Acupuncuture-Complications:

by **Admin** Sun 21 Nov 2010, 11:14 pm

A.   Complications:

1.     Pain – Due to Bad needle, Bad patient, Bad posture orBad needling technique. Generally, accurate puncturing of the point goeswithout pain to the patient. Posture isthe most important for both patient and doctor. Fresh needles with finely finished tips do not cause pain ordiscomfort. Check the needle tips forrust or any blunt appearance each time. Insert the tip of the needle first. Wait for a minute or two beforesending the required depth into the point. This will be very comfortable for both.

2.     Stuck,Bent or Broken needle– The quality needles supplied nowadays are made of surgical stainless steel, which do not cause suchcomplications. In the earlier decadessuch complications were encountered by many practitioners across the globe.

3.     Local Reaction– Local reaction is felt due to release of cellular hormones like Histamine,Prostaglandin etc. This depends on thepatient’s subjective sensitivity, and does not cause any specific concern.

4.     Fainting– Vasodilatation is a common effect of needling, mostly when the source points(Cholinergic neurons) are needled. Patients who have a low blood pressure profile, easily faint on thebed. Sedative points work instantly insome patients. Such cases should betreated in lying position. The coldnessat the extremities should bemonitored. Extreme chillness progressingtowards the Elbow or Knee joints indicates cholinergic activity. The patients should be closely watched forthe first 5 minutes.                 Such cases of ‘fainting on the first sitting’, havestood out to be the most successful cures for various disorders.

[When the patient starts to sink, applyheavy pressure on Jingwell point DU 26 on the face, with needling of theJingwell points at the finger tips like LU 11, P 9, LIV 1, K1. Splashing water on the face will refresh thepatient. Allow the patient to sleep ifhe / she prefers. After he gets up, applyneedles bilaterally over ST 36, LI 11, LI 4 and over DU 20 and DU 26] < This set ofpoints is known as Tonification set >

5.     PostNeedling Pain – Post needling pain is common, benign andcan be relieved by pressure around the point, which will additionallystimulate.

6.     HypoGlycemia – Certain points result in rapid drop inserum glucose level, and certain cases of low blood sugar should be treatedcarefully.

7.     Abortion- Needling of the points LI 4, SP 6, UB 67, UB 60 will result in Abortion.Therefore, female patients should be interrogated for conception details andmenstrual health.

8.     Bleeding– Bleeding is not a complication in certain points. Points LU 11, LU 5 and H 7 can be pricked tobleed deliberately, as they are energy exit points. Bleeding at other points ishowever experienced in Diabetic and Hypertensive patients. This can be avoided by meticulous practice.

9.     Burns,Ventricular Fibrillation – Electrical stimulation at certainpoints in close proximity to the Cardio pulmonary region, and along the Heartand Pericardium channels and over vital Arterial points (Dangerous points), mayresult in Ventricular Fibrillation. Suchpoints are already designated as dangerous points, and Electric Stimulation isavoided. Rusty needles when electricallystimulated, can cause burns. Goodneedles however do not give place to such complications.

10. Hyper Reactive Response- Return of original pain, Changes overa period of 24 to 36 hours due to Organ Clock activity, and Shifting of thepain or symptoms are usually felt by patients in all therapies. This is more profound in Acupuncture.

11. Addiction to Acupuncture –Stimulated release of Opiate ligands in the system leads to addiction incertain patients.