there are two primary types of intradermal needles used AFTER a treatment (and retained for up to two weeks): hinaishin and empi-ishin. hinaishin are intended to be inserted flat to the skin, and taped over with a small square of adhesive. empi-ishin, on the other hand, while just as tiny as hinaishin, are inserted perpendicularly, like tiny thumb tacks.
i opt for the hinaishin, because they do not cause any significant irritation, and patients can usually do all of their normal activities without "feeling" the needles. the disadvantage of ALL intradermals is that bathing, etc. tends to wear the adhesive out, and thus, shorten the time of needle retention...
but HONESTLY, it doesn't matter.
the results of hinaishin use are dramatic to me. i treat patients primarily for musculoskeletal problems. while standard needling (and moxibustion, and whatever other modalities i opt for) is effective, i was always confronted by the problem of maintaining the continuity of the treatment effect for patients. i mean, i would spend an hour (sometimes more) to achieve some measure of release, and then the patient would go off and "live life" (implying some kind of, unfortunately, abuse to their injury) and then i would see him/her the following week, and it would be back to square one (or worse). i wanted something that would "keep working," if you will, such that at successive treatments, real progress could be made to accomplishing goals.
i'd used hinaishin before, but i couldn't understand why they worked (still don't, not really). i mean, they are inserted FLAT, but for many problems, notably in the hip/buttocks region, the problematic muscle/ligament/tendon tissue is VERY DEEP. how can applying a hinaishin over a deep trigger point accomplish any measure of release? honestly, i still don't know. it's like you're fishing for deep sea anglers by casting your line out at the shorebreak.
but it works. i've been using the hinaishin so much now that i run out of them before my standard needles. after performing a standard treatment (needles, moxa, etc.) i do a little tui na. the tui na is partially to reinforce the effects of the acupuncture, but also helps me to identify the remaining stubborn trigger points (ashi). i then insert hinaishin into those points. miraculously (!), by the next treatment, most of those points have released, and are PAINLESS. this, no matter how deep the trigger points may have been! of course, in a lot of complex cases, notably sacroiliac joint dysfunctions (which involve several disparate regions: low back, iliopsoas, legs, etc.) you accomplish release of one area, and other problems "pop up"; but at least you feel like you are progressing towards a fuller release, because it is like the body is slowly adjusting itself to full release. each successive "pain pattern" is merely the new "adjustment point" of the body. frankly, performing treatments in this way is educational and interesting for me, because it reveals a lot about the natural mechanics and compensatory patterns of the body.
... it's funny. i make these announcements at the school about what i've learned, and no one seems to pay much attention. there is a real stubbornness about following "traditional" approaches (like: i've got to make this work, because the book says to do it this way!). while there is merit to this approach, the ultimate confirmation is in treatment results. theory matters little unless it reveals itself "appropriate" (i.e. successful) in practice. if theory helps you to understand successful/unsuccessful results, then it is valid. if it only confuses you, or makes you impotent, then shuck it!
currently, i am more of a trigger point person. i sometimes don't even follow local-distal treatment models, because distal points at times seem irrelevant. sacrilege and blasphemy, i know, but i try to find what works, and what i can understand.
the other system i try to follow (although it is wonderfully complex) is kiiko matsumoto style. no other practitioner attempts to mediate traditional ideas (from nan jing, nei jing, ling shu) with modern scientific thought. she once explained the use of gb 22 (on the side of the ribs) in treating tinnitus by referring to embryological studies of FISH; apparently, the same cells that develop into the hair cells within humans develop into the sides (near gills) of fish. again, nice theory, but ultimate confirmation is in treatment results. but i like her valiant attempts. i tend to use kiiko style for more "internal" problems.
traditional chinese medicine, with its emphasis on zang fu diagnosis, seems ill-suited for acupuncture. in fact, it has been said many times that the diagnostic model adopted in tcm schools is more appropriate for herbalism (i.e., the "herbalism of acupuncture"). i think zang fu diagnosis (and most other diagnostic models in tcm) is best in prescribing appropriate herbal formulas...
No comments:
Post a Comment