1 Body acupuncture

Body acupuncture therapy, a TCM therapy, is a method to promote the patient's somatopsychic rehabilitation by needling the acupoints properly selected according to the courses of meridians and collaterals with various needles. Body acupuncture therapy is extensively applied in clinic and plays an important role in health preservation, health care and rehabilitation of TCM. Now, the commonly-used methods are selectively and briefly introduced as follows.

3.1.1.1 Filiform needle therapy

The filiform needle is the most commonly-used instrument in acupuncture. The therapy has the actions of regulating visceral functions, qi flow and blood circulation, relieving pain, sedation, etc. It may be applicable to the disablement due to diseases and maim such as paralysis, convulsion, deafness and dumbness, various diseases during the convalescence such as palpitation due to fright, insomnia, cough with dyspnea, thoracic obstruction, headache and thoracic fullness, various ageing diseases such as dementia, tremor and obesity.

The application of the filiform needle therapy should be strictly handled to avoid the contraindications. For example, needling is not advisable for patients with over-fatigue and starvation; strong stimulation is not advisable for patients with weak constitution; needling is not advisable in the case of skin infection and ulceration.

3.1.1.2 Therapy with the warming needle

The body of the needle is warmed in certain ways on the basis of therapy with the filiform needle in this therapy. It has the actions of activating yang to dispel cold, promoting qi flow and activating blood circulation.

There are many methods to heat the body of the needle. Generally, the ignited argyi wool and moxa roll or alcoholic cotton ball are used to lean against the handle of the needle, the duration and the temperature of which may be determined by the state of diseases. Therapy with the warming needle is mainly applicable to diseases due to asthenic cold or cold and dampness such as arthralgia due to cold and dampness, cold and pain of the waist and knees, pain due to asthenic cold of middle energizer. When using the warming needle, pay attention to the application and disposal of the fire source to prevent the injury.

3.1.1.3 Therapy with the three-edged needle

This therapy has strong stimulation because it has to stab and wound the skin to bleed a bit. The commonly- used methods include spot pricking, clumpy pricking, and pricking, etc. Therapy with the three-edged needle has the functions of promoting blood circulation to remove blood stasis, inducing resuscitation and purging heat, etc. The method can be used for all the diseases with relatively obvious obstruction of meridians due to internal obstruction of blood stasis in TCM rehabilitation. It is commonly applicable to intractable Bi-syndrome, aphasia from apoplexy, numbness of limbs, intractable neurodermatitis, baldness and psoriasis.

The application of the three-edged needle requires aseptic manipulation. Besides, the action should be swift and the location shallow while profuse hemorrhage is not advisable. Do not injury the large arteries. Meanwhile, the patient should cooperate closely with the doctor to prevent fainting during acupuncture. This method is not advisable for patients with deficiency of qi and blood as well as frequent spontaneous hemorrhage or endless bleeding after injuries.

Electro-acupuncture therapy, a method to promote rehabilitation, uses the electric stimulator to output a small amount of electric current approaching the bioelectricity of the human body which acts on the human body by means of the filiform needle inserted into the acupoint.

The indications of electrotherapy are basically the same as those of therapy with the filiform needle. It possesses better therapeutic effects on various painful diseases, paralysis, Bi-syndrome and abdominal mass, the dysfunctions of organs such as the heart, stomach, intestine, gallbladder and urinary bladder as well as the injuries of joints, muscles and ligaments, etc.

Before using the electric stimulator, check whether it functions well or not; for the electric stimulator with the maximum output voltage over 40V, its maximum output current should be limited within 1 mA in order to avoid getting an electric shock; the electric current should be increased gradually and sudden increase is not allowed; for the patients with heart diseases, avoid the electric current passing through the heart; small amount of electric current is advisable on the regions near to the bulb and spinal cord; for pregnant women, it should be used with caution.