Acupuncture with Prof Jin Ze

This morning we were with Professor Jin Ze on his ward and this afternoon we were in his outpatient department. He showed us the long needling and fire needle techniques that he showed us in his lecture on friday. 

He treated every patient on the ward with acupuncture in an hour an a half. The patients were either post stroke with a variety of hemiplegia, dysphagia and dysphasia, cerebral haemorrhage and facial palsy. He used a combination of scalp acupuncture, body acupuncture, long needling (often 2 needles at once) and fire needling (where a special needle was put into an extremely hot flame and then used to prick the various zones of the head to stimulate movement).

The treatment was done in front of the nurses station with the patients that were mobile queueing either side to see him. There was little communication and he worked solidly till all the patients were needled. They then mobilised up and down the ward for the 40 mins that their needles were left in. 

The relatives seem to do most of the care on the wards. They wash, feed and care for them. The patients bring in their own needles which they buy at the local pharmacy.