Researchers at the Shandong Provincial Hospital in China evaluated the clinical therapeutic effect of electric acupuncture at a set of 4 acupoints Sishencong on insomnia.

What is electric acupuncture? Electric acupuncture, the application of a pulsating electrical current to acupuncture needles as a means of stimulating the acupoints, was developed in China as an extension of hand manipulation of acupuncture needles around 1934.

The procedure for electric acupuncture is to insert the acupuncture needle as would normally be done, attain the qi reaction by hand manipulation, and then attach an electrode to the needle to provide continued stimulation. The benefits of using electrical stimulation are:

It substitutes for prolonged hand maneuvering. This helps assure that the patient gets the amount of stimulation needed, because the practitioner may otherwise pause due to fatigue. Electric acupuncture may also help reduce total treatment time by providing the continued stimulus. During electric acupuncture, the practitioner can attend to other patients.

It can produce a stronger stimulation, if desired, without causing tissue damage associated with twirling and lifting and thrusting the needle. Strong stimulation may be needed for difficult cases of neuralgia or paralysis.

It is easier to control the frequency of the stimulus and the amount of stimulus than with hand manipulation of the needles.