Quality of acupuncture needles must be improved, study
The quality of acupuncture needles is high, but should be improved to avoid potential problems such as pain and skin reactions, finds research published in the journal Acupuncture in Medicine.
Despite improvements to the manufacturing process, surface irregularities and bent tips have not been completely eliminated, say researchers led by Professor Yi Min Xie from the School of Civil, Environmental and Chemical Engineering at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia.
In China, traditional Chinese medicine, including acupuncture, accounts for 40 percent of all medical treatment, while in the West, acupuncture is one of the most frequently used complementary therapies. An estimated 1.4 billion acupuncture needles are used each year worldwide, with China, Japan and Korea the main suppliers. China provides up to 90 percent of the world’s needles.
The growing popularity of acupuncture in recent decades has led to an increased focus on the safety and quality of this therapy, and adoption of single-use disposable needles has reduced the risk of infection.
But a study of widely used acupuncture needles published a decade ago in the same journal showed that several had surface irregularities or distorted points which could have led to allergic or painful reactions. Since then, there has been no further research in this area.
The researchers therefore looked at the surface conditions and other physical properties of the two most commonly used stainless steel acupuncture needle brands.
Scanning electron microscope images were taken of ten randomly chosen needles from each brand, while further images were taken after each of these needles underwent a standard manipulation – the equivalent of using them on human skin – with an acupuncture needling practice gel.
The researchers also compared forces and torques during the needling process.
The images revealed significant surface irregularities and inconsistencies at the needle tips, especially for needles from one of the brands which had been manufactured in China.
Metallic lumps and small, loosely attached pieces of material were observed on the surfaces of some needles. Some of this residue disappeared after the acupuncture manipulation.
If these needles had been used on patients, the metallic residue could have been deposited in human tissues, potentially causing reactions such as dermatitis, although these reactions are reported extremely rarely, say the authors.
Malformed needle tips could also have caused other problems, including bleeding, bruising or strong pain during needling.
Acupuncture is overall very safe, but it should be made even safer, say the researchers. They advise those who experience pain during acupuncture to speak with their practitioner to check on the quality of the needles they use.
“Acupuncture needle manufacturers, including the well established ones, should review and improve their quality control procedures for fabrication of needles,” they conclude.
The article can be found at: MX Yi et al. (2014) Examination of surface conditions and other physical properties of commonly used stainless steel acupuncture needles.
Source: Asian Scientist
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