Dry Needling & The Autonomic Nervous System

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Course Overview
Thoughtfully performed dry needling is one of the best ways in all of medicine to depress sympathetic autonomic nervous system hyperactivity, elevate parasympathetic autonomic activity, and induce autonomic nervous system homeostasis. The key to health. This allows the mind and body to use their awesome, innate healing abilities to maximize healthspan and lifespan. You will learn numerous neurophysiologic mechanisms through which this occurs and you will learn how to maximize ANS homeostasis for yourself and your patients.

Remember, the overwhelming majority of physical therapy and mental health patients present with chronic sympathetic autonomic hyperactivity. The overwhelming majority of humanity presents with chronic sympathetic hyperactivity, for that matter. This is bad. Chronic sympathetic hyperactivity is detrimental to all aspects of health. Achieving a more homeostatic autonomic nervous system helps improve all aspects of mental and physical health. Most medical impairments result from, and are a cause of, sympathetic autonomic nervous system hyperactivity, including chronic pain, shingles, fibromyalgia, insulin resistance, diabetes, tight muscles, stiff joints, incontinence, pelvic health impairments, anxiety, depression, and much, much more. This class discusses numerous techniques and thought processes that will provide you with the background knowledge and tools to specifically and effectively induce autonomic nervous system homeostasis and improve overall health in any condition.

If you are wondering what dry needling is, how it works, how it could help you, or how to implement it into your current practice model, this class is for you. You do not need to be a medical practitioner to glean useful information from these courses to safely, effectively, and dramatically improve your health. If you already needle and would like to learn more about it, like how to specifically target the autonomic nervous system (ANS), or simply hear a new perspective on treatment strategy, this class is for you too. We created these courses to be accessible in podcast form, as well as typical online class form. You do not need to be at a computer and do not need to see the screen for the talks to make sense. However, there are voice over PowerPoints and videos that accompany each topic, which will add to your learning experience. We would like these courses to serve as an access point into the world of dry needling for medical practitioners and the general public alike, with the goal of improving mental and physical health for the general population. If you are looking to improve your own health, or improve the health of others, you will come away from these courses with useful information to help you achieve your health goals and those of your patients.

We cover much of the latest evidence-informed needling research, both experimental and theoretical, with a focus on autonomic nervous system homeostasis. You will learn our unique needling methodology and how to help any impairment with dry needling. Autonomic nervous system homeostasis and how to achieve it with needling is covered in-depth. The gut-brain axis and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, key players of the autonomic nervous system, are strongly and positively affected by thoughtful needling. You will learn why. Electrical needling is discussed and you will learn why it increases efficacy, pain relief, and comfort of treatment.

You will learn the power of dry needling treatment for men’s and women’s pelvic health, including erectile dysfunction, incontinence, pain with sex, postpartum pain, general dysfunction, and more. You will also learn the wide-ranging neurophysiologic benefits of electrical auricular vagus nerve stimulation and how to use it to regulate the mind and body toward homeostasis. Dry needling’s awesome effect on mental health is also discussed.

Although needling is not allowed in every state, and it varies per profession, it is allowed in most. For practitioners who practice in a state where needling is not allowed, this course remains beneficial as it allows you to become familiar with the technique and provides education concerning various pain pathways, mechanisms of action, other potential ways to reduce pain, regulate the autonomic nervous system, improve outcomes, and more. This includes being knowledgeable about different forms of treatment, which allows for effective interdisciplinary referrals and informed individual choice, to maximize health potential.

Remember, if you are not a medical person, but are interested in learning about this awesome treatment to improve your health, this class will provide you with the tools to do so.

Students have permanent access to all class materials and any updates we make in the future. Students also have permanent access to the instructor, Jason, following the course, for any questions.

Course Outline
Part 1: Dry Needling & the Autonomic Nervous System
Dry Needling & the ANS
Needling Scar Tissue to Regulate the ANS
The ANS & Mental Health

Part 2: Signs & Symptoms of Sympathetic Autonomic Hyperactivity

Part 3: Stimulating the PANS to Depress the SANS & Induce ANS Homeostasis
Electrical Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation
Trigeminal Nerve (Otic Ganglion) Stimulation
Sacral Plexus (S2-S4) & Pelvic Floor Needling
C2 Spinous Process & Suboccipital Needling

Part 4: To Piston or Not to Piston: Should I Utilize the “Pistoning” Technique When Performing Dry Needling?

Part 5: The Sympathetic Chain, Sclerotomal Quantum Entanglement, & Autonomic Homeostasis
Sympathetic Chain, Sympathetic Autonomic Nervous System & Autonomic Nervous System Homeostasis: The Key to Health
Sclerotomal Quantum Entanglement & ANS Homeostasis

Part 6: Tools to Maximize Dry Needling Treatment Comfort, Efficacy, & Outcome
7 Easy Tricks to Maximize the Awesome Autonomic Homeostatic & Neuroplastic Healing Effects of Dry Needling Treatment
How to Introduce Needling to Hypersensitive or Hesitant Patients.

