Fire needle therapy is a special acupuncture treatment method that involves using specially made needles, heated until red, and then quickly inserted into specific acupuncture points or areas of the body to achieve therapeutic effects.
Principles: dispel wind and cold, warm the meridians and unblock collaterals; Acupuncture points: Ah Shi point, Xuanxu (Suspended Abdomen), Jianjing (Shoulder Well).
Procedure: After routine disinfection, ignite an alcohol lamp. With the left hand, bring the lamp close to the acupuncture point, while holding the needle in a pen-like grip with the right hand. Quickly insert the red-hot needle into the acupuncture point, then immediately withdraw it. Use a disinfected cotton ball to press on the needle hole to ensure closure. Avoid water for 3-5 days!
Fire Needle Therapy for Shoulder Periarthritis
Shoulder pressure points: Coracoid process, supraspinatus insertion, rotator cuff insertion, posterior upper arm, infraspinatus, biceps brachii long head intertubercular groove.
Acupuncture point: Ah Shi point.
Method: Locate sensitive points above the biceps brachii on the affected shoulder and at the anterior and posterior edges of the deltoid muscle, usually 3-6 sensitive pressure points. Mark them and disinfect. Heat the tungsten fire needle over the alcohol lamp until it glows white, then quickly prick the marked reaction points. Generally, prick 3-5 points per session, inserting the needle about 1 inch deep, without leaving the needle in place. Treatment is done once every 5-7 days, typically requiring 3-5 sessions for recovery. Some patients may require additional sessions. After fire needle therapy, the area should not come into contact with water for 5 days, and functional exercises should begin the day after the treatment.
Fire Needle Therapy for Corns
Fire needle therapy for corns is very effective. After heating the needle until red, it is directly pricked into the corn, usually healing in two sessions; in some severe cases, 3-4 sessions may be needed. Ensure proper disinfection, and avoid water on the needle hole for three days.
Fire Needle Therapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis
Acupuncture points: Jiaji points, local Ah Shi points.
Method: The Shishi fire needle technique uses a mini alcohol lamp to heat the needle. The practitioner holds the alcohol lamp in the left hand and the needle in a brush-like grip in the right hand. First, heat the base of the needle, then slowly lift it to heat the tip until it glows white, and quickly insert and withdraw. Treatment is done once every other day, with 10 sessions constituting one course of treatment.
Precautions: After each needle, immediately press the needle hole with an alcohol cotton ball to prevent bleeding; do not rub or press. After fire needle therapy, avoid bathing or getting the area wet for 3 days to prevent infection. During treatment, avoid raw, cold, and spicy foods.
Fire Needle Therapy for Neurodermatitis
Fire needle therapy is used for neurodermatitis. Due to the thickness of the fire needles purchased, patients may find them uncomfortable. I use a 0.5 mm needle, heating it until red or white over an alcohol lamp, and then scatter prick the lesions, ensuring disinfection with alcohol. This method has shown good results for both localized and generalized neurodermatitis. Generally, after one session of fire needle therapy, patients experience reduced itching, and many find the treatment quite comfortable. Although it may be slightly painful, it is much more tolerable than the itching. Some patients even request additional pricks after treatment. I take Sundays off, so for smaller areas, I treat patients on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, while larger areas are treated twice a week. After 10 to 20 sessions, most patients can achieve recovery.
Fire Needle Therapy for Chronic Erysipelas
Two patients experienced acute episodes of chronic erysipelas, treated with various antibiotics and herbal medicines. I tried fire needle therapy with good results. The method involves disinfecting the lesion with 75% alcohol, heating a fine needle over an alcohol lamp until red, and then pricking the lesion to a depth of 0.5 inches. Afterward, cupping for 10 minutes (using 3-5 small cups, as large cups are not effective and may fall off). A significant amount of light yellow viscous fluid is drawn out, and patients report that light yellow fluid continues to seep from the needle hole for several hours after treatment. Treatment is done daily for 3 days, then every 3 days thereafter. During treatment, antibiotics are not used. Patients report reduced swelling the day after treatment, and after 5-7 sessions, they recover. During treatment, patients should rest, elevate the affected limb at a 30-40 degree angle, drink plenty of water, and keep the lesion clean.
Fire Needle Therapy for Breast Masses
Breast masses can vary in size and shape, often irregular, with unclear boundaries from surrounding tissue. They may be painful and enlarge 3-4 days before menstruation, with pain subsiding or disappearing afterward, and the mass shrinking.
