Seventy-Eighth Difficulty

Acupuncture has reinforcing and reducing methods. What does this mean?

It is answered: The methods of reinforcing and reducing do not necessarily have to be achieved by coordinating breathing with needle insertion and withdrawal. Those who understand the principles of acupuncture trust the function of the left hand; those who do not understand rely only on the operation of the right hand. At the time when needling should be performed, one must first use the left hand to press the acupoint site to be needled, flick the point to tense the local muscles, then press down firmly with the fingernail. When the qi arrives, it is like the pulsation of an artery. Then, following the flow of qi, insert the needle. After obtaining qi, advance the needle further smoothly—this is called the reinforcing method. If, after obtaining qi, the needle is shaken and lifted upward (to let qi out), this is called the reducing method. If qi cannot be obtained at all, then for men needle shallowly on the outside, and for women deeply on the inside. If qi still cannot be obtained, this is a critical condition that is incurable in ten out of ten cases.