Fire Needles

Fire needle acupuncture also known as fire needling is an acupuncture technique which involves quickly inserting a red hot needle into areas on the body. Deep insertions result in greater pain and other side effects. Fire needling combines conventional acupuncture and cauterization with heated needles therapy.

Filiform fire needling is a technique and not a school of acupuncture, even though this way of needling has its own theories and way of thinking. While applying filiform fire needling it is not always required to diagnose based on the theories of Chinese medicine even though Chinese medicine way of thinking is welcomed. For example in Chinese medicine we know that tinnitus may be due to problems of either Liver or Kidney. Regardless of the cause, the treatment with filiform fire needling will be partially the same. Fire needling on the area of sternocleidomastoid muscle will have an immediate effect in the treatment of tinnitus because these particular tissues of this area are related to the tension of the tympanic membrane thus causing tinnitus. In this technique the target tissue is often the fascia the skin, tendons, the muscles, and the vessels. The periosteum could also be a target tissue but it is not so oftenly used.

The purpose of filiform fire needling is the transmission of heat into the body’s specific points. These points could be the know acupuncture points or other unknown points. Actually treatment with filiform fire needle is  moxibustion therapy or better putted as jiufa therapy. However the major difference of filiform fire needle is that during moxibustion heat is transferred to the skin and then to the other tissue while the filiform fire needle transfers the heat directly into the body.

Internal heat application method (nèi jiǔ fǎ, 内灸法) only contains fire needling (huǒ zhēn, 火针). Fire needling has a long history in China but the first recordings can be found at the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic, thus making these texts the first book about fire needling. Inner’s Classic Ling Shu (líng shū guān zhēn, 灵枢官针) mentions that the ninth needle that is described as the big needle is the fire needle (jiǔ yuē cuì cì, 九曰焠刺) and the practitioner of fire needling can use this needle to treat bi syndrome (cuì cì zhě, cì fán zhēn zé qǔ bì yě, 焠刺者，刺燔针则取痹也).

Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic, Su Wen (素问: 调经论) says that when the pathology is in the level of bone, which is the deepest and most chronic level, then it is recommended the use of fire needle or herbs that are heated (bìng zài gǔ, cuì zhēn yào yùn, 病在骨焠针药熨). Here “burn needle” (fán zhēn, 燔针) is the term used in the classic to describe the action of “warming the needle” and the “fire needle” itself. “Quenching needle” (cuì zhēn, 焠针) from the other hand is only used as a noun to name “fire needle”. “Inserting a needle after it has become hot” (zhuó rù, 灼入) is another special term used in the classics.

Fire needling is considered heat application method and not acupuncture. Acupuncture according to the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic has 3 rules. Firstly in the chapter  刺节真邪论 mentions that when “using needles, regulate the qi” by doing manipulations (用针之类，在于调气). The qi regulation is taking place with different needle manipulations. Secondly in the chapter 终始第九 whenever needling a pathway, stop when the qi is regulated” (凡刺之道，气调而止). This regulation of qi is continuously taking place at the point with needle manipulations till the qi has arrived. Thirdly in chapter 九针十二原 is noted that “it is important when puncturing to have qi arrival, so that there is effectiveness” of the treatment (刺之要，气至而有效).

In fire needling treatment there is no use of manipulations after needle insertion for regulating the qi, since the heat load is performing that regulation. In addition to that, in fire needling there are no continuous needle manipulations till qi arrival. It is just puncturing in and out. Finally in fire needling in order to have positive therapeutic result must provide extreme heat load. If the heat load is not enough and there is only a usual point puncturing then the therapeutic results will be poor.

火针疗法

火针疗法，古称“焠刺”、“烧针”等，是将特制的针具在火上烧红烧白后，快速刺入人体，以治疗疾病的方法。

火针疗法已有有数千年历史，最早记载的典籍为《黄帝内经》。火针疗法是针灸疗法中一个独特的针法。经过历代医家的不断摸索与发展，火针疗法已得到不断的补充与完善。

火针具体怎么操作？

火针使用的是钨丝制成的盘龙针，有耐高温、不易变形的特点。操作时将针在酒精灯上烧红烧白，然后对准穴位，快进快出不留针。整个操作过程不过几秒时间，是非常迅速的针法，体现“快、稳、准”的特点。

火针治疗什么病？

火针治疗的疾病范围很广，主要用于痛证。中医认为“不通则痛，不荣则痛”，许多痛证都是因为体内气滞血瘀，痰湿内阻，亦可由于自身阳气虚弱，外受邪气所致。所以火针借助火的力量，在内可激发自身阳气以抗邪，在外可通经散寒以祛邪。除了痛证外，许多筋伤、骨伤、内外妇儿疾病皆可运用火针调理，有通经活络、温阳散寒、扶正祛邪、祛菀陈莝之功效。

火针痛不痛？
火针的针感是大多数人都能接受的针感，多数人会形容为被蚂蚁咬一下的感觉，不是非常痛。当然针感因人而异，有些人会有酸、麻、胀、痛、痒等针感，皆因个人体质和病情而有不同。许多患有风寒痹阻的痹症患者，往往会形容火针后有股热热的感觉，很舒服。

做火针有什么需要注意的？
糖尿病、恶性肿瘤、高血压、心脏病、传染病、怀孕、妇女经期、皮肤过敏、患有血液疾病者，在进行火针治疗前，应向中医师咨询。