JPH04200464A - Optical transmission type acupuncture needle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To achieve higher treating effect by a, method where in a part or the whole of a needle body is made up of an optical transmission member and light is condensed locally at an affected part in vivo to apply heat thereto. CONSTITUTION:A needle body 1 comprises an optical fiber F involving an optical transmission member except for the part of the needle point. The optical fiber F comprises a core 1a and a clad 1a and a transparent needle point 1c is bonded at one end thereof and a curved surface is formed at the other end thereof to bond a lend for condensing. A needle stem is grasped wrapping the opposite side of the needle point of the needle body and a curved surface 2a is formed at one end thereof to bond lens for condensing. A transparent convex lens 3 for condensing is fixed on the optical fiber F on the opposite side of the needle point of the needle stem 2. An optical fiber acupuncture needle is inserted into an affected part in vivo and light from a light source is impinged into an end face of the optical fiber F via the convex lens 3, transmitted through the core 1a repeating total repetition thereof at an interface defined by the core 1a and the clad 1b to be condensed at the needle point 1c and transmitted to the needle point 1c without light loss. Heat energy from the light source is also gathered to the fine needle point 1c without any loss to heat the affected part. The temperature of the needle point 1c is adjusted by the selection of the light source.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates to an acupuncture needle that is inserted into an affected area for treatment, and in particular, it is used to directly apply light or heat to the affected area of the body to increase the therapeutic effect. The present invention relates to a suitable light transmission type acupuncture needle using a light transmission member such as an optical fiber in a copper body.

[Conventional technology] In recent years, due to the effects of stress due to the diversification of the social environment, fatigue due to OA equipment, sports boom, aging society, etc.
Oriental acupuncture treatment techniques are attracting attention.

Conventionally, acupuncture needles used for acupuncture (hari) treatment generally consist of a needle bar with a needle tip to be inserted into the affected area, and a needle handle (shinpei) that wraps around the reflective tip side of this needle bar. It has become.

FIG. 4 is an external view of an example of a conventional acupuncture needle, and is shown in its actual size.

In Fig. 4, IA is a needle bar, and this needle bar IA is generally made of stainless steel, but it can also be made of gold or silver.

Some have a platinum layer. 2A is a needle handle attached to wrap the side of the pull bar 1A opposite to the nail tip, and its materials and designs vary.The needle handle 2A has the function of preventing the needle bar IA from entering the body excessively. , needle handling section during treatment,
In other words, it becomes the operation part for procedures such as acupuncture twisting, percussion, and tube acupuncture.

By the way, in acupuncture, the way the needles are inserted differs depending on the disease state and the affected area, but (e)) it precisely stimulates the body tissues that serve as acupuncture points, and stimulates physiological activities such as sympathetic crimson, etc. It can be said that this is an attempt to promote

In general, acupuncture treatments include two treatments: one involves inserting a needle into the affected area or acupoints far away from the affected area, and the other involves inserting a needle into the acupoint and applying heat by burning moxa.It is thought that applying heat to the affected area is highly effective. .

In the following explanation, the part where the needle is inserted will be uniformly referred to as the affected part.

Conventionally, a device called a heating needle has also been developed.

It has a resistance heating element at the tip of the needle and heats it by passing an electric current through it.
The structure was complicated and expensive, making it unsuitable for practical use in acupuncture.

On the other hand, various types of phototherapy, which apply light to the affected area, are also progressing, and for example, infrared therapy, visible light therapy, laser light therapy, etc. are being used in various ways depending on the disease state.

In recent years, technological developments have also been made to apply optics to medicine; for example, laser scalpels using carbon dioxide lasers and laser coagulation devices are known.

Furthermore, measurement systems using optical fibers have been developed in which a light sensor and an optical fiber are combined to form a fiber optical circuit between a light source and a detector.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] As mentioned above, the application of heat or light irradiation to an affected area has attracted medical attention for its physiological effects, although the application means differ depending on the disease state.

Conventional acupuncture treatment, which involves simply hitting the affected area with a chisel, cannot be expected to be effective by applying heat.

In addition, in treatments where a needle is inserted into the affected area and heat is applied by burning moxa, the heating needle generates heat from the entire slanted body, which has the side effect of unnecessarily heating areas other than the affected area, so it is necessary to properly apply heat to the affected area. There was a problem with the distance.

Furthermore, in conventional light irradiation treatment, it is easy to apply light to the surface of the affected area, but it is impossible to apply light to the affected area itself, which is the target of acupuncture treatment, except when making an incision. In other words, heat and light have not been applied locally to the necessary affected areas within the body.

The present invention was made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and has a simple structure that focuses light locally on the affected area of the body, where conventional metal needles could not provide light and heat. The object of the present invention is to provide an optical fiber acupuncture needle that can improve the therapeutic effect.

