Needle Technique

Comment by Chad J. Dupuis, L.Ac.

I read over the dialogue for the video and you can see there is a range of opinions on the matter. I generally don't get into discussions of this nature because it's all just opinion. What matters most is, and only you and your patients can answer this, are you getting reliable results with a broad range of cases. I've studied with practitioners that use heavy needle stimulation and get reliable results time and time again and just as many (more in reality) that do not use heavy techniques and get the same reliable results with a broad range of cases. Personally, I don't use strong needling techniques and have never once felt that I've needed to use them to get results. In general I think people should do what their training and their results teach them and leave the ego and opinion alone. If you get good results you can describe what you do, this is great. If you don't you can try what has worked for others and hopefully improve. But saying yours is the only way to perform acupuncture is not only not helpful it is wrong. As we all know there is more than one way to treat any given condition and many of these will lead to the same end result.

Comment by Archived User

Ahhh, the middle ground. Such an easy place to tread. Thanks for your reply. How do you feel about strong stimulation on the yuan source points, or perhaps the wood and fire points on the yin meridians? Do you think that heavy needling could be used to tonify these points?

Don't get me wrong, this isn't about ego. This is about an exploration of acupuncture and it's possibilities, potential and pathway into the future.

Comment by Chad J. Dupuis, L.Ac.

If you notice in my reply it is clear that I, personally, am not on the middle ground at all...

"Personally, I don't use strong needling techniques and have never once felt that I've needed to use them to get results."

My middle ground is in my analysis of what others do. I've seen good practitioners of all styles. And, quite honestly, there is often no rhyme or reason to it - they certainly don't agree with eachother. I do what works by patient responses, it's that simple. My main teachers and I do not use heavy needling techniques. We use qi gong and generally deep tuina, but the needling is just straightforward needling. Personally I find the vast majority of these techniques disruptive to the patients (even when done well) and counterproductive to healing. It's like in Tai Chi, you don't wale on your arm to get the chi to your hands and beyond, you relax. Why should it be different with needling? It certainly isn't in most Japanese styles, within much of Five Element acupuncture, and within many TCM related styles.