1. What to expect during and after acupuncture treatment?
During acupuncture treatment, you might get different types of needle sensations such as dull ache, numbness, distention, heaviness and pulling, which are normal sensations from needling.
However, when you get sharp pain or shooting referred pain, you should tell your acupuncturist immediately so the direction and depth of the needle can be adjusted. Usually, the needle sensation will last for a couple of hours. At the same time, the human body achieves the new homeostasis internally by the movement of energy and blood.
People who receive acupuncture treatment might get mild side effects. These often involve bleeding, bruising, tenderness and mild pain.
2. What are the similarities and differences between acupuncture and dry needling?
Similarities:
- Both involve the insertion of thin needles into human body.
- Both can treat musculoskeletal issues by releasing the tension of the muscles or fasciae, thus relieving the tightness and pain.
Differences:
- Dry needling mainly focus on treating the pain, while acupuncture can treat not only the pain, but also a variety of internal organ disorders. The internal organ disorders involve anxiety and stress, insomnia, neurological diseases, cardiac issues, respiratory disorders, gastrointestinal dysregulation, urinary disorders, reproductive disorders like gynaecological problems and men’s issues.
- Dry needling put the needles on the tension area or trigger points as well as the origins or insertion of the muscles, while acupuncture put needles on the acupoints along the meridians that are connected to the corresponding internal organs. Thus, it can treat not only the symptoms, but also the root reasons by unblocking the channels (meridians).
- Dry needling is used solely, while acupuncture is usually combined with moxibustion to get synergetic effects.
- It takes 4 weeks’ study to obtain a dry needling certificate, while it takes 4 years’ full time study for an acupuncturist to obtain the registration with Ahpra (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency)
3. What are the similarities and differences between Tui Na (Chinese remedial massage) and western remedial massage?
Similarities:
- Both Tui Na and western remedial massage focus on relaxing and therapeutic effects.
- They also share similar techniques and strokes such as gliding, kneading, rocking, pressing, pulling, rubbing and rolling.
Differences:
- Tui Na is based on TCM theories and is part of Chinese medicine. It has therapeutic effects by applying pressure on specific acupoints along corresponding meridians.
- Tui Na is quite different from western remedial massage. Whilst also working on the muscles, bones and joints, Tui Na has additional work on acupoints to tonify or reduce the energy level for specific meridians based on the symptoms after pulse-taking or tongue diagnosis.
- Tui Na can achieve synergetic effects when combined with other TCM treatment approaches such as acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, Gua Sha, moxibustion and cupping.
