noNeedle ElectroAcupuncture (nNEAP) is an exciting modern development of acupuncture.  It does not involve the use of needles at all. 

nNEAP can be a substitute for needle acupuncture when patients are afraid of needles, but I often use it because it seems in my experience to be more effective than needle acupuncture for certain types of hormonal problems or pain pattterns. 

Tiny electrical impulses are applied to acupuncture points on the surface of the body through small pads which are taped to the skin.  The impulses are produced by a 9 volt battery and there is no puncturing of the skin.

The patient feels only a slight tingling or buzzing sensation at these points during this treatment, which usually lasts for 20 minutes. nNEAP is often used together with auriculotherapy, a highly successful treatment where points on the ear are stimulated.

Patients sometimes ask whether nNEAP is the same as TENS because they are both types of electrical stimulation and they look similar.  However, the ways in which they each work, and the effects that each produces in the body seem to be very different.  For instance in the treatment of chronic pain, the effect of TENS usually disappears very soon after the machine is switched off, whereas with nNEAP the pain relieving effect is usually lasting.