With different diseases in the world today, especially those caused by unclean needles, the safety of acupuncture needles is of concern to many people.

 

Where are acupuncture needles inserted? You can read about acupuncture points here.

 

Fortunately in Australia, there are strict laws on acupuncture needle usage, such as the requirement they be sterile and used only one time.

 

Of course, in spite of these safety mechanisms that are in place, some people will still be fearful at the thought of any kind of needles.

 

Be sure to choose an experienced practitioner who can allay some of these fears.

 

In addition to sterile needles,

 

a patient may fear pain from the acupuncture needles

There are various brands of acupuncture needles with different gauges and lengths, to be used on different parts of the body.

 

A skilled acupuncturist will do their best to avoid the possibility of an autonomic reflex from the patient upon insertion of the needles and manage any pain the patient may feel.

 

It is important to speak up to your practitioner and express any concerns you may have or pain you feel during the session.This will help to lower stress levels that will allow the procedure to work more effectively.

 

The success level of any procedure is enhanced by the patient’s ability to relax

The endurance of painful acupuncture needles does not allow the relaxation of the patient, and therefore may not afford the same level of success as a more gentle needle insertion.

 

Certainly this differs from patient to patient, but when you have someone who already fears needles, you are not going to help him or her by inflicting pain that is avoidable.

For some people, the pain of the acupuncture needles is less than the pain from which they seek relief and thus they consider it worth it. For others, they are not seeking relief from pain by enduring more pain.

 

When you are searching for an acupuncturist, and you have a problem with painful needles, you can ask about having very gentle or superficial needle insertion techniques performed to reduce the likelihood of pain occurring.

 

In addition to the pain from acupuncture needles,

some people may fear infection from unclean needles

Visiting the office of the practitioner before treatment will allow a patient to ease his fears and show him or her that the practitioner has a clean office and invests in sanitary, disposable acupuncture needles.

 

TCM Doctors follow strict guidelines outlined by the AHPRA and AACMA regulatory boards, ensuring we uphold a high level of sanitary care.  Book an appointment to visit me today.