[Means for Solving the Problem] -1- In order to achieve the objective, the basic structure of the first invention related to the light transmission type acupuncture needle of the present invention has a needle tip to be inserted into the affected area. In an acupuncture needle consisting of a pull rod and a handle that grips the side of the copper body opposite to the nail tip, the needle bar is partially or entirely made of a light transmitting member6.The above object is also achieved. In order to do this, the configuration of the second invention related to the light transmission type acupuncture needle of the present invention includes a needle bar having a needle tip to be inserted into the affected area, and a needle handle that grips the side opposite to the needle tip of the needle bar. In the acupuncture needle number 2, the needle bar is partially or entirely made of a light transmitting member, and the reflective tip side end of the needle bar is t-shaped so as to come into contact with the end surface of the light transmitting member.
This is equipped with a condensing lens.

More specifically, the light-transmitting acupuncture needle of the present invention includes an optical fiber consisting of a light-transmitting core and a cracite that transmits light from a light source over almost the entire length of the acupuncture needle, and an optical fiber that is bifurcated at the tip of the optical fiber. A needle bar consisting of a needle tip,
making light from a light source enter the end face of the optical fiber;
It is equipped with a convex lens that transmits light through the optical fiber and focuses it on the tip of the needle.

[Effect] The working of the above technical means is as follows.

The needle bar that spans the entire length of the acupuncture needle is an optical fiber with a transparent needle tip at one end and a convex lens for condensing light glued to the other end.The light from the light source passes through the convex lens and reaches one end of the optical fiber. The light enters the optical fiber core, undergoes repeated total reflections at the interface, and is transmitted to the transparent tip of the fiber.

As a result, the needle tip inserted into the affected area collects light locally inside the body, and depending on the light source, it becomes possible to raise the temperature of the needle tip (heat application), stimulating the affected area appropriately and menstruation. It can enhance the therapeutic effect due to its therapeutic action.

[Example 5] As an example of the optical fiber acupuncture needle of the present invention, an embodiment of the optical fiber acupuncture needle will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3.

FIG. 1 is an enlarged sectional view of an optical fiber acupuncture needle according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view showing the tip and handle of the needle in FIG. 1.

The enlarged portion circled in FIG. 3 is approximately four times larger than the circled portion of the full-size button shown in FIG. 4.

In Fig. 1, 1 is a needle bar that is inserted into the affected area.
This needle bar 1 is made of an optical fiber F, which is a light transmission member, except for the needle tip portion. The optical fiber F consists of a core 1a that transmits light from a light source, and a cladding 1b that serves as an outer covering for the core la.

A curved surface is formed on one end to which a transparent tip IC is adhered, and to the other end to which a condensing lens is adhered.

Reference numeral 2 denotes a needle handle that is held so as to wrap around the side opposite to the needle tip of the needle bar, and its function is the same as that of the prior art described above.
A curved surface 2a is formed at one end to which a condensing lens is adhered.

Reference numeral 3 denotes a transparent convex lens for condensing light, which is fixed to the optical fiber F and the side of the needle handle 2 opposite to the needle tip.

The fiber optic acupuncture device shown in FIG. 1 will be explained in more detail.

Optical fibers generally include quartz fibers, multicomponent glass fibers, plastic fibers, etc., and quartz fibers with the lowest transmission loss are preferred. That is, quartz (S, 102) is the main material, germanium oxide (G e O,) and other components are added to the core 1a to increase the refractive index, and the cladding 1b is added to reduce the refractive index. For this reason, boron oxide (B 203) and the like are added. Furthermore, Clara+: 1b may be made of synthetic resin.

The tip 1c needs strength to smoothly penetrate the affected area, and is formed with a radius on the order of microns to avoid stress concentration at the tip. The material is preferably transparent quartz, which is a light-transmitting member.

The needle bar has a diameter d of 0.1 to 0.5 m and a total length r so that it can be used in various ways depending on the disease state and affected area.
The length is approximately 50 to 300m+.

The convex lens 3 is made of transparent glass or synthetic resin.

The light source is selected depending on the medical condition and the affected area, and visible light, infrared rays, laser light, etc. are used.

Next, the operation and action of the optical fiber acupuncture needle as shown in "-" will be explained.

Fiber optic acupuncture needles are operated by acupuncturists in exactly the same way as traditional acupuncture needles, and can hit so-called acupuncture points.

Light 9 from a light source, for example, visible light, passes through a convex lens 3 provided at the end of the needle handle and enters the end face of the optical fiber F, and the light is transmitted to the optical fiber I? The light is transmitted through the core 1a while undergoing repeated total reflection at the interface formed between the core 1a and the cladding 1b, and is focused on the transparent needle tip 1c. In other words, the optical fiber F absorbs light from the light source without optical loss (light leakage).
It is transmitted to the needle tip 1c without any problem. Accordingly, the heat energy from the light source is also transmitted through the optical fiber F without loss to the outside, and is collected at the thin needle tip C to heat the affected area.

