Needle Techniques

Name of Method	Re-inforcing	Reducing	Function	Indication
Slow and Quick	Slow insertion and quick withdrawal	Quick insertion and slow withdrawal	To disperse and perverse energy and support the true energy	Use on any channel in Cold and Hot, empty and full diseases
Thrust and lift	Thrust with force, lift gently	Thrust gently, lift with force
Summon and banish	Leaves needle in place until energy arrives	Leave needle in place until energy departs
Close and open	After removing the needle close the point.	Enlarge the hole, remove the needle leave the point open
Inspiration and expiration	Insert the needle during expiration, withdraw the needle during inspiration.	Insert the needle during inspiration, withdraw the needle during expiration
With channel and against channel	Needle with flow	Needle against flow	To harmonize the Ying and Wei, and increase channel circulation	Use when the channel energy is blocked, or the Qi and the Blood are not harmonized. i.e. pain and itching.
Rotation	Clockwise	Anti-clockwise
Nine and Six	Treatment is based on the number 9. Most commonly 27. In mild cases 7 x 7 is used. In severe cases 9 x 9 is used	Treatment is based on the number 6. Most commonly 18. In mild pain 6 x 6 is used. In severe pain 8 x 8 is used		Use in combination with thrust and lift or rotation.
Mother & Son	Needle the mother point of the mother channel and the mother point of the deficient channel.	Needle the son point of the son channel and the son point of the excess channel	Harmonize the 5 elements when there is a Full or Empty	Used in internal organ diseases

Combinations

Method	Basic Methods Combined	Function	Manipulation	Indication
Burning Mountain	Slow and quick thrust and lift. 9 & 6. Close and Open	Re-inforcing mainly to disperse Cold	Turning 3x at each level, gradually go from the superficial to the deep in three stages. Lift slowly to the superficial level land repeat 9x. Close point after needle removal.	Use when the limbs are cold and  the pulse is deep. For stagnation in the channels, paralysis numbness, cold, dysentery and Yang Xu.
Spreading into the coolness of the sky.	Slow and quick thrust and lift. 9 & 6. Close and Open.	Reducing. Mainly to disperse Cold.	Insert the needle deeply. Lift and slowly rotate 6x, withdraw the needle through 2 more levels to just below the surface, rotating 3x at each level. Leve open after needle removal.	Wind Phlegm, stroke, Wind in the throat, epilepsy, warm malaria, bone disease, bone heat, all excesses of Yang energy.
Supporting the Yin within the Yang	Slow and quick thrust and lift. 9 & 6	Re-inforce first then reduce	Slowly insert the needle 1/2 cun, thrust with force and lift gently 9x, then insert the needle to a depth of 1 cun, thrust gently, and lift with force 6x.	Disease which are Cold in the beginning and later become Hot, or Fullness with mainly Xu symptoms
Supporting the Yang within the Yin	Slow and quick thrust and lift. 9 & 6	Reduce first then reinforce	Quickly insert the needle 1 cun, thrust gently and lift with force 6x, then withdraw the needle to a depth of 1/2 cun, thrust with force and lift gently 9x	Diseases which are Hot in the beginning and later become Cold, or Xu with mainly Full symptoms.
Maintaining the energy	Slow and quick. Thrust and lift. 9 & 6	To benefit the Qi which warms the Yang. To disperse accumulations and scatter blockages.	Slowly insert the needle to a depth of 0.7cun, thrust with force and lift gently 9x. When the energy arrives insert the needle to a depth of 1 cun, thrust gently and lift with force 6x.	Stomach difficulties. Dyspepsia.
Moving the energy	Thrust and lift. 9 & 6. Inspiration and expiration. With channels and against channels.	To harmonize the energy in the channels and stop pain.	Thrust gently and lift with force 6x. When the energy arrives below the needle, lay the needle on it's side pointing it directly toward the painful area. Then instruct the patient to take 5 deep breaths. This forces the energy to arrive at the diseased area.	All types of pain
Lifting the energy	Thrust and lift. 9 & 6	Regulate the Ying and Wei	For full symptoms- thrust gently and lift with force 6x. For empty symptoms- thrust with force and lift gently 9x.	Cold numbness
Touching the energy	Thrust and lift 9 & 6. Inspiration and Expiration. With channel and against channel	Disperse accumulations	Use the method called "Moving the energy". When the energy has arrived at the diseased area, insert the needle deeply so that the energy cannot reverse	Atrophy, numnesss, paralysis, accumulations.
Green dragon moves his tail	9 & 6. With channel and against channel	Moving the energy through the points	Summon the Qi, then face the needle tip towards the disease and move the needle to the left and right 9x	Stagnation in the channels, numbness and sykmptoms of obstruction.
White tiger shakes his head	Thust and lift. Inpiration and expiration. Rotation.	Moving the blood.	Insert the needle according to respiration while rotating it to the left. When the patient has finished exhaling shake the needle to the left and lift the needle while rotating to the right. During inspiration shake the needle again.
Tortoise finding the point	Slow and quick. With channel and against channel	Moving Qi in the main channels	Lay the needle on its side and insert to the right and then the left, to the top then the bottm. Insert the needle with a single thrust on each occasion, and withdraw it in 3 steps
Red wind returns to the source.	Slow and quick thurst and lift. Rotation	Moving Qi in the main channels	Insert the needle deeply and then lift it to the superficial level. When the energy arrives the needle will move by itself. When this happens, insert the needle 1/2 way between the 2 levels roatate it once and then bend it to the right and then left, the top and then bottom.
Battle of tiger and dragon	Rotation 9 & 6	Regulate the energy and blood circulation. To relieve pain	Reinforce by rotating 9x and then reduce by rotating 6x	Blockage of blood and energy
Lift and thrust of the tiger and dragon	Thrust and lift. Rotation 9 & 6	To regulate the energy and blood circulation	Insert the needle superficially. Rotate in a full circle to the left, thrust needle deeply with force and gently lift it back, then rotate it in a full circle to the right. Repeat 9x OR Insert the needle deeply. Rotate in a full circle to the right, lift the needle superficially with force and gently thrust it back, then rotate in a full circle to the left. Repeat 6x	Blockage of blood and energy.
Midnight midday	Slow and quick. Thrust and lift. Rotation. 9 & 6	To direct the Yin and the Yang. To circulate the channel energy	Summon the Qi, then thrust the needle deeply in 3 steps using force, and gently lift it back in 2 steps. Repeat 3x.	Blockage of diaphragm energy and fluid diseases
The 5 element organs meet the channels	Mother and Son. Green Dragon moves his tail.	To move the Energy to the Zang organs.	Use the mother and son method on the channel of the diseased organ. When the energy arrives use the method of green dragon moves his tail. This moves the Qi and Blood to the organ.	Organ diseases.
Pass through the gate which crosses the channel	Green dragon moves his tail. White tiger shakes his head.	To circulate Energy through the joints	First use the method of green dragon moves his tail, and then use the method of white tiger shakes his head.	Attack to the joints by perverse Energy stagnations. Failure of the Blood and Energy circulation.
The crossing of the corner of the diaphragm and the channels	Choose the associated point	Harmonize the energy of the Zang and Fu (solid and hollow organs)	After the patient lies down, wait for the breathing to become quiet and then use Sheng and Ke cycle theory to find the associated point.	Using  Sheng cycle and Ke cycle against the disease
The joints meet the channels	Summon the Energy	To bring Energy accross the joints	Summon the Energy and bring it into the joints- do not allow it to reverse its direction.	Diseases of Blood and Energy deficiencies at the joints