Distal Needling Acupuncture (DNA)

I recently attended a Chinabooks weekend workshop on Distal Needling Acupuncture (DNA) presented by Robert Doane. It was a blend of Dr Tan's Balance method, concepts by Donald Kendall, author of Dao of Chinese Medicine and some Doane adaptations thrown in. Robert Doane runs the largest human acupuncture practice in the US and the size of the operation reminds me of the McDonalds take on hamburgers. Nevertheless, I came away with two very interesting bits of information that definitely needs looking into.

Apparently the Balance method is very effective because certain areas of your body like the elbow and the stifle have pain pathways that are located in proximity to each other in the hypothalamus. For example, stimulating needles in the elbow will also stimulate the proprioceptive nerve pathways for the stifle as well. Research using functional MRI techniques on acupuncture stimulation have apparently shown this to happen.

Secondly, the length of time needles are left in will also determine the reaction of the body. For humans, anything less than eight minutes will stimulate the sympathetic system and is better for weak individuals. Left for longer, the needles provoke a parasympathetic response and that is why we say our patients can feel tired, sleepy and need rest after a treatment. 

Food for thought.

I am really looking forward to the free webinar on the Tuesday, October 11th on functional neurology with Dr Shawn Ackers.  He may have more answers to this fascinating topic.It's free for members so please get online at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3077993019619970817 to register.