Last winter, I attended one of Dr. Richard Tan's Balance Method seminars. It was a CEU course for Acupuncture Physicians, but for some reason there were many PT's who had signed up for the advanced acupuncture course. In speaking with several of them, it became clear that these PT's had been trained in Dry Needling, but were hungry to learn Dr. Tan's elegant treatment method of distal needling and instant relief. They were awestruck and doe-eyed to experience the movement of the qi.... Yet sadly inept. I shudder to think of these folks going home and trying to treat their patients with the 1-2-3 method and not even being able to diagnose the sick meridian. Yet, they seemed unafraid to "take a stab" at it. (I could see PT wheels turning--Pericardium Meridian-- you silly acupuncturist-- it's actually the median nerve! My PT anatomy training is so far advanced to your antiquated meridian theories.... Who needs to know meridians? I know nerves... Ergo, I got this!) .... I am still cringing, can you tell?

Last year, I excitedly purchased a book entitled Quantum Acupuncture by a chiropractor named Ronald Henry. His audience was assuredly the non-acupuncturist dry needler. In his book, he kept talking about taking your dry needling to the next level by using shu points or by thinking about the 5 elements.... These are things that an acupuncture physician learns in the first semester. So, in my mind, I am seeing that dry needlers are already realizing that the technique is crude and limited in it's ability to effect lasting change in the fascia.  Certainly, some dry needlers are already seeking to hone their skills by moving into distal needling.

This is what I foresee: Well, as long as the filiform needle is in my hands, why not experiment with tension point needling as opposed to tender point needling?  Why not learn how to use meridians to move the qi and the blood using shu points?  Why not go to China and buy some needle knifes to cut through those pesky myofascial trigger points? Why not take healing all the way to the qi level? Why not?  Because you are not trained to do so.... It's like handing a light saber to someone who doesn't have the training to be a Jedi Knight. If you want the force of the qi to work for you.... Get the proper training already!  And may the force be with us all as we seek to bring our patients back to health.