Fire needle therapy is one of the nine needles, historically known as “scorching needle” or “burning needle”. It involves heating a specially made needle until it is red hot and quickly inserting it into acupoints to treat diseases. This method has a long history, as recorded in the “Huangdi Neijing – Ling Shu – Guan Zhen”: “The scorching needle is used to treat bi syndrome.” The “Qianjin Yifang” states, “For treating abscesses and painful scars, the needle must be extremely hot.” Previous studies have confirmed that fire needle therapy can treat over 120 diseases, with a strong efficacy in orthopedic, neurological, surgical, gynecological, dermatological, and otorhinolaryngological conditions. It is particularly effective in dermatology, with a high application rate and efficacy in conditions such as eczema, folliculitis, warts, pruritus, neurodermatitis, and vitiligo, achieving an overall effective rate of over 95%.
01Mechanism of Fire Needle Therapy
① For chronic diseases, fire needle therapy can warm and support Yang, strengthen the body, open meridians, and expel evil, treating chronic skin diseases such as vitiligo, alopecia areata, and atopic dermatitis;
② Pain is often due to cold; fire needle therapy can warm the meridians, dispel cold, and alleviate pain, corresponding to the pathogenesis of skin diseases characterized by “cold, pain, and stasis,” such as treating herpes zoster and skin numbness;
③ Heat and toxic evils are the causes of skin diseases like abscesses; fire needle therapy can draw out heat, expel pus, dissolve masses, and promote tissue regeneration, treating folliculitis and cystic acne;
④ “To treat wind, first treat blood; when blood flows, wind will naturally dissipate.” Fire needle therapy can harmonize Qi and blood, invigorate blood circulation, expel wind, open pores, and calm itching, showing excellent efficacy in treating pruritus and nodular prurigo.
02Procedure of Fire Needle Therapy 01
Disinfection: After determining the acupoint, first use a 2.5% iodine cotton ball to disinfect in concentric circles around the acupoint, then use a 75% alcohol cotton ball in the same manner to remove iodine, and wait for the alcohol to dry before proceeding.
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Heating the Needle: Ignite an alcohol lamp and determine the length of the needle to be heated based on the depth of insertion. The needle must be heated until it is glowing red.
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Needle Insertion: When the needle is glowing red, quickly and accurately insert it into the acupoint and swiftly withdraw it; this process takes about 1/10 of a second.
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Needle Withdrawal: The practitioner should hold a disinfected dry cotton ball to wipe or press in case of bleeding or pus. When the fire needle reaches a certain depth, it should be withdrawn quickly to minimize patient discomfort and prevent the needle hole from enlarging, avoiding small scar formation.
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Post-Needling Care: Generally, no special treatment is required after fire needle therapy; simply pressing the needle hole with a dry cotton ball is sufficient. This can alleviate pain and protect the needle hole.
03Fire needle therapy has a wide range of applications in dermatology and medical aesthetics, with main indications including: acute phase and postherpetic neuralgia of herpes zoster, acne, alopecia areata, vitiligo, flat warts, common warts, plantar warts, corns, hidrocystomas, nodular prurigo, chronic hypertrophic skin diseases, pruritus, erysipelas, and various other skin diseases.01Fire Needle Therapy for Herpes Zoster
Herpes zoster is a common skin disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus. Some patients may experience postherpetic neuralgia after the lesions have completely resolved, with an incidence rate of 50% to 75% in patients over 60 years old. Fire needle therapy can harmonize Qi and blood, open meridians, and alleviate pain.
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Fire Needle Therapy for Pruritic Skin Diseases
Pruritus is a skin condition characterized solely by itching and secondary scratches and scabs. Studies have shown that fire needle therapy can stimulate local vasodilation through heat, improve blood circulation, promote inflammation resolution, enhance skin repair, prevent scar formation, and reduce itching, controlling the recurrence of lesions.
03Fire Needle Therapy for Acne
Acne is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that commonly occurs on the neck, chest, face, and back. Fire needle therapy can promote superficial Qi and blood circulation, expel evils, and accelerate inflammation resolution.
04Fire Needle Therapy for Vitiligo
Vitiligo is a primary, localized, or generalized skin and mucosal depigmentation disorder. Fire needle therapy can invigorate Yang Qi, regulate organ functions, promote Qi and blood circulation, enhance nutrient supply to the affected areas, and accelerate melanin production, effectively treating vitiligo.
Fire needle therapy differs from ordinary acupuncture in that the time from contact with the skin to withdrawal is less than 1 second. In such a short time, patients may not even feel pain; the insertion site feels like a gentle bite from a small insect. Therefore, the requirements for the specialized practitioner are high, needing to be “fast” and “accurate”!
Fire needle therapy shows a significant improvement in efficacy compared to simple medication, avoiding the risks of drug side effects, shortening treatment duration, simplifying the procedure, minimizing wounds, and reducing pain, leading to better patient compliance.
Editor: Ren HuiyunReviewer: Sui Keyi-END-
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