System, device, and method for acupuncture needle placement

An acupuncture device for inserting one of a plurality of acupuncture needles into a patient's skin at one or more of a plurality of acupressure points, said acupuncture device comprising;

• an elongate casing configured to be handheld and having a passage extending through at least a portion thereof and forming an opening at a forward end of the elongate casing;
• a needle cartridge located within the passage and holding the plurality of acupuncture needles;
• an acupressure-point locator circuit configured to identify the acupressure points by measuring galvanic skin resistance and including a probe located at the opening of the elongate casing for engaging the patient's skin;
• and
• an actuator configured to selectively advance at least one of the plurality of acupuncture needles through the opening of the elongate casing and into an identified one of the acupressure points without moving the probe after the identified one of the acupressure points is identified by the acupressure-point locator circuit.

A method of inserting at least one of a plurality of acupuncture needles into a patient's skin at one or more of a plurality of acupressure points, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) obtaining an acupuncture device having an elongate casing configured to be handheld and having a passage extending through at least a portion thereof and forming an opening at a forward end of the elongate casing, a needle cartridge located within the passage and holding the plurality of acupuncture needles, an acupressure-point locator circuit configured to identify the acupressure points by measuring galvanic skin resistance and including a probe located at the opening of the elongate casing for engaging the patient's skin, and an actuator configured to selectively advance at least one of the plurality of acupuncture needles through the opening of the elongate casing and into an identified one of the acupressure points;
• (b) moving the probe along and in contact the patient's skin until the acupressure-point locator circuit provides an indication that the probe is located at a first desired one of the acupressure points;
• and
• (c) after receiving the indication that the probe is located at the first desired one of the plurality of acupressure points, triggering the actuator to advance a first one of the plurality of acupuncture needles through the opening of the elongate casing and into the patient's skin at the first desired one of the plurality of acupressure points without moving the probe from the patient's skin at the first desired one of the plurality of acupressure points.