On some Shortcomings of Needling and Moxibustion Methods in Acupuncture and Moxibustion Science

Whether the method of needling and moxibustion is right or not is very important to the safety and the curative effect of acupuncture and moxibustion. But the present acupuncture and moxibustion science, in dealing with methods of needling and moxaing points, mostly does not elucidate the direction of needle insertion into a point and its relationship with the depth of needle insertion, the differences in curative effect between different directions and depths of needle insertion, and a detailed moxibustion method for each point. This article, through making a summary, proposes that different angles and needling sensations have different curative effects and principle indications should be combined with needling angle; a needle inserted from different angles to the same depth reaches different perpendicular depths and so the depths of perpendicular needling and oblique needling should be described separately; human figure is different and, therefore, using an absolute unit for a needling depth is unreasonable and a proportional unit of the body should be used; moxibustion has many methods, and only to say that moxibustion is advisable or inadvisable is not definite and a detailed moxibustion method shold be described.