The temperature of the needle tip 1c is adjusted to a preferable temperature depending on the therapeutic purpose by selecting the light source.

In other words, heat application and light therapy are performed on a local part of the body.
By appropriately stimulating the affected area, it is possible to enhance the therapeutic effect due to physiological effects.

This embodiment has the following effects.

(1-) In addition to the wide-ranging therapeutic effects obtained with conventional acupuncture needles, the needles are inserted into the affected area of the body [7], and the light focused on the needle tip on the acupuncture treatment side directly targets the affected area. Light therapy is possible.

(2) Similarly, direct heat treatment of the affected area is possible using light focused on the tip of an acupuncture needle inserted into the affected area of the body.

(3) Conventional metal acupuncture needles apply light and heat.'4!1
It can provide direct light and heat to affected areas of the body that were previously unavailable.
It can enhance the effect of acupuncture treatment.

(4) To provide an inexpensive acupuncture treatment chime with a +11- simple configuration that can be handled like a conventional metal treatment chime, rather than a complicated device like a conventional heating side or optical four-wheel medical device such as a laser scalpel. I can do it.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of essential parts of an optical fiber acupuncture needle according to another embodiment of the present invention. The figure shows the vicinity of the tip of the sub body (2), but the needle handle (not shown), convex (1) nose, etc. are the same as those shown in FIG. 2nd 1st in the diagram
Components with the same reference numerals as those in the drawings are the same parts as in the previous embodiment, so their explanation will be omitted.

The difference between the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 and the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is the configuration of the needle bar, and the outer periphery of the optical fiber F is
It is covered with d. The covering member 1d may be any member as long as it protects the optical fiber F and has the strength necessary for treatment.

In the above example, a convex lens for condensing light was provided at the reflective tip side end of the optical fiber acupuncture needle. However, even without a convex lens, the light from the light source can be passed through the optical fiber needle to the needle tip. It is possible to transmit the light to a certain extent, and the corresponding light and heat collection effects can be increased by -L. However, it goes without saying that it is more desirable to provide a condensing lens.

Furthermore, in the above embodiments, the needle tip is made of transparent quartz, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a metal material (non-transparent member) with good thermal conductivity may be used. This example is effective when placing more emphasis on heat treatment than light treatment on the affected area.

[Effects of invention As described in detail above, according to the present invention.

With a simple structure, it is possible to locally collect light and transfer heat to affected parts of the body, where conventional metals could not provide light and heat.177 This is a light transmission type that can enhance the therapeutic effect. Acupuncture needles can be provided.

4.1 MI face trouble! 1'l Description FIG. 1 is an enlarged sectional view of an optical fiber acupuncture needle according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an optical fiber acupuncture needle according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 73 is an enlarged perspective view of the needle tip and button handle of ψl in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is an external view of an example of a conventional acupuncture hook.

1 Needle bar, F/optical fiber, ]21/core, 11)
・Crat, 1c=needle tip, 1((Target &1 member, 2 button handle, 3. Convex lens.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An acupuncture needle consisting of a needle body having a needle tip to be inserted into the affected area and a needle handle gripping the side opposite to the needle tip of the needle body, wherein the needle body is a part of the needle body or A light transmission type acupuncture needle characterized in that the entire needle is made of a light transmission member. 2. In an acupuncture needle consisting of a needle body having a needle tip to be inserted into the affected area and a needle handle gripping the side opposite to the needle tip of the needle body, the needle body is partially or entirely made of a light transmitting member. A light transmission type acupuncture needle characterized in that a condensing lens is provided at the end of the needle body opposite to the needle tip so as to come into contact with the end surface of the light transmission member. 3. In an acupuncture needle consisting of a needle bar with a needle tip to be inserted into the affected area and a needle handle that grips the side of the needle bar opposite to the needle tip, light from a light source is emitted over almost the entire length of the acupuncture needle. an optical fiber comprising an optical transmission core and a cladding, a needle body comprising a needle tip provided at the tip of the optical fiber, and making light from a light source enter the end face of the optical fiber,
A light transmission type acupuncture needle characterized by comprising a convex lens that transmits light through the optical fiber and focuses the light on the needle tip. 4. The optical transmission type acupuncture needle according to claim 3, wherein the needle bar has an outer periphery of an optical fiber covered with a covering member. 5. The light transmission type acupuncture needle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the needle tip is formed of a translucent material. 6. The light transmission type acupuncture needle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the needle tip is formed of a non-transparent material.