Lower Meridian Electrical Conductance in Patients with Cancer Who Have Poorer Nutritional Status

Abstract

Abstract Background: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) studies have shown that energy in the human body may be detected using the meridian energy analysis device (MEAD) through the measurement of skin electrical conductance of 24 hand and foot acupuncture points on the 12 meridians. Objective: This study investigated the association between meridian electrical conductance and nutritional status in patients with cancer. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 147 cancer cases at the Linsen Branch of Taipei City Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, between March 7, 2012 and March 6, 2013. The main outcome measures were meridian electrical conductance tested using the MEAD, while nutritional status was assessed using the scored Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) questionnaire. Results: The odds ratio for the total meridian electrical conductance (0.98) indicated that a decrease in the conductance level was correlated with an increase in the odds of being severely malno...