Different Types of Acupuncture

Hi Everybody,

Most people think that all Acupuncture is is the same and that there is only one type. But there are MANY types and subtypes. This is one reason that you can keep learning Acupuncture for the rest of your life…

DIRECT ACUPUNCTURE- Direct Acupuncture is when you put needles right in the area of the problem. For example, if your hip hurts, needles are placed in the most tender points on that hip.

INDIRECT ACUPUNCTURE- This is where you put needles in areas far away from the site of the problem. For example, your right hip hurts, and needles are placed at another part of the body. This hard for most people to grasp, but it has to do with areas of the body that are connected by nerve reflexes.

CHINESE ACUPUNCTURE- The Chinese typically use longer and thicker needles, and go deeper into the body.

JAPANESE ACUPUNCTURE- The Japanese use thinner, shorter needles, and don’t go in as deep. In fact, the Japanese have done a lot of research showing that the skin of the human body may be an extension of the brain (in a manner of speaking), and that just simply pricking the skin at the right spot can make major changes in the body, even if the needles are not left in.

KOREAN ACUPUNCTURE- Korean Acupuncture is very similar to Chinese Acupuncture, but the Koreans are best known for using Acupuncture on the hand for the rest of the body. They use points on the hand to treat any problem in the body.

TAIWAN ACUPUNCTURE- When the Communists took over China, they outlawed Acupuncture. Anyone caught doing Acupuncture was treated very badly. As a result, many of the best Acupuncturists fled to other places. Taiwan is one area that was a hotspot for migrating Acupuncturists. Taiwan Acupuncture is often Old School Acupuncture, from before the cultural revolution in China. Many believe this type of Acupuncture is superior to what we have these days.

EUROPEAN ACUPUNCTURE- A man named George Soulié de Morant traveled to China a long time ago. He witnessed Acupuncture and decided to stay there and study it. He ended up staying a long time and writing an Encyclopedia on Chinese Acupuncture. When he went back home to France he brought back his knowledge on the subject. Out of his teachings grew European Acupuncture. I am not as familiar with this style, but it is a variation of Chinese Acupuncture.

MICROACUPUNCTURE- There are different styles of Acupuncture that use one part of the body to treat the rest of the body, like the Koreans do with hand Acupuncture. There is Scalp Acupuncture, Hand Acupuncture, Foot Acupuncture and even Tongue Acupuncture. A French Neurosurgeon named Nogier stimulated points on the ear and then mapped brain activity. He was able to identify which part of the body was controlled by which part of the brain, and which part of the ear stimulated that part of the brain.

DRY NEEDLING- This is a modern concept. Basically you are simply using Acupuncture on Trigger Points in the muscles.

SPINAL / HUATO ACUPUNCTURE- This is a favorite of ours as chiropractors. A LONG time ago a Chinese doctor named Huato developed a style of Acupuncture using points along the nerves coming out of the spine. He would find the diseased organ or point of pain in the body, then he’d figure out which nerve went to that area. Then he would needle the skin just over the nerve that affected that area of the body he wanted to fix. By doing this he was able to treat the entire body from the points along the spine.

There are many other types of Acupuncture. This small list was just to give you an idea of how many approaches there are, and why we say if one way doesn’t work, give us time – we may be able to use another approach that will.

Hope this helps,

Dr Matt and Dr Robin

mattandrobin@yahoo.com (email)

This week’s bit of Useless Information:  Pineapples were such a status symbol in 18th century England that you could rent one for the evening to take to a party. 

This email is courtesy of Matthew Barnes, D.C. and Robin Barnes, D.C.  Neither this nor any of our emails are intended to be medical advice and should not be taken as such.  They are opinion and are for informational purposes only.  None of the nutrients discussed here are meant to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease.

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