When I first heard about dry needling, I can't help thinking, didn't this happen before?

Years ago, there were tons of reports of serious liver injuries in Japan. The culprit turned out to be a TCM herbal formula Long Dan Xie Gan Tang. People started to blame the TCM formula and soon concluded that some herbs are toxic and should not be used. Yet, the real problem is, those who had liver injuries took the formula without consulting a TCM practitioner so they never had a TCM diagnosis. We all know that, in TCM, even with the same symptoms, the diagnosis could be very different and thus different herbal medication. The toxicity of the herbs are exactly why they can cure disease. It just need to be applied properly. The liver injuries were the result of misuse of herbs, but TCM has to take the blame.

Dry needling, I'm sure it works in many cases. Yet, without the systematic TCM theory behind it, it could bring more harm in the long run and in a wider range of population. Sticking a needling in the body can't be based on simply the symptoms, it needs careful examination and a thorough knowledge of TCM theories to come to a diagnose. Again, same symptoms may lead to different diagnosis and thus different treatment plan. 

While it's beneficial to simplify treatment process to promote its application, it's only good to some extend. We prune the dead heads on roses, but we don't trim from the root.