Needle shock!!!

[JY]

What are your thoughts on needle shock,

I've been told its a large energy shift and then the body resets the nervous system.

I've seen needle shock on St35 & have heard of it occuring with Sp6 (during menses).

I haven't fainted from acupuncture, but I have felt light headed & nauseous. This occured when threading undernealth a scar on the GB channel above the ear.

[Tim Cleary]

Even with quite light Japanese techniques, it's still possible for a patient go into a vasovagal reaction (normally only the most over-sensitive patients), so I believe avoiding needle shock is a matter of practitioner sensitivity and careful observation of the patient.

For patient recovery, along with standard first aid, I follow Shudo Denmei's recommendations- stop needling, rest, strong hot green tea to sip on (also does wonders for Cold/Weak Middle Jiao - especially Genmai-cha, tea with brown rice added, if no significant recovery in five or ten minutes, some tiny moxa on HT7. I think there is some more (in 'Finding Effective Acupuncture points') but, so far, I've never had to go further than moxa on HT7 to eliminate the needle shock.

I did manage to almost make a patient faint with excessive swift needling once (very superficial in-out needling on the upper back- around the back shu points)- even though the needle wasn't all the way out of the guide tube, so, as I stated before- Practitioner sensitivity and patient observation are key to avoiding needle shock.

Tim.
_________________
Treatment is Diagnosis; Diagnosis is Treatment

[JY]

Thanks Tim, that was very excellent and interesting.

I originally thought it only happened from strong needling sensations

JY

[grt1]

After 20 years or thereabouts of practising I had my second needle shock with a young woman patient recently. She seemed to have heavy stagnation probs in the middle heater & I was using Bl 19 & Bl 21 at the time. She then told me she was faint & wanting to throw-up so I took out all the pins, & worked at settling her whilst giving her a bucket/bin if required.
she settled at which time i used some cups to help settle her further.
She was OK with this & we continued that session.
When she got up later she told me that if she so much as stubs her toe she faints and always has done since chidhood.

no matter how well you work this may happen & I have been in practise over 22 years.
Grt1

[Stev]

I have found needle shock to occur in some of my patients, even where needling has been quite superficial.

I think it's important to remember in that local needling is not always necessary to exact the same effect. You say you were needling under scar tissue - have you thought of needling around the scar tissue, as in star-needling around the scar? If the treatment isn't for the scarring then cconsider using distal points.

[Barry]

I’ve seen needle shock on a few occasions and had the chance to talk through the issue with other practitioners. One of the aspects often overlooked is the overall dynamics of the treatment. That is, it’s not just a matter of the patient (remembering to respect any contra-indications), the differential diagnosis, your point selection and needle choice / technique. (A poorly inserted needle is going to shock the most robust of patients). There are other dynamics here that are often overlooked.
How you are as a practitioner – at that particular moment? Unrecognised anxiety - both in the patient and in the practitioner can be a contributing factor – there may be issues of transference here, usually from patient to practitioner. And how are the characteristics and dynamics of the surroundings? What is the Qi doing in your treatment room – what is it saying!? A small - badly ventilated treatment room has been a factor in most of the cases I’ve had a chance to review. There needs to be space for the Qi to disperse. Have you ever walked into a busy clinic and felt stifled, the need to choke? There needs to be space to breathe both physically and psychically. The comments above are excellent regarding what to do in the case of needle shock - I’d add another one – open a window (and or a door) get some air in the place. Be calm be centred. I have yet to hear of a case of someone being put off acupuncture by an adverse reaction of this type.

With love

Barry

[janie]

The first time you see needle shock can be scary.
Thankfully in our student clinic we had a guy who passed out in most of his sessions (not just with us heavy handed students I hasten to add, but even when the tutor treated him!!)
When it happens now (thankfully not often) all needles are removed instantly and I soothe the patient by talking to them in a calm manner that what thye're experiencing is a perfectly normal reaction and signifies that they are very sensitive to acupuncture etc etc. I also find placing my hand on theirs reassures them very quickly.
And I always have a bottle give of Rescue Remedy close by too!

j