Fire

Acupuncture

When it comes to fire acupuncture, many people might think of a hot iron, red and burning, piercing into the body, which sounds terrifying. So what exactly is fire acupuncture? Let’s hear from Zhang Wei, the Deputy Director of the Acupuncture Rehabilitation Department at Suining Central Hospital.

Origin of Fire Acupuncture

Fire acupuncture therapy involves using a specially designed needle, heated until red, and then inserted into specific acupuncture points (腧穴, shùxué) or affected areas of the body to achieve the goal of disease elimination, particularly effective in treating pain-related conditions.

Fire acupuncture has a long history, first mentioned in the “Huangdi Neijing” (黄帝内经), and the mature theory was developed in the Ming Dynasty’s “Zhenjiu Juying” (针灸聚英). In the early 1980s, Master He Purin elevated the techniques of fire acupuncture, fine needles, and three-edged needles into the “Three Pass Method” (三通法), summarizing the applications of fire acupuncture, which then became widely used in clinical practice.

How Does Fire Acupuncture Work?

(1) Utilizing Fire to Assist Yang: This means using heat to warm and strengthen Yang energy. The heated needle directly transmits heat into the body through the acupuncture points, stimulating the meridian energy and promoting the circulation of Qi and blood (痛证, tòng zhèng; 寒证, hán zhèng; 虚证, xū zhèng).

(2) Opening Pathways to Expel Evil: This involves cauterizing acupuncture points to open the pathways of the meridians, providing an exit for pathogenic factors (脓肿, nóng zhǒng).

(3) Drawing Heat with Heat: This means using the strong heat to open the external pathways, allowing toxic heat to escape (滑膜炎, huá mó yán; 痈肿, yōng zhǒng; 带状疱疹, dài zhuàng pào zhěn).

Compared to fine needles, fire acupuncture does not leave needles in place, does not require daily treatments, and can be performed 1-2 times a week. The combination of fire acupuncture and fine needles yields the best results!

What Types of Fire Needles Are There?

Fine fire needles (0.5mm and below) are primarily used on the head and face. According to “Zhenjiu Dacheng. Fire Needles” (针灸大成.火针): “Fire needles can be used on all parts of the body, but should be avoided on the face” due to the larger size of ancient needles potentially leaving scars; this taboo has been broken in modern practice.

Medium fire needles (0.8mm) are used on the limbs.

Coarse fire needles (1mm) are used on the waist and abdomen, and other muscular areas.

In simple terms, fire acupuncture involves inserting a heated needle into the affected area to achieve therapeutic effects.

Does it sound scary with the needle being red and hot? Is it very painful?

The pain caused by fire acupuncture is similar to that of regular acupuncture and is generally tolerable.

So, can you just buy a needle and do it yourself?

Of course not! The use of fire acupuncture is very cautious and involves many key points, including the burning of the needle, the technique of insertion, speed, and the specific acupuncture points, so it must be performed by a professional. Please do not attempt to imitate.

First, the needle must be thoroughly heated until it turns red and then white, becoming translucent and shiny, reaching temperatures of 600-800 degrees Celsius.

Secondly, the needle should penetrate the skin without pain, and upon removal, it should not stick, with the needle hole being nearly level with the surrounding skin, showing only slight redness.

Finally, the insertion points must be specific acupuncture points or affected areas, not just randomly chosen.

Widespread Applications of Fire Acupuncture

Fire acupuncture is applied for headaches, such as occipital neuralgia (枕大神经痛, zhěn dà shén jīng tòng) and lesser occipital neuralgia (枕小神经痛, zhěn xiǎo shén jīng tòng).

Fire acupuncture is also used in our department for heel pain (跟痛症, gēn tòng zhèng) caused by calcaneal spurs. Traditional Chinese Medicine (中医, zhōng yī) believes that the kidneys govern the bones, and deficiency of kidney (精, jīng) energy, along with invasion of wind, cold, and dampness, or prolonged strain, can lead to local Qi stagnation and blood stasis, resulting in obstruction of the meridians.

Fire acupuncture is also effective for cervical spondylosis (项痹, xiàng bì) and lumbar disc herniation (偏痹, piān bì). In TCM, both conditions are attributed to insufficient righteous Qi, with the invasion of wind, cold, and dampness leading to obstruction.

Additionally, fire acupuncture can treat not only pain but also symptoms such as facial muscle spasms (面肌痉挛, miàn jī jìng luán) or post-cold cough (感冒后遗留咳嗽, gǎn mào hòu yí liú ké sòu). Facial muscle spasms often involve a deficiency of the body’s righteous Qi and an excess of wind, cold, and dampness. Cold is a significant trigger for this condition, causing local Qi and blood stagnation. For post-cold cough, fire acupuncture aims to open the meridians and promote lung Qi.

In conclusion, I believe that trying fire acupuncture is better than just talking about it. Friends suffering from “pain” are welcome to experience the art of fire acupuncture; the results will speak for themselves!

Expert Introduction

Zhang Wei, Master’s degree, Deputy Chief Physician of Acupuncture. Professional memberships: Member of the Pain and Brain Disease Committee of the Provincial Acupuncture Association, Member of the Provincial Needle Knife Association, Member of the Provincial Rehabilitation Society of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine (Committee of Minimally Invasive TCM). Technical expertise: Acupuncture and massage for cervical and lumbar spine diseases, needle knife release for stenosing tenosynovitis and shoulder periarthritis, hook and blade needle treatment for acute and chronic strain diseases, dizziness, and fire acupuncture combined with cupping for pain. He has published over ten professional papers in provincial and national journals after studying at West China Medical University and the Provincial Orthopedic Hospital for over ten years.

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Written by: Zhang Wei

Edited by: Liao Jing

Reviewed by: Jiang Hanyu

Final Review: Tang Xu, Xie Yu

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