Conversations with Dr. Duckworth: Needles!

Perhaps the most basic question first: where do needles come from? Where does someone procure such a product?
There are marketplaces where they are made, including Germany, China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan. The needles I use all come from Japan. There are several fine needle manufacturers in Japan. And there are distributors of them here. One in Massachusetts is where I buy most of my supplies from, as they spend time investigating products worthy of bringing to the attention of the market.

What do you look for, when a new product is made available?
I look for the fineness of the metal. I expect it to be made of surgical steel. I'm looking for the finesse of the manufacturing, that under a microscope I can see the properties of the needle. And I'm making sure that it can transfer the energies of the body. It's ability to transmit energy is a tactile, very subtle thing.

When you say that the techniques used by this clinic are less invasive than those of other practitioners, is that due to the needle, as well as the skill of the practitioner?
The needles made in Japan come from a tradition of use by people skilled in Japanese-styled acupuncture. The whole point-of-view is having as little invasiveness as possible. There are whole schools, whole systems in Japan, where the needles just touch the skin and don't go in. I don't do a lot of that, but I do some. It does come from the practitioner, with the basic experience being that of trying to be less invasive.

What's the feedback that you get from people who've been to other practitioners?
They talk about how unobtrusive the needles feel. They're impressed by the handwork that we do, which is not a part of the traditional, school-taught methods.

What are common misperceptions that people may have coming in for the first time? Or topics that you typically address with them on their first visit, regarding the needles?
The misperception, generally, is that of anyone who's been to a doctor and who thinks of them as hypodermic needles. Their idea of needles is then, at best, of discomfort. The general comments will remind them that the absolute smallest hypodermic needles is still larger than the largest Chinese needle and the Japanese needles are smaller than the Chinese. So, you are dealing with the dictionary definition of needle. There is also the distinction of not planting the needle, but in dealing with the rhythms of the person's breath. In other systems that don't adhere to that, there's a tendency for the needle to "stick."