Acupuncture Theory Research Articles

Relationship between DOU Han-qing of the Jin and Yuan Dynasty and Taoist

In order to explore the culture factors of the construction of acupuncture theory of DOU Han-qing, the medical master of the Jin and Yuan Dynasty, the authors studied the relationship between DOU Han-qing and Taoist by collecting DOU 's life material. With manual retrieval, some ancient historical literature was obtained. Additionally, Yijing Huiyuan: Zhenjiu Yuanshu: Dou Taishi Michuan Mihua Zhenjing Qiongyao Baojian, written by WU Jia-yan in the Ming Dynasty, collected in Japan, was analyzed. It was found that DOU Han-qing's acupuncture and moxibustion was influenced by Suwen Wangpian: Cifalun, the Taoism medicine of the early stage of the Song Dynasty, as well as by Jiaojing Baxue, passed on by SONG Zi-hua, the hermit. DOU Han-qing had been in contact with FAN Zhi-ying of the Taoist, but there was no clear record relevant with medicine. Dou Taishi Michuan Mihua Zhenjing Qiongyao Baojian may be the compilation by Taoism medical master, on the base DOU 's acupuncture and moxibustion. There is a kind of mutual influence and mutual promotion relationship between DOU Han-qing and Taoist.

Selection of Acupoints Combination Based on Pseudo Mutual Information Maximization

Acupuncture has been used as an alternative and complementary therapy, however the selection of acupoints combination for a specific disease (or symptoms) highly depends on the experience of acupuncturists. The current study aimed to develop a reliable and quantifiable method for selection of acupoints combinations, which may improve treatment efficiency and reproducibility among acupuncturists. In the current study, a number of acupuncture prescriptions for treatment of acute or chronic gastritis had been collected and organized from public databases and literatures. Three types of associations, acupoints-symptoms associations (ASA), acupoints-acupoints associations (AAA), and symptoms-symptoms associations (SSA) were defined to delineate their connections. The network constructed by AAA was used to study the synergistic effects among acupoints combination whereas SSA network was used to examine coexistence of symptoms. On the other hand, ASA characterized the empirical association between acupoints and symptoms in the prescription database which may be considered as the mathematical representation of acupoints selection for a particular prescription. Then a novel method namely mutual information screening (MIS) was proposed for screening acupoints combinations based on pseudo mutual information maximization. The selected acupoints combinations of MIS method were verified to be in accordance with the rules of acupoints compatibility based on the theory of acupuncture. Validation of MIS through conditional entropy and significance test of the clinical records suggested the method to be reliable and robust. Furthermore, a ten-fold cross validation were carried out to evaluate the performance of MIS compared with artificial neural network (ANN)-based method. The F1-score of MIS was found to be 0.67, higher than that of the ANN-based method (0.58). The current results provided a reliable and practical tool for symptom-specific acupoints selection, which may help to develop a scientific basis for clinical acupuncture therapy.

Chinese Medicine Characteristic Nursing for Mild and Ordinary Types of SARS-CoV-2 Virus Infected Patients

SARS-CoV-2 is a new type of coronavirus, its source has not been accurately traced back. According to relevant medical studies, this noncellular morphological microorganism of about 60-140 nm in length may cause severe respiratory, cardiovascular and digestive system damage to infected patients. The disease caused by the virus is named as COVID-19 (Corona Virus Disease 2019) by WHO. For COVID-19, no matter it is an anonymous asymptomatic treatment by Chinese and Western medicine, there is currently no specific medicine. The Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) book named as “Basic Questions · Acupuncture Theory” points out that this kind of disease is a epidemic disease, easy to infect each other, and its symptoms are similar for all ages. Based on many years of traditional Chinese medicine nursing experience and authoritative literature, the author summarizes a set of traditional Chinese medicine characteristic nursing program for mild / ordinary type of SARS-CoV-2 virus infected patients, which can make the patient recover quickly. The main idea is to improve the patients’ resistance to the coronavirus by using traditional Chinese medicine characteristic nursing such as diet conditioning, scraping, massage, plaster, baduanjin exercise, moxibustion and Chinese medicine emotion nursing on the basis of TCM syndrome differentiation and classification. The TCM characteristic nursing program summarized in this paper has been applied to patients with mild / ordinary type of new coronavirus pneumonia, and has achieved good nursing results.

Preventive Electroacupuncture Ameliorates D-Galactose-Induced Alzheimer's Disease-Like Pathology and Memory Deficits Probably via Inhibition of GSK3β/mTOR Signaling Pathway.

