Japanese Acupuncture Hinaishin Needle Techniques and Orthopedic Care

This article was submitted by a guest from Mexico [email protected]. For more information about the use of intradermals within Japanese Acupuncture read our hinaishin techniques article.

About 50 years ago, a Japanese Acupuncturist named Kobei Akabane, Introduced the world to a new needle design of his, call Hinaishin. A kind that had no precedent in history, showing a great advantage that even the long traditional filiform needle couldn't equal.
Some of those are, you don't have to be a qualified technician to place the Hinaishin, any regular practitioner can do it, while the traditional filiform takes an advanced practitioner to use, due to the risks involved. The traditional needle can only be placed for as long as 20 to 30 min. Needing to repeat the treatment several times a week, thus rising the costs of therapy, the Hinaishin can be left in placed for as long as 5 to 7 days, no need to repeat a treatment, how much are we saving?
For poorest countries, including the critical USA economy- this is a big option.
In this article I will focus on the advantages of the Hinaishin needle mostly on acupuncture orthopedics.

Case #1 Myself
Description of Symptoms
Strong and killing pain on lower back, sensory disturbances on area and lower limbs, difficult on lifting the leg with unilateral and sometimes bilateral- sciatica, weakness and reduced reflexes on muscles, severe pain on sitting and specially standing positions, which was intolerable even with the use of a walking stick. X rays showing last disc (L5-S1), as source of the problem.
As always, the first decision was to seek heal on the allopathic medicine, doctor prescribed some pills, after weeks no results, treatment change to injections, -sometimes twice a week- anti inflammatory and steroids etc, but still no heal was any closer, and I was already 4 months of totally and absolute bed.
So I decided to call on help to mi sister in Mexico city, -a licensed acupuncturist on the Japanese style of acupuncture-, after reviewing my case, she started the treatment;
Description of Treatment
First step was intolerable, to stand on my feet, something that I just couldn't do in 4 months of allopathic "medicine", griped by a big furniture and screaming of pain, one by one feeling the placement of the Hinaishins on my lower back, the pains were starting to render away, until I finally could walk upon my feet after 2 hours of treatment- which were feeling kind of strange after all that time of unknowing how a floor feels, since then, helped by a walking stick, I could walk to my surrounding area until the walking became an exercising therapy, still some pains were present, but rendering away. I was amaze.
How Did It Work?
General protocols of acupuncture orthopedics are, points KI2, SP2, GB39-25, BL23, BL 40, etc. they're extremely effective on creating a quick boost of cortisone production, but this production affects the general body, or an entire area, not specific particular spots were rapid and immediate necessity is required. Hinaishin works just as this effectively, creating a quick boost of cortisone production were the specific maximum spot of pain is located. While the first treatments works on the meridian points exclusively, the Hinaishin works out of the meridians as in them.
According to the Japanese school of acupuncture, their protocol says that first you should treat illness by the placing of Hinaishin, after they have done their job, you may then place the theorycal points along the meridians, that's acknowledging the powerful effect of their needle that surpasses very much the effectiveness of the traditional filiform needle. Of course, part of my treatment was the Shiatsu therapy, (very painful at this point), but very effective to put vertebra and discs at their original place.
That is how effective the Hinaishin is on relieving pain, inflammation, injury, as I'll show in the next case.

Case#2 Leonard
Description of Symptoms
This patient was suffering from a inflammation of knee meniscus, a kind that a doctor orthopedics specialist- had to operate, and still there will be no solution to the problem, his knee will still be on failure, no remedy but tolerate the pain, with analgesic pills prescribed by his allopathic doctor, which were too expensive and did no help anymore.
Description of Treatment
He was in a lot of suffering all day long, at his job for the extreme knee pain, working at a very limited capability, refusing going to surgery, he turned out to me for help, I decided to give my friend a symptomatic treatment, placing Hinaishins over the maximum spot of pain, just as the rules indicates, not meridian point. Searching for that precise spot of pain, the first needle worked as fast as it was embedded, he could get up easily with no pain or little of it, after some minutes, I made another search of pain, -just to be sure-, one last needle was inserted and the therapy ended.
Leonard was amaze to the results, he was moving all around, with no pain, and forgetting about surgery. Only 2 needles got the job done. There was no need to search for points along the meridians, (st 35 etc.), nor a long waiting for results to take place with the use of the filiform needle. After the symptomatic points made the basic healing as been treated with Hinaishin, then the theoretical points along the meridians could be treated, if there could be any need.
Since then the patient was working daily at his work shop, with no bother on the knee. He was happy.

