ABSTRACT

Acupuncture therapy is already a widely accepted practice as a comprehensive alternative therapy internationally through the integration of Chinese and Western medicine. It is used to treat various illnesses such as allergic rhinitis, sudden deafness, facial palsy, brachial plexus injury, and cerebral vascular accident and so forth. All reports show the effective results that may be related to neurological rehabilitation. However, the strong stimulation of De-Qi during acupuncture may cause different types of discomfort in patients and lead to serious side effects such as fainting during acupuncture treatment (FDAT) inducing a possible shock and death. In some cases, the treatment might cause medical disputes and engage in a lawsuit. Additionally, due to the underlying diseases and habit of drugs intake of a patient, it may also increase the incidence rate and severity of FDAT. This paper focuses on reinforcing the safety and completeness to treat fainting during acupuncture through the concept of shock and procedures already established in Western medicine. These include an assessment of medical history prior to the application of acupuncture, the physiological changes during fainting, process management as well as the necessity of physiological monitoring.