Neurodermatitis, also known as chronic simple lichen, in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is referred to as “She Ling Chuang” (摄领疮), “Niu Pi Xuan” (牛皮癣), “Wan Xuan” (顽癣). It is a common skin disorder characterized by dysfunction of the nervous system, with a long course and tendency to relapse. Symptoms include paroxysmal and persistent severe itching, initially presenting as flat papules ranging from millet to rice grain size, which can merge into patches with clear boundaries. Over time, the affected skin may exhibit lichenification, commonly occurring on the neck, elbow creases, forearms, thighs, calves, and sacral areas, and can even spread across the entire body, severely impacting the patient’s physical and mental health. Today, we will introduce a simple, convenient, cost-effective, and effective treatment method—Fire Needle Therapy.
1. What is Fire Needle Therapy? Fire Needle Therapy is a form of traditional acupuncture, historically known as “Chuan Ci” (焠刺) or “Shao Zhen” (烧针). The Ling Shu (灵枢) states: “For those who are clothed, use fire to cauterize.” Zhang Zhongjing’s Shang Han Lun mentions “burning needles to induce sweating,” “fire reverses downward, thus burning needles for those who are agitated,” and “both exterior and interior are deficient, yin and yang qi are both exhausted, without yang, yin is alone, thus further burning needles…” etc. It was not until the Tang Dynasty that Sun Simiao formally named it “Fire Needle” in his Qian Jin Yao Fang (千金要方). The Ming Dynasty’s Yangzhou’s Zhen Jiu Da Cheng describes it most thoroughly: “Frequently dip the needle in sesame oil, heat it until red, and use it effectively. If it is not red, it cannot cure the disease and may harm the patient.”
2. Characteristics of Fire Needle Therapy
Fire Needle is effective in opening the meridian doors to expel pathogens, using fire to assist yang, and employing heat to draw out heat. It can directly and quickly expel pathogens.
Firstly, after the needle is inserted, the puncture does not close quickly, opening the meridian doors and providing an exit for pathogens. The three evils of wind, cold, and dampness, as well as internal heat toxins, can be expelled directly through the needle hole, achieving the goal of expelling pathogens. Secondly, Fire Needle can directly introduce heat into the body, rapidly warming and promoting the circulation of qi and blood, thus warming and nourishing the organs, invigorating the righteous qi, and expelling pathogens. Furthermore, due to the nature of Fire Needle in opening doors to expel pathogens and warming the meridians to invigorate blood, it can directly unblock the pores, allowing wind pathogens to exit from the surface, and its warming nature can promote blood flow. When blood circulation is normal, wind pathogens are eliminated, and itching ceases. The main principle is to utilize the ultra-high temperature carbonization effect, producing a series of related chemical reactions at the site of skin lesions, improving the pathological state of the lesions, and rapidly achieving anti-inflammatory and anti-itch effects, allowing the affected skin to quickly return to normal and alleviating the patient’s suffering.
3. Advantages of Fire Needle Therapy for Neurodermatitis Fire Needle Therapy for localized neurodermatitis has advantages such as rapid effectiveness, immediate cessation of itching, simplicity of operation, few adverse reactions, low recurrence rate, and no drug resistance, making it an excellent method for treating localized neurodermatitis.
4. Precautions for Treatment Before using Fire Needle Therapy, it is important to explain the treatment principles and effects to the patient to prevent fear and non-cooperation. During treatment, instruct the patient to adopt a comfortable position, fully expose the affected area, and if there is any oozing or bleeding during the puncturing of the skin lesions, immediately apply a disinfected cotton ball to stop the bleeding. After the procedure, advise the patient to protect the wound. Additionally, do not insert the needle too deeply. Inform the patient that after the Fire Needle procedure, the affected area may experience heat, redness, mild pain, and itching, which generally do not require special treatment and will resolve on their own within about a week. At the same time, during Fire Needle treatment, it is also important to focus on the psychological treatment of the patient, guiding them to maintain mental health and a positive mood, eliminate bad habits, avoid smoking, alcohol, and spicy stimulating foods, and refrain from wearing synthetic clothing.
Source: Dermatology, Lei Meirong Edited by: Publicity Department, Liu Weiyi Reviewed by: Dermatology, Jing Huiling
