Microsystems: Scope and safety

By anatomy, not by credential

Invasive techniques in these five regions are professional, and the reason is what lies beneath: vessels, nerves, organs and eyes. Studying the maps is one thing; crossing the skin over them is another.

Scalp

Abundant vascularity: asepsis, anatomy and bleeding management

Abdomen

Never self-applied needles, in any circumstance

Face

Eyes, nerves and important vessels, all very superficial

Ear

Nothing over damaged skin: no needle, no seed, no device

Hand

No puncture or strong pressure with neuropathy or compromised circulation

Common mistake: Using your own ear to self-diagnose. It is the commonest use and the least defensible of all.

Keep studying the map, or refer?

• Severe abdominal pain with rigidityKeep studyingRefer
• Uncertainty about which school a manual usesKeep studyingRefer
• A sudden change in visionKeep studyingRefer
• Pregnancy with acute symptomsKeep studyingRefer
• An ear whose reliefs are hard to make outKeep studyingRefer
• Bleeding that will not stop after a punctureKeep studyingRefer

When do you not place an auricular seed, even though the technique is not invasive?

1. When the person wears earrings
2. When they have recently eaten
3. When you cannot quite remember the point
4. When the skin of the area is damaged

What makes the scalp demand bleeding management and not just asepsis?

1. Hair makes disinfection harder
2. The skin is very thin
3. It is richly vascularized
4. Needles go deeper than elsewhere

Can this be studied alone, or does it need professional training?

• Recognizing the reliefs of your own earStudy aloneProfessional training
• Needling the scalpStudy aloneProfessional training
• Placing needles on the abdomenStudy aloneProfessional training
• Comparing two hand maps and seeing where they differStudy aloneProfessional training
• Any invasive technique on the faceStudy aloneProfessional training
• Reading a microsystem's evidence noteStudy aloneProfessional training