Can needles be sterilized by burning them with fire?

Acupuncture is a treatment method with a very long history in traditional Chinese medicine. The main instrument used in the acupuncture process is the needle. Therefore, for the sake of the patient's health, Chinese medicine practitioners need to disinfect the needles before use to avoid infection at the puncture site. I believe everyone has seen on TV that the main method of disinfection in ancient times was to burn the needle with fire, but can disinfection by burning with fire be effective?

Nine taboos of fire needle therapy:

1. Before treatment, the needles should be checked and those found to be eroded should not be used.

2. Fire needles have strong stimulation, so people with weak constitutions, children and pregnant women should use them with caution or not at all. They should also be used with caution in certain areas prone to accidents, such as the chest, back, and neck.

3. Be familiar with the anatomy of the acupoint area and avoid blood vessels, tendons, nerve trunks and internal organs to prevent injury.

4. Burning the needle is the key step in using fire needle. Before using the fire needle, the needle must be burned red before acupuncture.

5. Correctly control the depth of acupuncture according to the condition, age, thickness of muscles at the acupuncture site, and depth of blood vessels. Generally speaking, acupuncture on the limbs, waist and abdomen should be slightly deeper, about 2 to 5 centimeters deep; acupuncture on the chest and back should be shallow, about 1 to 2 centimeters deep. The depth of the lesion should be taken as the main criterion, and the degree of penetration should be determined by whether the needle tip reaches or approaches the lesion. When shallow puncture is performed, the force of tapping should not be too strong, but should be even and sparse to avoid causing epidermal exfoliation. Fire needle treatment is generally performed every 3 to 6 days, and the course of the disease depends on the condition and physical constitution.

6. Be cautious when using fire needles on the face, as they may leave small scars. Therefore, fire needles are generally not used on the face except for treating facial moles and flat warts.

7. If redness or swelling appears locally after the injection and does not completely disappear, you should avoid bathing to prevent infection.

8. If the area is itchy after the injection, avoid scratching it to avoid infection.

IX. Treatment of needle holes: If the needle puncture is 1 to 3 fen deep, no special treatment is required. If the needle puncture is deeper, sterile gauze can be applied after the needle is punctured and fixed with adhesive tape for 1 to 2 days to avoid infection.