| Action | Practice of dry needling |
| Stage | Proposed |
| Comment Period | Ended on 7/26/2019 |
 |
Acupuncture, which originated in China, is a sophisticated type of surgery that treats or prevents a disease or condition by affecting the structure or function of the body with an acupuncture needle (a long, thin needle) inserted through the skin and into an acupuncture point or area (a specific tissue point or area) [1–6]. Acupuncture is based on anatomy, physiology, and pathology [1,4–14].
Dry needling is acupuncture that treats or prevents a disease or condition, in particular a musculoskeletal disease or condition, by affecting the structure or function of the body with an acupuncture needle inserted through the skin and into an acupuncture point or area that has become exquisitely painful on pressure, commonly known in the West as a trigger point or area [1].
Dry needling is not new. It was described in the first century BCE in the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic(traditional Chinese: ????; pinyin: Huáng Dì nèi j?ng), the foundational text of Chinese medicine [1].
Reference:
Yellow Emperor’s inner classic (traditional Chinese:????; pinyin: Huáng Dì nèi j?ng). (China); compiled in the first century BCE.
The national encyclopaedia: a dictionary of universal knowledge. Library ed. London (United Kingdom): William Mackenzie; 1876. https:// books.google.com/books? id=koE6BorVxx8C&pg=RA3-PA150&lpg=RA3-PA150&dq=%22acupuncture+is+an+operation%22 &source=bl&ots=NXUljko1JS&sig=K5S-mh_- okCfb2YLsEBzNW6kiL4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKE witn6Djy6zRAhXCxlQKHSR8CqMQ6AEIJjAF#v=one page&q=acupuncture&f=false.
3. Davidson T. Chambers’s twentieth century dictionary of the English language: pronouncing, explanatory, etymological, with compound phrases, technical terms in use in the arts and sciences, colloquialisms, full appendices, and copiously illustrated. London (United Kingdom): W. and R. Chambers; 1903.https://archive.org/stream/ chambersstwentie00daviiala#page/10/mode/1up.
4. Neal E. Introduction to Neijing classical acupuncture Part I: history and basic principles. J Chin Med. 2012;(100):5–14. https://www.edwardnealmd.com/ wp-content/uploads/2016/05/JCM-Article-1.pdf.
5. Neal E. Introduction to Neijing classical acupuncture Part II: clinical theory. J Chin Med. 2013;(102):20–33.https://www.edwardnealmd.com/wp-content/ uploads/2016/05/JCM-Article-2.pdf.
6. Neal E. Introduction to Neijing classical acupuncture Part III: clinical therapeutics. J Chin Med. 2014;(104): 5–23. https://www.edwardnealmd.com/wp-content/ uploads/2016/05/JCM-Article-3.pdf.
7. Ban B, Ban G, Ban Z. Book of Han (traditional Chinese: ??; pinyin: Hàn sh?). (China); 111.
8. Zhu J. Drawings of Ou Xi Fan’s five viscera (traditional Chinese: ??????; pinyin: ?u X? Fàn w? zàng tú). (China); 1041–1048.
9. Yang J. Drawings for preserving the truth (traditional Chinese: ???; pinyin: Cún zh?n tú). (China); 1102– 1106.
10. Kendall DE. Dao of Chinese medicine: understanding an ancient healing art. New York (NY): Oxford University Press; 2002.
11. Wang JY. On the nature of channels. Robertson JD, translator, editor. Lantern. 2010;7(3):4–14. https:// www.thelantern.com.au/product/on-the-nature-of- channels.
12. Fung PCW. Plausible biomedical consequences of acupuncture applied at sites characteristic of acupoints in the connective-tissue-interstitial-fluid system. In: Chen LL, Cheng TO, editors. Acupuncture in modern medicine. Rijeka (Croatia): IntechOpen; 2013. p. 95–131. https://www.intechopen.com/ books/acupuncture-in-modern-medicine/plausible- biomedical-consequences-of-acupuncture-applied- at-sites-characteristic-of-acupoints-in-the.
Schnorrenberger CC. Anatomical roots of acupuncture and Chinese medicine. Schweiz Z Ganzheitsmed. 2013;25(2):110–118. https:// www.karger.com/Article/Pdf/349905.
Shaw V, McLennan AK. Was acupuncture developed by Han Dynasty Chinese anatomists? Anat Rec. 2016;299(5):643–659. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/ doi/10.1002/ar.23325/epdf.