Do acupuncture points have different absorption properties to laser light than surrounding skin?

Abstract

Traditional Chinese Medicine suggests that acupuncture points are sites of energy exchange between the body and the environment. The authors examined the relative absorption of near infra-red laser light (3 mW, 780 nm) using different pulse repetition frequencies at acupuncture points compared to non-acupuncture points. Results revealed that at 1 Hz absorption was greater at acupuncture points compared to nearby nonacupuncture points. At higher pulse repetition rates this difference was reduced. This suggests that acupuncture points do in fact have different absorption properties to non-acupuncture points and that there is a correlation between the skins' electrical conductivity and absorption of laser light.