An exploratory study of the relationship between the midday-midnight law and electrical conduction properties of corresponding acupuncture points.

The midday-midnight law is a well-known empirical law in Oriental medicine stating that the circadian rhythm of internal organs influences their paired organs according to the time of day. However, there has been little research to test the purported relationship between the time of day and organ function. The purpose of this preliminary study was to investigate whether the midday-midnight law applies to the meridian activity and the electrical conduction properties of the acupuncture points.

Effects of acupuncture on potential along meridians of healthy subjects and patients with gastric disease.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in bio-potential in the stomach meridians of 20 normal healthy control subjects (NHC) and 20 patients with gastric disease (PGD). We measured changes in potential between ST-39 and ST-37 on the stomach meridian in response to invasive insertion of a needle at ST-36. The response patterns of NHC were regular in both the left and right meridians, whereas the response patterns of PGD were irregular.

Differences in electrical conduction properties between meridians and non-meridians.

Therapy using the acupuncture meridian system is an important part of traditional Chinese medicine. The purpose of this study was to investigate the electrical conduction properties of the meridians. The current conduction and potential profiles were compared after switching the current direction in the Hegu (LI-4) and Quchi (LI- 11) meridians and over a non-acupuncture point 1 cm from Quchi (LI-11) in 20 healthy subjects.

Nonlinear analysis of heart rate variability during Qi therapy (external Qigong).

Heart rate variability (HRV) was compared in 30 subjects receiving external Qi therapy (EQT) or placebo control therapy, in a crossover design experiment. Subjects who received the EQT reported more pleasant and calm emotions than did the placebo group. Qi therapy reduced the heart rate and increased HRV as indicated by a reduced low frequency/high frequency power ratio of HRV.

Development of a system and improvement of the stimulus pattern to discriminate the acupuncture point and meridians.

The conventional acupuncture-point stimulus pattern uses direct current (DC) to discriminate acupuncture point and meridian lines, which are fundamental to diagnosis and treatment in Oriental medicine. However, DC is insufficiently reliable in discriminating these acupuncture points and lines. To overcome these problems, the authors extracted optimal parameters (e.

Is there any energy transfer during acupuncture?

Acupuncture therapy is based on the principle of restoring equilibrium of the body's energy state by regulating the flow of Qi in the corresponding meridians and acupoints. The purpose of this study was to determine whether bio-energy transfer occurs during acupuncture of the meridians. We treated 20 normal healthy subjects with acupuncture and measured changes in the direct current (DC) potential between the stomach meridian points ST-39 and ST-37 in response to invasive insertion of a needle at ST-36.

An examination of the relationship between five oriental musical tones and corresponding internal organs and meridians.

The Yellow Emperor's Internal Medicine (Nei-Jing) describes the relationship between five internal organs corresponding to five different meridians and five oriental musical tones such as Gung (spleen), Sang (liver), Gak (liver), Chi (heart), Wu (kidney). However, there has been little research to test this relationship. The purpose of this study was to determine this relationship through applying sound stimulation for 60 seconds, comprising various frequencies produced on an electric organ(Gung: 261.

Hydrodynamic analysis of waveforms induced by vibrational stimuli at meridian and non-meridian points.

Meridian theory is an important part of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Although acupuncture has been accepted in many countries, the nature of the meridian theory and the principles of acupuncture are still unclear in the modern scientific view. The purpose of this study was to determine the differences in wave propagation of mechanical vibrations (optimal stimulator frequency of 40 Hz) through the pericardium meridian [EH-4 (Chieh-Men) and EH-5 (Chien-Shih)] and adjacent control regions in 20 subjects using hydrodynamic analysis.

Measurement of subcutaneous impedance by four-electrode method at acupoints located with single-power alternative current.

A Single-Power Alternating Current (SPAC) instrument was used to measure the low-impedance acupoints around Ho-Ku (LI-4), Yang-Hsi (LI-5), Yang-Ch'ih (TB-4), Yang-Ku (SI-5), T'ai-Yuan (Lu-9), Ta-Lung (EH-7) and Shen-Men (He-7). A four-electrode instrument was used to measure the subcutaneous impedance at these low-impedance acupoints and adjacent control points on 12 healthy people. The mean subcutaneous impedance at the acupoints was 49.

Development of the meridian-visualizing system that superimposes a bio-signal upon a body image.

The precise selection and the identification of acupuncture points are essential for the diagnosis and treatment of patients in Oriental medicine. In this study, we have developed a meridian identification system using Single-Power Alternating Current (SPAC), which discriminates between true acupoints and non-acupoints. The SPAC system is not affected by skin resistance or pressure and is more accurate than the existing meridian location system, which uses direct current (DC) excitation current.

Nitric oxide and tumor necrosis factor-alpha production by Ixeris dentata in mouse peritoneal macrophages.

Using mouse peritoneal macrophages, we have examined the mechanism by which Ixeris dentata (IXD) regulates nitric oxide (NO) production. When IXD was used in combination with recombinant interferon-gamma (rIFN-gamma), there was a marked cooperative induction of NO production. However, IXD had no effect on NO production by itself.

Ixeris dentata green sap inhibits both compound 48/80-induced aanaphylaxis-like response and IgE-mediated anaphylactic response in murine model.

We studied the inhibitory effect of the green sap of Ixeris dentata (IXD) on compound 48/80-induced anaphylaxis-like response in a murine model. IXD dose-dependently inhibited the anaphylaxis-like response induced by compound 48/80 in mice. IXD inhibited the anaphylaxis-like fatal response at the dose of 0.