Acupuncture Needles
- The needles are very fine and flexible, slightly thicker than a hair
- Single use, stainless steel, and sterile
- Disposed by way of a medical hazardous waste company
| NEEDLE GAUGES | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Korean/Japanese Gauge | Chinese Gauge | Thickness (mm) | Thickness (inches) | Color |
| 00 | – | 0.12 | 0.0047 | Dark Green |
| 0 | – | 0.14 | 0.0055 | Lime Green |
| 1 | 40 | 0.16 | 0.0063 | Red |
| 2 | 38 | 0.18 | 0.0071 | Ivory |
| 3 | 36 | 0.20 | 0.0079 | Blue |
| – | 34 | 0.22 | 0.0087 | Pink |
| 5 | 32 | 0.25 | 0.0098 | Purple |
| 8 | 30 | 0.30 | 0.0118 | Brown |
| – | 28 | 0.35 | 0.0137 | – |
| – | 26 | 0.40 | 0.0157 | – |
| NEEDLE LENGTHS | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mm | 13 | 15 | 25 | 30 | 40 | 50 | 60 | 75 | 100 | 125 |
| inches | 0.5 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 |
Treatments
- It takes a few minutes to insert the needles
- Once in, needle retention time varies (0-30 minutes)
- Deqi is most important
- Age, constitution, relative strength
- very young, old, frail, tired, weak – less time
- stronger, healthier – more time
- Type of condition
- deficient – less time
- excess or musculoskeletal – more time
- Needle techniques
- The way the needle gets inserted and removed
- Manipulations of the needle while in place
- Needling order – general guidelines
- Face and body first, then extremities
- Top to bottom, and front to back
- Needle removal order – general guidelines
- Face and body first, then extremities
- Top to bottom, and front to back