Part 7: Supplements to Boost Immune Function, Amplify Cellular Repair, Improve DNA-RNA-Protein Transcription Accuracy, Elevate Brain Function, Reduce Body Wide Inflammation, Induce Autonomic Nervous System Homeostasis, & More

Part 8: Dry Needling to Treat & Resolve Hiccups with Autonomic Nervous System Homeostasis

Part 9: Dry Needling to Treat & Resolve Post-Shingles Neuralgia & Fibromyalgia with Autonomic Nervous System Homeostasis

Learning Objectives

1. Identify the 3 primary regions of the body to target the PANS
2. Explain what the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) does
3. Discuss how dysfunction of the enteric nervous system and gut-brain-axis leads to systemic impairments
4. Educate patients on both normal and abnormal sarcomere activity, in relation to the ANS, and how needling helps
5. Describe the reason using low frequency microcurrent is the best for pain relief
6. Elucidate upon the reason behind connecting spinal levels to their corresponding distal impairments
7. Extrapolate on the overall sympathetic depressing action needling has on the nervous systems and how to amplify this response
8. Clarify why needling tendons, ligaments and periosteum is essential to achieving ANS homeostasis
9. Expound upon the reason to place the cathode (positive lead, usually red) over the most hyperactive tissue
10. Discuss the potential risk vs reward of dry needling and indicate the absolute and relative contraindications to DN
11. Discuss mechanisms by which needling regulates the ANS toward homeostasis
12. Accurately describe the basic differences between traditional acupuncture and dry needling
13. Discuss the physiologic importance of needling the portions of the ear innervated by the auricular branch of the vagus nerve, to improve organ function and ANS homeostasis
14. Discuss the neurophysiologic importance of needling around the sacral plexus to stimulate the PANS
15. Extrapolate upon why targeting the Otic ganglion of the trigeminal nerve is helpful in inducing ANS homeostasis

Testing Note:
Numerous recent, evidence-informed research papers regarding dry needling and the ANS are included in each section of this course. To utilize this course for CEU’s, you must pass the written exam with a minimum score of 80%. All the answers to the test material are contained in the lectures. Although the attached papers are required reading, text questions will be from the lecture portions only.

Target Audience: PT’s, PTA’s, AT’s, OT’s, OTA’s, DC’s, MD’s, PA’s, DO’s, Nurses, anyone who wants to learn about dry needling. You do not need to be a medical professional to glean useful information from these courses to improve your health.

Instructor: Jason Schuster, PT, DPT, MTC, IAMTC, IADN Cert. Specialist
Contact Hours / CEU’s: 15 per course
Price: $299 per course
Prerequisites: None
Course Format: Online, Self-Paced, Recorded Webinar
Educational Level: Advanced
Date: Continuous

CEU’s & State Approvals

Physical Therapists
As of January 1, 2020, the FSBPT (Pro cert.) and the APTA no longer approve CE courses. Currently, states either:

1. Require their own specific approval.
2. (this is most common) They accept courses approved by any other state sub-chapter of the APTA, which all of our courses have.

States Requiring Specific State Certification: LA, MN, NJ, NY, NV, OH, or TX.

State Approvals:

• Texas: Texas Physical Therapy Association: 15 CEU’s. Approval# 77386TX.
• New Jersey: In process.

New Jersey statute: 45:9-37.34j: Requirements of physical therapist https://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/Statutes/physical-therapy-law.pdf

d. “Following successful completion of the dry needling continuing education and competency program, including the practical hands-on instruction required pursuant to paragraph (10) of subsection b. of this section, a physical therapist shall complete 10 of the required minimum credits of continuing education and competency in each biennial license renewal period in board-approved programs in dry needling if the physical therapist chooses to continue to utilize such intervention on patients.”

The CEU’s for this course will be accepted for PT’s in any other state aside from LA, MN, NY, NV, OH. If you need other certification for this course, please let us know.

Please contact us if you have any questions regarding this new system of course certification. It is the registrants’ responsibility to understand their specific state requirements and to request any specific state certification upon signing up for the course.

Athletic Trainers
BOC Approved Provider # 10256. This course is approved for 15 CEU’s.

Disclaimer
These online courses DO NOT teach you needle-specific techniques or specific needle application, nor are they a substitute for in-person dry needling instruction. Each course provides a theoretical discussion with practical application for those who already have needling experience, or for those who would generally like to learn about dry needling and its use.

These courses DO NOT satisfy state licensure requirements to allow you to practice dry needling. Please refer to your state practice act for rules and regulations associated with obtaining and maintaining a license to practice dry needling in your state, according to your health care license.