Commonly used acupuncture needles and guide tube: (A) needle with copper coil handle; (B) needle with plastic handle; (C) needle with stainless steel handle; (D) rigid plastic guide tube. Commonly used acupuncture needles and guide tube: (A) needle with copper coil handle; (B) needle with plastic handle; (C) needle with stainless steel handle; (D) rigid plastic guide tube. Claire Shuiqing Zhang et al. Acupunct Med doi:10.1136/acupmed-2014-010671 Copyright © British Medical Acupuncture Society. All rights reserved.