After routine disinfection of the lesion, a medium-sized coarse fire needle is heated until red over an alcohol lamp. The practitioner uses the thumb and index finger of the left hand to stabilize the mass, quickly pricking the center and surrounding areas of the mass without leaving the needle in place. After pricking, immediately press the needle hole with a disinfected cotton ball to prevent infection. Treatment is done once every other day, with 20 sessions constituting one course of treatment. Fire needle therapy is particularly effective for masses with a short duration and a diameter of less than 2.5 cm. For larger or longer-standing masses, the treatment course should be extended.
Fire Needle Therapy for Ankle Sprains
I frequently encounter patients with ankle sprains in clinical practice. As long as X-rays confirm no fractures, fire needle therapy can be applied.
Most patients arrive with assistance but can walk out on their own after treatment, demonstrating its effectiveness. The needle is heated until red and pricked into the most swollen and painful areas of the ankle, avoiding blood vessels, with 4 to 8 pricks. The internal bruising will naturally drain out, and then a plaster can be applied, leading to recovery in 3 days.
Fire Needle Therapy for Ganglion Cysts
Ganglion cysts are cystic swellings that occur in the tendon area, usually on the wrist or dorsal side of the foot. They vary in size and can be soft or hard upon palpation, commonly seen in young women. The onset is slow, often presenting as a half-spherical mass on the wrist, fixed at the base, elastic, and mostly asymptomatic, though some may experience discomfort or weakness, severely affecting normal life.
Conventional treatments often include: 1. External force to rupture, break, or squeeze the cyst wall for absorption; 2. Puncture with a coarse needle to extract the gelatinous fluid, followed by injection of hydrocortisone or dexamethasone, and pressure bandaging; 3. Surgical treatment, which not only has a large wound area but also leaves scars on the hand or foot. All these methods have a high recurrence rate.
In contrast, fire needle therapy for ganglion cysts is quick and has a low recurrence rate! Treatment method: The patient sits or lies down, exposing the affected area. After routine disinfection, a coarse fire needle is heated until red over an alcohol lamp and quickly inserted into the base of the cyst, pricking quickly 3-5 times to expel the thick gelatinous substance inside. Then, cover with a band-aid, treating once every 15 days. Generally, 1-2 sessions are sufficient.
Ganglion cysts fall under the TCM categories of “wrist tendon knot” and “muscle gathering,” often caused by fatigue or trauma, leading to obstruction of qi and blood flow in the local area. Fire needle therapy aims to use external fire to support internal fire, enhancing the movement of qi and blood, dispersing accumulations, and unblocking the meridians. Additionally, the high temperature of the fire needle directly destroys the cyst wall tissue, preventing its regeneration and thus reducing the likelihood of recurrence.
Fire Needle and Cupping Therapy for Skin Numbness
For the lateral thigh, acupuncture points include the Du meridian from L1 to L5, Jiaji points, and the affected area; for the face, from Fengfu to C7 of the Du meridian, Jiaji points, and the affected area; for the abdomen, from T10 to L2 of the Du meridian, Jiaji points, and the affected area; for the perineum, from L3 to the sacral region of the Du meridian, Jiaji points, and the perineum.
For the corresponding areas (excluding face and perineum), cupping is applied for 15-20 minutes. After routine disinfection, the practitioner holds the alcohol lamp in the left hand and the self-made fire needle (a #2 steel sewing needle with the tip cut to make it flat, and the tail wrapped with tape) in the right hand. The needle tip is heated until glowing red, then quickly pricked into the Du meridian, Jiaji points, and the affected area. The sequence is: healthy side Jiaji from top to bottom, Du meridian from bottom to top, affected side Jiaji from top to bottom, and the affected area from the periphery of numbness towards the center. The distance between points on the Du meridian and Jiaji points should be about 1 cm, and for the affected area, about 2 cm. The depth of the needle should be about 0.5 mm. After the procedure, disinfect the puncture sites with iodine.
Patients should avoid getting the needle sites wet, scratching, or applying plasters, and should stop other treatment methods. Treatments are done every 3 days, with 6 sessions constituting one course of treatment.
In a study of 126 cases, the cure rate was 79%, and the effective rate was 95%.
Fire Needle Therapy for Varicose Veins
In TCM, this condition is referred to as “muscle gathering,” believed to be caused by prolonged standing, leading to poor circulation of qi and blood in the lower limbs, resulting in slow blood flow and stagnation of the vessels.
Types: (1) Liver Qi stagnation and Spleen deficiency (2) Qi stagnation and Blood stasis (3) Liver and Kidney Yin deficiency (4) Blood stasis obstructing the vessels.
