Needles

• Needles :
  

 
There are various types ofneedles used in Body Acupuncture and its ancillary  therapies viz., Su-Jok Acupuncture, AuriculoAcupuncture and Scalp Acupuncture. 
 
Su-Jok Acupuncture is the needling of specificpoints of the Palm (Su) and the Sole (Jok). Needles used are tinyand smaller than regular Acupuncture needles. Auriculo puncture is the pricking of specific points of the ear.
  Needles usedfor the ear area resemble tiny hair springs of watches.  These needles are not linear like regular orSu-jok needles. Scalp needles are also linear like su-jok needles. Sometimesbigger auriculo needles are used for scalp.
 
The regular Body Acupunctureneedles are known as  FilliformNeedles.  They comprise of five partsviz., Head,Handle, Neck, Shaft and Tip.
 
 

The filliform needles are available inlengths ranging from ½ Cun to 8 Cun (0.5” to 8”). They are available as Copperwound, Silver wound, Gold wound and Stainless steel wound needles.  The Handle is the portion of excitation andtherefore the Copper, Silver or Gold winding is done spirally over a sufficientlength.  Copper needles are usedcommonly, Silver needles are sparingly used owing to their cost, but preferredfor cool bodies.  Gold needles aresuitable for hot bodies. 
 
There are three methods ofneedling, Perpendicular or 90 ^o , Oblique or 30 to 40 ^o  and Horizontal or 15 ^o  . Perpendicular needling is done at mostly muscular spots.  Oblique needling is done at dangerous spotsto avoid any blood vessel or sense organ from being punctured.  Horizontal needling is done in the scalp areaand on facial spots.
 
 
Sterilization of needles iscarried out commonly with 90% Alcohol or Surgical Spirit.  Boiling or autoclaving may result in thedamage of the needle tips, therefore needles are soaked or cleaned with spiritor simply disposed after a single use owing to their low cost.
 
Manual stimulation is doneafter insertion,  by thrusting andpulling the needle (up and down movement) or by rotating the needle clockwise and anticlockwise   or by doing both.  Though manual stimulation is a painfultechnique, it is mandatory in certain cases for good results. Wherever  safe and permitted, electric stimulation isapplied.  
 


A special type of needleknown as the Plum Blossom or Seven Star needle is used for tapping the Scalpfor Hair Loss therapies and for Skin lesions. At the end of a flexible handle,seven spikes are embedded in a small cylindrical plum.