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Fire needle therapy is a technique within the realm of acupuncture, which involves using specially designed needles that are heated until red hot and then quickly inserted into acupoints (腧穴, shùxué) or certain areas of the body to treat diseases. The earliest mention of fire needle therapy can be found in the “Huangdi Neijing” (黄帝内经), where it is referred to as “burning needle” (燔针, fánzhēn) or “quenching needle” (焠刺, cuàncì), providing preliminary descriptions of the tools, techniques, indications, and contraindications for fire needle therapy. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, the “Shanghan Zabing Lun” (伤寒杂病论) referred to this acupuncture method as “burning needle” (烧针, shāozhēn). During the Tang Dynasty, Sun Simiao’s “Qianjin Yaofang” (千金要方) was the first to call it “fire needle” (火针, huǒzhēn), further detailing the operational techniques and expanding its therapeutic scope. The name “fire needle” has been used ever since.
The Mechanism of Fire Needle Therapy
Fire assists Yang, opens the door to expel pathogens, and uses heat to induce heat, allowing the heat pathogen to be expelled, achieving the effect of “fire resolving stagnation” (火郁发之, huǒ yù fā zhī). This technique utilizes the thermal effect to stimulate acupoints and areas, increasing the body’s Yang Qi (阳气, yángqì), invigorating the meridian Qi (经气, jīngqì), and regulating the functions of the organs (脏腑, zàngfǔ), ensuring the smooth flow of meridians and blood. It has effects such as warming Yang Qi, dispersing cold and dampness, dispelling wind and alleviating itching, promoting tissue regeneration, resolving stasis and draining pus, clearing heat and draining fire, and promoting Qi and detoxification.
Needling Technique and Depth of Fire Needle Therapy
During needling, the heated needle is quickly inserted into the selected acupoint and then swiftly withdrawn. Regarding the depth of needling, the “Zhenjiu Dacheng: Fire Needle” (针灸大成·火针) states: “Avoid excessive depth to prevent injury to the meridians; too shallow will not treat the disease; the depth should be moderate.” The depth of fire needle insertion should be determined based on the condition, constitution, age, and the thickness of muscle and depth of blood vessels at the insertion site. Generally, the limbs and lower abdomen can be slightly deeper, while the chest and back should be shallower.
Indications for Fire Needle Therapy
Fire needle therapy can treat a variety of conditions, including bi syndrome (痹证, bì zhèng), surgical abscesses (外科痈疽, wàikē yōngjū), scrofula (瘰痼, luǒgù), cysts (囊肿, nángzhǒng), nodules (结节, jiéjié), lower limb varicose veins (下肢静脉曲张, xiàzhī jìngmài qūzhāng); skin diseases such as moles (痣, zhì), warts (疣, yóu), and herpes zoster (带状疱疹, dàizhuàng pàozhěn); as well as chronic gastritis (慢性胃炎, mànxìng wèiyán), trigeminal neuralgia (三叉神经痛, sānchā shénjīng tòng), stubborn insomnia (顽固性失眠, wángùxìng shīmián), post-stroke sequelae (中风后遗症, zhōngfēng hòu yízhèng), sciatica (坐骨神经痛, zuògǔ shénjīng tòng), low back pain (腰痛, yāotòng), bone and joint tuberculosis (骨关节结核, gǔ guānjié jiéhé), and various types of arthritis (各类关节炎, gè lèi guānjié yán).
Contraindications for Fire Needle Therapy
Patients who are excessively hungry, fatigued, or extremely tense should use caution; fire needle stimulation is intense, and it is contraindicated for pregnant women and the elderly or weak; it should not be used in cases of heat syndrome (火热证候, huǒrè zhènghòu) or local redness and swelling; patients with diabetes (糖尿病, tángniàobìng), hypertension (高血压, gāo xuèyā), heart disease (心脏病, xīnzàngbìng), or malignant tumors (恶性肿瘤, èxìng zhǒngliú) are also contraindicated.
Precautions for Fire Needle Therapy
1. When applying fire needle therapy, attention must be paid to fire safety to prevent burns or accidental fires.2. Fire needles should not be used on certain body parts, such as major blood vessels, internal organs, and vital organs.3. It is advisable not to bathe on the same day after fire needle treatment to protect the needle holes and prevent contamination and infection.4. During the fire needle treatment period, the diet should be light, avoiding raw, cold, spicy, and greasy foods.
Source: Rushan City Baishatan Town Health Center
Editor: Chen ZhihaoReview: Bi Xiaodan
