Popular science knowledge of acupuncture and moxibustion
Is a silver needle used for acupuncture? Is it for repeated disinfection or one-time use?
Generally, acupuncture and moxibustion needles are not silver needles. At present, in clinical practice, the commonly used acupuncture and moxibustion needles are disposable stainless steel needles. There are two main reasons for not choosing silver needles. The first is that the silver needles are relatively soft, and the pain is strong when acupuncture; Second, the cost is high. If the one-time silver needle is routinely used for acupuncture and moxibustion treatment, the curative effect will not increase, but the cost will increase a lot, which is not conducive to reducing the treatment cost. The commonly used disposable stainless steel needles in clinical practice are not only non-toxic and harmless, but also have high safety and low price when used in one go.
How to judge whether the patient is suitable for acupuncture and moxibustion?
Acupuncture and moxibustion has a wide range of clinical indications. Theoretically, acupuncture and moxibustion is suitable for any physical discomfort. The common clinical diseases in the acupuncture and moxibustion department clinically include but are not limited to chronic pain in various parts of the body, nervous system injuries such as facial paralysis and hemiplegia; Joint diseases such as swelling and pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. It also includes visceral diseases such as stomach pain, abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, prostate hyperplasia, menstrual disorders, and indigestion in children.
Under what circumstances is acupuncture not advisable?
Acupuncture treatment is usually not suitable for the following situations: for treating menstrual disorders, dysmenorrhea, etc., it is necessary to avoid the menstrual period; Patients with abnormal coagulation function and susceptibility to skin bleeding; Patients with local skin infections, ulcers, tumors, and scars; When the fontanelle is not closed in children, acupuncture is prohibited around the fontanelle; Pregnant women should not be punctured in the abdomen or lumbosacral region.
What are the complications of doing acupuncture and moxibustion? How should we respond?
Bleeding: Bleeding is the most common symptom during the acupuncture process, and bleeding at the acupuncture site is caused by damaging local blood vessels during acupuncture. Generally, pressing on the bleeding site for 2-3 minutes is sufficient.
Skin burns: Skin damage that may occur during moxibustion can be divided into two situations: one is when the mugwort falls off the skin and causes direct burns, and the other is when the mugwort is too close to the skin and causes burns. If the skin burns lightly and turns red, special treatment is generally not needed. If the burn is severe and blisters appear, small blisters can be naturally absorbed, while large blisters need to be punctured and treated with external burn ointment.
Pneumothorax: A rare occurrence of acupuncture accidents during the acupuncture process, often occurring in the punctured chest. It can manifest as sudden chest tightness, chest pain, and difficulty breathing. If such situations are found in clinical practice, immediate chest X-ray or CT examination is required. If the amount of pneumothorax is small, it can be self absorbed without special treatment.
Can acupuncture cause infectious diseases?
No way! At present, the regular medical institutions that can carry out acupuncture treatment basically use disposable acupuncture and moxibustion appliances, so there is no possibility of infectious diseases. However, it does not rule out that some profit making institutions do not sterilize the skin before acupuncture. In order to save costs, they repeatedly use needles, which greatly increases the risk of infection with infectious diseases such as AIDS, hepatitis B, syphilis, and hepatitis C. Therefore, it is recommended that patients choose regular medical institutions for treatment.