Needling.

Happy March 1st, everyone! In officially two months I will have completed my first-year at CCNM and will be home-sweet-home for Summer vacation. So much to learn in the meantime, but I can't help myself from dreaming about Summer.

Correction: well, it's not really a correction per-say, but I feel obliged to tell you that I forgot to include a very important tea to my Tea First Aid Box: echinacea! Oh, echinacea, how could I forget thee? Take this tea when under high amounts of stress (it is an adaptogen) and take whenever the immune system needs a boost (i.e. when fighting an infection, when feeling a little "under the weather", to prevent from getting sick). Now, on to the regularly scheduled post...

Today I learned all about proper acupuncture needling because next week my classmates and I will start needling each other. Crazy! Here is a bit about needling from the safety lecture:

- Needles consist of a handle, root, body (sterile - is never touched by the doctor, is what is inserted into the patient's body), and the tip.
- All needles are sterilized and individually packaged. They are only placed on a Clean Field (are designated as sterile) before treatment. Needles are removed from their package only when the point location has been sterilized with a wipe of an alcohol dipped cotton swab.
- Used needles are directly disposed of in a designated "sharps" container.
- Acupuncture needling should not hurt as they do not come in contact with nerves, organs, blood vessels, etc. They are normally only inserted subcutaneous (just beneath the skin). Usually only one out of all the acupuncture points in a particular treatment will draw blood. If blood is drawn, pressure is applied using a cotton swab on a stick (like a Q-tip) and after this brief pressure application the blood usually stops.
- During one acupuncture session, the doctor washes his or her hands three times.
- Legally, the only people who can not be given acupuncture are those who are intoxicated. Everyone else is at the discretion of the doctor as to whether or not they are fit for needling.
- Common sensations to being needled: aching, soreness, tingling, distention, heaviness, itching, burning.