How Safe Are Acupuncture Needles?

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by Barry Friedmann

With so many different diseases in the world today, especially some that are caused by needles that are not clean, the safety of acupuncture needles is of concern to many people. Fortunately for those in the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has very strict regulations on using acupuncture needles, such as requiring that they be sterile and that they can be used only once. Of course, in spite of these safety mechanisms that are there, many people will still be unsure at the thought of using a needle, including an acupuncture needle. Many of these fears can be allayed by ensuring that an experienced chiropractor is chosen to provide treatment.

Many patients fear pain from acupuncture needles. Searching for various types of acupuncture needles will show the existence of painless needles. Over and above painless needles easing the stress level of the patient, they allow the acupuncturist to avoid the possibility of automatic reflex reactions from patients when inserting the acupuncture needles. Painless acupuncture needles help the patient feel more comfortable with the procedure, and create a much lower stress level, which allows the procedure to work far more effectively.

The patient’s ability to relax enhances the success level of any procedure. Endurance of pain caused by acupuncture needles does not allow for relaxation of the patient, and therefore will not offer the same level of success as when using painless needles. This will obviously differ from patient to patient, but when a patient is someone who already fears needles, inflicting avoidable pain is not going to help any. For most people, pain from the acupuncture needles is less than the pain that they were experiencing, and they consider it well worth it; for others, they do not seek relief from pain by enduring more pain of a different nature.

When you are searching for an acupuncture practitioner, and you have a problem with painful needles, you can ask about using painless needles. Depending on the practitioner, he may not have them in his office but may be willing to order them for you. On the other hand, you may be able to choose a practitioner who uses nothing but painless acupuncture needles in order to assure the comfort of his patients. While acupuncture used to be a procedure that patients expected to be painful, new technology makes pain the exception rather than the rule.

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. Showing a patient that he has concerns for the safety and well-being of his patients will ease the fears and tension of those patients he treats. Without the tension or fear, a patient will respond better to treatment.

Are Acupuncture Needles safe?

In the USA the Food and Drug Administration enforces a policy that needles used for acupuncture have to be sterile and are to be used once only. Federal law restricts distributors from selling needles to unqualified practitioners. Because of the variety of diseases lurking around, it is of concern to many people that there may be a risk involved in allowing a practitioner to use needles on them. It is best to select an experienced and recommended acupuncturist, which will help to avoid the anxiety and fears of undergoing treatment.

There is an added bonus of using painless needles, besides the practitioners using sterile needles. This is extremely beneficial to those who are fearful of needles and who may automatically jerk or tense-up when the needles are inserted. The benefits of using painless needles would be immeasurable to the patient, as the whole experience could become relaxing, comfortable and completely stress free. The treatment would therefore be more beneficial too.

If a patient is terrified of needles and is distressed because or suffering pain during the procedure they will not be able to relax, which will cause their muscles to be taut which could complicate the success of the treatment. If the patient is able to relax completely, the procedure using the painless acupuncture needles is more likely be a success. The patient’s ability to relax will enhance the success level of any procedure.

The use of painful acupuncture needles does help the patient relax, and may not afford the same success as could have been had a painless needle been used. This will certainly differ from patient to patient, but when someone who already fears needles is treated, you are not going to help them by additional inflicting pain.

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