Case #3 Mary. An Old Lady
Symptoms
One day came to my home a neighbor with strong tooth ache, she was crying by obvious pain, her teeth was already worn down, only black cavities were showing at the root of her jaw, the pain was extensive to all the area, several tooth were creating the problem as it seems, inflammation was already visible, big tears and desperation. The situation required a fast therapy, so I got ready for a treatment.
Description of Treatment
As explain before, I started to search for the maximum spot of pain, located, the first needle was placed, the pain "moved" to another spot, not at the same one, after several needles the pain started to render away, until at about 10 minutes at the most, I made a pause to see where the situation was leading. The patient was no more complaining of pain. The patient said to be amaze, for the difference, one time was crying of pain, the other was feeling nothing, just the psychological reminder of how strong the pain was along with the tears.
There was no need to search for meridians and their points, The powerful Hinaishin surpasses very much the effectives of the filiform needle. Until today she has had no need to go to the dentist for tooth extraction, -just eventual bothering- even when she needs it.

Case #4 Dr. Morales (my doctor)
Description of symptoms and treatment
Due to intense sport, could be a blow, Dr. Morales got injured at the right shoulder, he had about 3 to 4 months inactive from the right shoulder, due to the intense pain, after some months on his own treatment, -antinflamatories, steroids, etc,- still couldn't get back to normal again, until he call me as a healing option, so I went to his clinic to check his shoulder situation, once there, I saw an obvious anterior deltoid inflammation mostly.
At first I checked for symptomatical points on his shoulder, - the maximum spot of pain ones- which I found in pain, then placed them with Hinaishin needles, the pains were starting to render, the doctor after several months -very happy and amaze to the results- could finally move his limb freely to all directions, and starting making planes to get back to sport again. After that treatment, and the one given to his wife, he gain very much respect to acupuncture, specially to the Hinaishin performance.
From there the Dr. took only a second therapy to heal.

Case #5 Same Old Lady
Description of Symptoms and Treatment
This old lady had diabetics for long time, and a history of kidney infections and deficiency, at morning getting up from bed, that's when she was feeling the strong kidney pains which were felt all around the back, couldn't find a posture to get comfort, treating the lady with traditional methods of acupuncture may take a little long, and the need was to provide a fast and efficient relief, so forgetting about the meridians I decided to apply the Hinaishins.
She took about 10 needles on the kidney area, and the terrible pains were finally put to rest, that fast. The needle prescription was to wear them for about 7 days of constant therapy.
More treatment was required to this lady with traditional acupuncture methods, but that's another story, on this article, I'm focusing on the use of Hinaishin alone.

Case #6 Teresa
Description of Symptoms and Treatment
This patient was treated by my sister. Teresa was injured on lower back due to carrying heavy weight on her job, for days she kept suffering of intense pain on the area and stiffness, she tried medication for days but failed to provide healing, until one day no longer could get up from bed.
She sent her little daughter to ask help from my sister, so she did and started the treatment.
Keeping bed the patient, my sister made a rapid diagnosis of her problem, and decided to place the Hinaishin on the particular spots of pains, -due to the big area that she had to treat- instead of the long filiform needle and wait for the results to take place, after repeating the treatments many times as needed, thus charging more money for therapies.
One by one the Hinaishins worked fantastic, until at the end of the therapy, -that took 14 needles to control the patient injury- she could finally get up from bed and started waking again. Surprise by the results of the Hinaishin, she said to can't believe she could walk again after those traumatic pains felt on the lower back. Occasional treatment once a week finished the therapy.

But the Hinaishin can also work on sore muscles; I'll tell you my case. Sometimes after going to the gym, I get very sore from my triceps due to the intensive work out, the remedy as always is to place the needles on the maximum spot of pain alone the triceps muscles, it may take 3 to 5 of them but it really works great, instantly killing the pain, after 3 to 4 days of keeping the needles on the spot, -which I couldn't do with the traditional filiform needle- the muscles injuries are heal. And the arm feels strong again, ready for the job.
It is my proposal that every acupuncture school, on any country, should teach the use of the Hinaishin needle in their class. It really looks as a conspiracy to conceal the effectiveness of the Japanese needle, teaching young students the use of this needle, may mean a lot of benefit to modern medicine and humans around the world, specially to poor countries. They are easy to use, and can be applied by any minimum skill acupuncture technician. Here in Mexico only a single school of Japanese acupuncture is open to public teaching, it was build by the Japanese embassy in Mexico city. I ignore how many there are in the US.
Latter on, Chinese acupuncturist came out with a needle design of their own, the empyshin needle, or press tack. This a very popular and easy to buy anywhere, Hinaishin is difficult to get.
It can be use just as similar to the Hinaishin, but it's preferable the Japanese one, due to its design. The press tack can be use on hard to reach areas, for example, Jing Ming (UB 1), for the treatment of eyes disease, on which works great, but have to be the small not medium empyshin size.