Needles

[Daniel Post]

I’ve asked some of you about needles, and I’d like to share with you what I’ve found. I am now using a non-coated needle by TEWA that I think is superb. It grabs the Qi better than any other needle that I have used in the past. This may be due to the fact that it is bi-metal, with copper windings around a stainless steel shaft. They grab so strongly that I have decided to use a thinner gauge one-inch needle (thinking that the amount of grab might be increasing the discomfort of already painful sinew treatments). I was using .22 mm, and now I’m using .20. The .20 is sharp and stiff enough that it goes easily through the skin.

For divergent treatments, where I need to go deeper, I am using a .25 mm two-inch needle. (The .22 flexed too much, which made it difficult to insert in loose-skinned areas, even while tensioning with the guide tube). For divergent treatments, the extra grab does not seem to cause pain. For jing well points and Bl-1 and GB-1, I use the .20 x 15.

I am buying these from Eastern Currents, in Canada, which is a deal since the exchange rate favors us. The only drawback is that they do not carry anything but one needle to a guide tube in most of the sizes that I use. The only bulk packaging (“Speedpaks”) that they have are 2015s and 2540s. Unpacking all of those needles yields a lot of debris on the treatment table and later in the trash.

Perhaps another supplier might carry more sizes of non-coated needles in the Speedpaks, but so far I have been unable to find another source. Crane carries only coated Tewas. They are manufactured in Germany.

If you all like this needle as much as I do, perhaps we can persuade Eastern Currents to carry the Speedpaks in other sizes for those who practice in our tradition.

Happy needling!

[Armin]

Thanks for sharing this Daniel. Eastern Currents is my hometown distributor here in Vancouver. Tewa is their own brand so to speak, though have just launched a very eco-friendly line called AcuFast where they have cut down on packaging and other waste by quite a lot. Needless to say it has speedpacks but unfortunately un-coated is not happening yet, though it will be in the works down the road. Tewa is supposed to be a German engineered needle but really it’s made in China like most other needles. AcuFast is Korean production similar to Dong Bang.

I don’t know if you have tried Carbo, also carried by Eastern Currents. They have uncoated speedpacks (5 per pack) and I find the .22 works well for the sinew style needling. Anything less than that has not worked for me. Carbo has a more economy line called Optimed and that line didn’t work for me for sinew needling.

Armin

[Ann Cecil-Sterman]

I buy CT5 Carbo’s. Five to a pack. Very little waste which is a good feeling.

[Karen Bauer]

Thanks, Ann. I’ve been using the needles you recommended ages ago, when I was in acupuncture school at The Swedish Institute (2006-2009).

I’ll give the Carbo needles a try. Do you buy them through Eastern Currents, or ???

peace, out

[Author]

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