lift full space to qi 6 times
6. Conflict Between Dragon and Tiger - Long Hu Jiao Zhan
Uses rotating and twisting
Stops chronic severe pain in particular in Zang Fu
A) Insert needle until de qi
B) Strong forward gentle back 9 times
C) Gentle forward strong back 6 times
|