Acupuncture syncope. That simply means fainting during an acupuncture session. Can a couple of fine needles make a big, grown man faint? You bet. The vast majority of fainting cases are not because of improper technique. The masters frequently encounter them. This novice already had 2 encounters. They were both healthy looking young men in their 30s. Both were having their first experience with acupuncture.
The first case was managed by my mentor. I remember he only had a couple of needles when he complained of giddiness. All needles were immediately removed, the patient was brought from a sitting to a supine position on the bed. A pillow was placed under his feet. He never lost consciousness and a hot drink was given to him.
Second case was managed by me. I started the patient off with bilateral Quchi and Yuji. Before I could start on his first Lieque, his wife, who was observing from a distance, commented that he looked pale. Indeed, he looked a bit pale. Even though he showed no signs of fainting yet, my mentor took no chances. All needles were pulled out immediately and the patient was asked to lie down. This mentor instructed me to do moxibustion on his Baihui and Qihai.
Colour returned to the patient’s lips very quickly. Even though both patients didn’t actually collapse, it is safer to remove all needles and abort the treatment the moment the patient shows signs of pallor.