الرحمن الله بــسمالرحــيم

Acupuncture

Anas saad alsaab

:Objectives

• Explain methods of locating acupuncture points and manipulating needles

• Identify the precautions, contraindications and management of possible adverse events in

acupuncture treatment.

•

Explain methods of locating acupuncture points and manipulating needles

Acupuncture defined as the insertion of metallic needles in specific points of the body meridians to prevent/treat disease.

WHAT IS ACUPUNCTURE POINTS?

They are locations on the body that are the focus of acupuncture, acupressure, nonopuncture and

laser acupuncture treatment.

• Several hundred acupuncture points are considered to be located along meridians

The methods commonly used to locate acupoints are:

• bone length measurement,

• anatomical landmarks,

• Finger measurement

• simple location and

• searching acupoints

• 1- BONE-LENGTH MEASUREMENT

Bone-length measurement means to use the major bones in thehuman body as signifiers or indicator to measure the length

and size of each region for locating acupoints.

2- ANATOMICAL LANDMARKS

1. Fixed anatomical landmarks: are those that would notchange with body movement and visible or palpable on

the body surface.

They include the five sensory organs, hair, nails, nipple, umbilicus, and prominence and depression of the bones as well

as texture of the muscles

2. Moving landmarks: refer to those that will appear only

when a part of the body keeps in a specific position.

•

3- FINGER MEASUREMENT

Finger measurement means to take the length and width of the patient's finger(s) as a standard for locating acupoints because the

fingers and the other parts of the body are in proportion. The following three methods are commonly used in clinical treatmentdivided into three methods that commonly used in clinical

treatment:

A. Middle finger measurementmeasure vertical distance to locate on limbs

measure horizontal distance to locate on back

B. Thumb measurementmeasure vertical distance to locate on limbs

C. Four-finger measurementlocate the acupoints on the lower limbs, lower abdomen and the back

•

4- SIMPLE LOCATION• Simple location was developed by the ancient doctors

according to their clinical experience.

5- SEARCHING ACUPUNCTURE POINTS• means that the doctor presses around the acupoint to decide its exact

location.• The acupuncture are usuallylocated in the bone spaces like

(zusanli)

-MANIPULATION OF NEEDLES IN ACUPUNCTURE.

• Acupuncture needles are typically made of stainless steel wire and

provided in sterilized enclosed packages. They are disposable and only used once.

• • The needles are extremely thin.

• • The needles are inserted into specific acupuncture points on the body, and are sometimes spun to provide additional therapeutic stimulation.

NEEDLING TECHNIQUE• The skin is sterilized and the needles are inserted, frequently with a plastic guide tube. Needles may be

• manipulated in various ways, e.g. spun, flicked, or moved up and down relative to the skin.

•Since most pain is felt in the superficial layers of the skin, a quick insertion of the needle is

recommended. Acupuncture can be painful. The skill level of the

acupuncturist, so it depends on the skill level and experience

Identify the precautions, contraindications and management of possible adverse events in acupuncture

treatment.Precautions in Acupuncture Treatment

It is advisable to apply few needles or to delay giving acupuncture treatment to the patients who are

either famished or overeaten, intoxicated, over fatigued or very weak.

Needling should avoid the blood vessels to prevent bleeding. Points of the chest and back should be

carefully needled to avoid injury of the vital organs.

• It is contraindicated to puncture points on the lower

abdomen and lumbosacral region for women pregnant under three months. After three months pregnancy it is

contraindicated to needle the points on the upper abdomen and lumbosacral region, and those points

causing strong sensation.

• Drug or alcohol intoxication.

• A seizure disorder.

• Bleeding disorder.

• Infections skin disorder.

Contraindications in Acupuncture Treatment

Management : When fainting aura such as dizziness, vertigo, fidgets and nausea appear, stop needling immediately and withdraw all the needles. Then help the patient to lie down, and offer him some warm or sweet water. The symptoms will disappear after a

short rest.

Manifestations : During acupuncture treatment, there may appear dizziness, vertigo, palpitation, short breath, nausea, pallor, cold sweating, weak pulse. In severe cases, there

may be cold extremities, drop of blood pressure, and loss of consciousness.

Fainting

Cause : This is often due to nervous tension, hunger, fatigue, improper position or to the too forceful manipulation.

Management of Possible events

Bent needle

Cause : unskillful manipulation or too forceful manipulation, or the needle striking the hard tissue.

Management : When the needle is bent, lifting, thrusting, and rotating shall in no case be applied. The needle may be removed slowly and withdrawn by following the

course of bend. In case the bent needle is caused by the change of the patient ' s posture, move him to his original position, relax the local muscle and then remove the

needle. Never try to withdraw the needle with force.

HematomaCause : injury of the blood vessels during insertion, or from absent

pressing of the point after withdrawing the needle

Management : Generally, a mild hematoma will disappear by itself. If the local swelling and pain are serious, apply local pressing, or light massage.

Summary

•

The methods commonly used to locate acupoints are : 1- Bone Length measurement

2- Anatomical Landmarks 3-finger measurement

4- Simple location and searching acupoints

Contraindications in Acupuncture Treatment

1. It is contraindicated to puncture points on the lower

abdomen and lumbosacral region for women pregnant

under three months..

2. Drug or alcohol intoxication.

3. A seizure disorder.

4. Bleeding disorder.

5. Infections skin disorder.

Resources•

• 

http://www.acupuncture.org.au/Health_Services/

Acupuncture.aspx• clinical acupuncture a to z pdf

• http://tcmdiscovery.com/2007/5-18/2007518114521.ht

ml• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Acupuncture#Needles• http://umaihealth.com/images/

AboutTech.html

http://www.geocities.ws/altmedd/acupuncture/acupuncture_technique/PRECAUTIONS.html

Questions

Done by: Anas saad alsaab.