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	> What is Acupuncture
	> Where Did it Originate
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	> Special Equipment Used
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Acupuncture

What Special Equipment is Used?

Similar to other healing modalities, practitioners will often use a massage table, therapy bed or similar furniture for the comfort of the client. The client is comfortably clothed, with both socks and shoes removed. Clothing should be loose and comfortable, with top and pants/skirt as separate articles of clothing, allowing the acupuncturist to easily reach various areas of the body.

The most commonly used equipment in Acupuncture are solid, very fine Acupuncture needles made of stainless steel. The FDA requires that sterile, non-toxic needles be used and that they be labeled for single use by qualified practitioners only.

Often, acupuncturists combine the use of needles with other complimentary techniques such as:

Fire Cupping
Fire Cupping is another method used by acupuncturists for diseases caused by cold and damp. Cupping acts by increasing the flow of blood to the area being treated. A glass or a plastic cup is placed on the thigh or the chest, after a burning paper has been inserted into it and removed. A slight pull is exerted on the skin, caused by the light vacuum of the cup against the skin. After a few minutes, the cup slips off the skin, leaving faint red marks. Hand operated vacuum pumps are also now available for cupping.

Fire cupping in varying forms has also been found in the folk medicine of Vietnam, the Balkans, and modern Greece.

Moxibuxtion
Moxibuxtion is the burning of the herb moxaDried mugwort leaves burned on or above the skin to stimulate an acupuncture point to generate heat on certain acupoints. The name moxa is derived from the Japanese term "Mogusa" (which means "burning herb"). The botanical name of this herb is Artemis Vulgaris, commonly known as Mugwort, and can be used in two ways:

1. Application directly on the skin, using a moxa stick (a tight roll of powdered herb which resembles a large cigar with an odor similar to hashish). The acupuncturist holds the smoldering, non-toxic stick approximately half an inch away from the skin.

2. Applied indirectly, with a slice of ginger or garlic placed over the acupoint. The moxa is then placed on top and ignited. Alternatively, a small ball of moxawool may be placed on the head of an Acupuncture needle. This is then lit, allowing the needle to transmit the heat directly to the acupoint through the needle.

Moxa disperses the cold, and is therefore used in the treatment of diseases which are often caused by wind, cold, and damp. Moxibuxtion is used to treat chronic bronchitis, bronchial asthma, chronic diarrhea, arthritis, and other conditions.

Electrical Stimulation
Conducting pads are placed over the skin and a low frequency electric current is passed through them.

Gua Sha
Gua Sha is a method used in Traditional Chinese medicine which provides relief to tight and painful muscles (e.g. stiff neck). The skin is first lubricated and then scraped with a blunt edge such as a spoon.

Acupoints may also be stimulated with pressure, lasers, and ultrasound.

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