acupuncture and phytotherapy

One of the most important aspect in clinic is aseptic practice. Normally I work in medical clinics. These clinics provide me a strong infrastructure to ensure the safety of my patient. The medical clinics, has, for example, autoclaves which allows me to use sterile cups.

Another important aspect of my practice is the use of gloves (disposable needles always of course!). Personally I do not do acupuncture without gloves. Gloves in acupuncture and sterilized cupping are rarities in the world of alternative medicines.

Luckily I start to talk to some of my blog readers who follow the same principles of asepsis. Yet most professionals (doctors acupuncturists included) do not wear gloves to do acupuncture. I do not advocate that it should be mandatory. You can do acupuncture completely secure without gloves. But security should certainly be the prime objective of any professional and in this case, the use of gloves should be indisputable.

Besides not being disputed, I have been enjoyed by some colleagues for wearing gloves. A few years ago in a discussion with a colleague about aseptic practice and the use of gloves was victim of the following question: “if you wear gloves how do you pass the energy through the needle?”.

Apparently to some of my colleagues wearing gloves is totally wrong because you can not transfer the energy to the needle. The question remains whether qi gong can be done barefooted, since they are supposed to absorb the energy of the earth!

Energetic fantasies simply does not allow many professionals think about their safety or that of their patients. Take them into irresponsible habits and remove them any ability to think properly. The problem is worse since it does not focus only on the use of gloves.

Many professionals live with the fear of not absorb the energies of the patients or the need to release the negative energies of treatment and have an exceptionally sloppy behaviour in their own protection and the patient.

I met professionals who did acupuncture, they would withdraw the needle by placing cotton without paying much attention to how they took on cotton (I’ve met professionals who put their finger directly!), used cups who helped ventricularizing the entire affected area and then did massage not protecting their hands.

No gloves, no sterile cups, carefully pick up the cotton to prevent touching blood on it, massage into skin with blood and there was not a single aseptic consideration. A single question like: “Is my practice safe? Is it responsible?”. The major concern was at the end of treatment, when they were doing qi gong to eliminate negative energy!

The alleged problem of energy medicine is that their sense of self-criticism is severely stunted!