Acupuncture has been practiced to treat neuropsychiatric disorders for a thousand years in China. Prevention of disease by acupuncture and moxibustion treatment, guided by the theory of Chinese acupuncture, gradually draws growing attention nowadays and has been investigated in the role of the prevention and treatment of mental disorders such as AD. Despite its well-documented efficacy, its biological action remains greatly invalidated. Here, we sought to observe whether preventive electroacupuncture during the aging process could alleviate learning and memory deficits in D-galactose-induced aged rats. We found that preventive electroacupuncture at GV20-BL23 acupoints during aging attenuated the hippocampal loss of dendritic spines, ameliorated neuronal microtubule injuries, and increased the expressions of postsynaptic PSD95 and presynaptic SYN, two important synapse-associated proteins involved in synaptic plasticity. Furthermore, we observed an inhibition of GSK3β/mTOR pathway activity accompanied by a decrease in tau phosphorylation level and prompted autophagy activity induced by preventive electroacupuncture. Our results suggested that preventive electroacupuncture can prevent and alleviate memory deficits and ameliorate synapse and neuronal microtubule damage in aging rats, which was probably via the inhibition of GSK3β/mTOR signaling pathway. It may provide new insights for the identification of prevention strategies of AD.

A Key Node Mining Method Based on Acupoint-Disease Network (ADN): A New Perspective for Exploring Acupoint Specificity.

In the process of treating pro-diseases with acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) doctors may fine-tune acupuncture prescriptions according to different prior experiences. Different prescriptions will affect the efficiency and effect of acupuncture treatment, and even excessive acupoint selection may cause psychological pressure on patients. We still lack an effective means to analyze the meridian system and acupoint specificity to clarify the mapping relationship between acupoints and diseases. Given the inability of modern medical technology to provide effective evidence support for meridians and acupoints, we combined acupuncture theory with network science for an interdisciplinary discussion. In this paper, we constructed a weighted undirected acupoint-disease network (ADN) based on clinical acupuncture prescription literature and proposed a high-specificity key node mining method based on ADN. Combined with the principle of acupoint selection in TCM, the proposed method balanced the contribution of local areas to the network based on the distribution characteristics of meridians and selected 30 key acupoints with high influence on the global topology according to the evaluation index of key nodes. Finally, we compared the proposed method with the other six classical node importance evaluation algorithms in terms of resolution, network loss, and accuracy. The comprehensive results show that the marked key acupoint nodes make outstanding contributions to the connectivity, topological structure, and weighted benefits of the network, and the stability and specificity of the algorithm guarantee the reliability of the key acupoint nodes. We consider that these key acupoints with high centrality in ADN can be used as core acupoints to help researchers explore targeted and high-impact acupoint combinations under resource constraints and optimize existing acupuncture prescriptions.

Mechanical effects of acupuncture

Acupuncture, a physiotherapy, has been widely accepted all around the world. This study focuses on the influence of membrane structures and explains the acupuncture sensations from the aspect of mechanical properties. By mathematical modeling and numerical simulation, the scientific meaning of the acupuncture depth is investigated and phenomena and theory of acupuncture are discussed. The simulation results show that (a) the fascial structure is the main contributor to the force on the needle, the axial force will gradually increase before piercing the fascial, and suddenly decrease after piercing the fascial; (b) there is an inverse relationship between the needle radius and the maximum radial stress, which indicates that the needle should not be too sharp to cause local stress concentration and piece the fascia layer; and (c) the simulation results of comprehensively considering the static friction and sliding friction is identical with the experiment results. This study proposes a preliminary study of mechanical effects of acupuncture manipulation, clarifies key factors affecting the stress on the needle, and explains the objective requirement of acupuncture depth to effective treatment.

Multiple Sclerosis Symptom Management Using Constitutional Five Element Acupuncture: A Case Report

Background: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is characterized by autoimmune destruction of the central nervous system in which communication between the brain and other parts of the body is disrupted, resulting in progressive loss of function. MS and its effects can range from relatively benign to disabling for a patient’s quality of life. Case: A 61-year-old woman seeks acupuncture treatment for managing Multiple Sclerosis, and possibly Lyme Disease, related symptoms. The most prominent symptoms were incontinence, joint pain, and muscle discomfort. Methods: For one year, the patient is treated weekly with acupuncture, which includes gua sha, tuina, and limited moxibustion. The treatments follow Constitutional Five Element Acupuncture theory, which relies upon assessing the patient’s constitutional factor (CF) as a cornerstone for treatment planning and point selection. Conclusion: After assessing the correct CF, the patient-reported responses to treatment increased in duration and depth, with notable changes in the most prominent symptoms of complaint.

The Long Game

The Long Game explores one artwork, The Care Taker, iterated across multiple sites, as a slow and gentle resistance to current divisive political discourses in Australia. By placing a familiar domestic set in public spaces and asking participants to reveal something personal about themselves, the installation places a sense of intimacy and care in public places. Based in Social Acupuncture theory (O’Donnell, 2006) a site responsive practice produces iterations adapted to place, to engage diverse social and cultural audiences in suburban Australia. Using care, kindness and generosity as the foundations of each iteration, the artist considers how gentle transgression or activation of public space can open and connect strangers to each other, and hopefully inspire empathy and kindness which over time may contribute to social change.