Acupuncture points: Ah Shi points, Xuehai (Blood Sea).
Method: For Ah Shi points, use fire needles to prick the varicose veins. For severe cases, apply a tourniquet above the lesion, then use fire needles to prick the lesion to expel the stagnant blood. After releasing the tourniquet, prick the Xuehai point with a fine needle.
Fire Needle Therapy for Patellar Ligament Injury Nodules
A patient presented with a large nodule the size of a jujube on the left knee after trauma for over a month. I was unsure what this would be called in Western medicine, but I thought fire needle therapy would be effective. After obtaining the patient’s consent, I began my fire needle journey, pricking the nodule over a dozen times and asking the patient to return in 3 days. The patient returned on the 4th day, and it was incredible; the original “jujube” was nearly invisible to the naked eye, feeling like just a small base.
Fire Needle Therapy for Herpes Zoster
The specific operational method for fire needle therapy is as follows:
(1) The patient lies down with the herpes facing up. Disinfect the herpes and surrounding skin with iodine cotton balls, then gently dry with a disinfected cotton ball to fully expose the herpes.
(2) Explain the procedure to the patient, encouraging cooperation to alleviate fear. (3) Use a fire needle (or a #3 paperclip straightened to make a simple fire needle), heat one end over the alcohol lamp until red, and prick the tense, shiny area of the herpes wall, avoiding deep insertion. The herpes fluid vaporizes due to the high temperature, and occasionally, the sound of the herpes wall breaking can be heard. The patient experiences minimal pain, and after pricking, the skin at the prick site contracts and reddens. Smaller herpes lesions may become clean and dry due to vaporization, while larger blisters can be pricked multiple times, but the area should not exceed the base, and any excess fluid should be wiped away with a disinfected cotton swab.
(4) For numerous herpes lesions or extensive areas, it is advisable to prick in stages, not exceeding too many at once. Start with the tense, shiny herpes or larger blisters, and continue with the remaining lesions the next day. If the patient has a weaker constitution, intervals of 2-3 days may be necessary, along with supportive therapies such as BCG polysaccharide-nucleic acid injections to enhance immunity. (5) After completing the fire needle pricking, disinfect the wound with iodine cotton balls and apply acyclovir ointment or other astringent medications.
(6) Fire needle therapy is particularly effective for early-stage herpes when the lesions are small.
Fire Needle Therapy for Common Warts
After heating the needle over an alcohol lamp, the method involves directing the needle at the center of the wart, quickly burning until reaching the base; or quickly pricking the base of the wart, with a depth of about 2/3 of the wart’s base, in a crisscross pattern, turning the wart root grayish-white. After 7-14 days, the wart may fall off on its own. During the burning process, the fire needle may need to be reheated multiple times. For filiform warts, pull the wart outward, then place the heated needle horizontally to cut from the base, which can be removed in seconds. Afterward, apply iodine and cover with a dressing, securing it with tape. The area should be kept dry until healed.
Fire Needle Therapy for Facial Telangiectasia
Using a 0.45*55mm fire needle, after heating it until red, quickly prick the center of the telangiectasia, causing it to disappear immediately. Typically, about 10 telangiectasia are treated per session. Patients should avoid washing their faces for 24 hours.
Fire Needle Therapy for Tennis Elbow
Method of treatment:
1. Acupuncture points: The patient lies supine with the elbow flexed to fully expose the affected area, or sits on a sofa with the forearm resting on the armrest to expose the affected area. The practitioner supports the affected limb with one hand and presses the lateral epicondyle of the humerus with the thumb of the other hand, marking the size of the lesion based on the hardened area and pain for the next step.
2. Procedure: After routine disinfection, the practitioner holds the lit alcohol lamp in the left hand and a medium-sized fire needle in the right hand, heating the needle tip 1-1.5 cm from the affected area until it turns red. Once the needle turns white, quickly prick the lesion, generally making three pricks in a triangular pattern, with the distance between pricks determined by the size of the lesion. After pricking, disinfect the needle holes with an alcohol cotton ball and instruct the patient to keep the area clean and dry for 24 hours. Treatments are done every 3 days, with 3 sessions constituting one course of treatment. For patients with severe pain radiating to the forearm, additional pricks can be made at the points of Sanli (Stomach 36) and Hegu (Large Intestine 4). For those showing signs of Qi deficiency and insufficient blood, internal herbal medicine may be prescribed, such as Huangqi Guizhi Wuwu Decoction with modifications.