Safety of Acupuncture Needles

With different diseases in the world today, especially those caused by needles that are unclean, the safety of acupuncture needles is of concern to many people. Fortunately in the United States, the Food and Drug Administration has strict guidelines on acupuncture needles such as the requirement they be sterile and used only one time. Of course, in spite of these safety mechanisms that are in place, some people will still be fearful at the thoughts of any kind of needles including acupuncture needles. Making certain to choose an experienced practitioner can allay some of those fears.

In addition to sterile needles, a patient may fear pain from the acupuncture needles. A search of various types of acupuncture needles shows the existence of even painless ones. In addition to painless needles easing the stress level of the patient, the acupuncturist can avoid the possibility of an automatic reflex from the patient upon insertion of the needles. Painless acupuncture needles allows the patient more comfort during the procedure, thus creating a lower stress level that will allow the procedure to work more effectively.

The success level of any procedure is enhanced by the patient’s ability to relax. The endurance of painful acupuncture needles does not allow the relaxation of the patient, and therefore may not afford the same level of success as a painless needle. Certainly this differs from patient to patient, but when you have someone who already fears needles, you are not going to help him or her by inflicting pain that is avoidable. For some people the pain of the acupuncture needles is less than the pain from which they seek relief, and thus they consider it worth it; for others, they are not seeking relief from pain by enduring more pain.

When you are searching for an acupuncture practitioner, and you have a problem with painful needles, you can ask about using painless needles. Depending on the practitioner, he may not have them in his office but may be willing to order them for you. On the other hand, you may be able to choose a practitioner who uses nothing but painless acupuncture needles in order to assure the comfort of his patients. While acupuncture used to be a procedure that patients expected to be painful, new technology makes pain the exception rather than the rule.

In addition to the pain from acupuncture needles, some people may fear infection from unclean needles. Visiting the office of the practitioner before treatment will allow a patient to ease his fears and show him or her that the practitioner has a clean office and invests in sanitary, disposable acupuncture needles. Showing a patient that he has concerns for the safety and well-being of his patients will ease the fears and tension of those patients he treats. Without the tension or fear, a patient will respond better to treatment.