Multiple Acupuncture Research Articles

Hypertension in rats following multiple acupuncture of the adrenal glands.

It has been-known for almost 20 yr that hypertension develops in rats sensitized by mononephrectomy and a high salt intake, if the adrenal glands are subjected to either enucleation or pedicle ligation. Recently we have shown that compression of the adrenals is equally effective. Experiments reported herein demonstrate that the response is also elicited by adrenal acupuncture, and that the incidence and severity of the disorder i s directly related to the degree of injury inflicted. We believe that the etiology of these forms of experimental hypertension is the same and depends upon an alteration of adrenocortical function engendered by these particular procedures. If this is so, then absence of the medulla, a necessary concomitant only of the first two, is not etiologically important. The same would appear to be true of the transient period of antinatriuresis which adrenal enucleate rats may display when given oral, saline during the immediate postoperative period. This does not occur under similar circu...