Traces of Chinese and Western medicine in the Kanbun bronze acupuncture figure

Acupuncture figure is the model of human body for the learners and practitioners of acupuncture to learn and memorize the meridians points on the body surface in ancient time. The earliest bronze acupuncture figure was made in the fifth year of the North Song Dynasty and it had been cast continuously or even spread to overseas in the later dynasties. Specially, the imitation and production of bronze acupuncture figure in Japan in Edo Period were the most prominent. At present, the bronze acupuncture figure of the Edo era, with the complete and detailed historical background records, is preserved in the Tokyo National Museum of Japan and exhibited as a metal reticulated bronze figure. Such figure was named as Kanbun bronze acupuncture figure because it was cast during the Kanbun period. In the paper, the study achievements were collected on the Kanbun bronze acupuncture figure at home and abroad and its history was reviewed in terms of time feature, production background and producer. Based on the traditional Chinese thought and theory of acupuncture and moxibustion embodied by Kanbun bronze acupuncture figure, the value of the Kanbun bronze acupuncture figure in acupuncture and moxibustion was explored. Additionally, align with the introduction of Western medicine in Edo era in Japan and in consideration with the specific understanding on anatomical knowledge in Western medicine reflected by the bronze acupuncture figure, the value of the Western medicine was discussed. Finally, in view of the reticule structure of bronze acupuncture figure, the orientation and selection were analyzed under the influence of the eastern and western medicine in the Edo era, based on which, the motivation of the acceptance and creation of this bronze acupuncture figure in Japan was explored in the culture dissemination of medicine.

Evolution of acupoint nomenclature: on the basis of the analysis of Tianhui medical bamboo slips

Many theories of acupuncture and moxibustion and treatment experience are described in the Tianhui medical bamboo slips. In this paper, based on the records of Ci Shu (Needling Methods) of medical bamboo slips, focusing on the questions on the nomenclature of acupoints and meridians, by the comparison of the descriptions in Huangdi Neijing (Yellow Emperor 's Internal Classic) with other unearthed medical literature, the evolution on the nomenclature was sorted out and the rules and significance of such evolution were explored. In comparison between the evolution of the acupoint names on the head and face and that on the four limbs, the changing modes were presented and analyzed. Finally, the nomenclature of meridians and that of acupoints were compared to infer the potential factors of their own features. This preliminary exploration reflects the important significance of the comparative study of Tianhui medical bamboo slips in the literature interpretation, concept understanding and theory evolution rules of meridians and acupoints.

Xuehui: the extension of acupuncture and moxibustion theory on the exerting site of treatment

It is common to use acupuncture and moxibustion at unspecified area on the skin, however, its theoretical improvement is little compared with the specified area such as acupoint. The concept of xuehui originated from the discussion regarding the function and significance of the crossing of minute collateral and xigu. Based on the in-depth analysis of relevant texts, it is believed that its content and nature should belong to the theoretical understanding of acupuncture at unspecified area; moreover, the correlation and differences of theory and expression between xuehui and acupoint is analyzed from the perspective of acupuncture treatment location. The discussion on xuehui is theoretical improvement of acupuncture treatment experience at unspecified area, which should become the resource of acupuncture theoretical construction, and enrich the understanding of the law and essence of acupuncture stimulation on the body surface.

Body expression under the vision field of acupuncture-moxibustion

Acupuncture-moxibustion are applied on the body surface. The treatment methods are directly related to body shape. It needs and promotes the understanding and knowledge accumulation of the structure and function of the body surface and its deep relationship. It forms a unique perspective of body-shape recognition and rich theoretical content to explain the body composition and activities and guide the practice of acupuncture-moxibustion diagnosis and treatment. Its understanding of human body can be divided into two parts: internal part and external part. The body surface, which is most closely related to acupuncture-moxibustion, is expressed by skin, muscle, pulse, tendon and bone, and its theoretical construction is based on the function characteristics of acupuncture and moxibustion. Therefore, the theory of acupuncture-moxibustion embodies a kind of human cognition from the perspective of "acupuncture and moxibustion". Under this kind of consciousness, the concept of acupuncture and moxibustion theory can be correctly interpreted, and the diagnosis and treatment methods can be understood, the overall composition of the scope of the theoretical system of acupuncture and moxibustion can be clear and its contemporary construction be improved.

The sensitization phenomenon of acupoint and biological significances

In the pathological conditions, the human body induces somatic sensory exchanges and takes neurogenic inflammatory reactions according to referred visceral organ. Acupoint possesses both diagnosing and treating functions according to the acupuncture theory. The sensitization of acupoint refers to a pathophysiological dynamic change which is manifested predominately as a neurogenic inflammatory reaction in the specific area(s) of the body surface under pathological conditions. Furthermore, the process of acupoint from "silent" (physiological status) to "active" (pathological status) is generally represented by the dynamic changes of acupoint location, size and physicochemical environment. These responses of acupoint sensitization simultaneously activate self-healing system in the body and eventually induce the curative effects.

Local effects of acupuncture on the median and ulnar nerves in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome: a pilot mechanistic study protocol

BackgroundWhile acupuncture’s mechanism of action is not fully understood, there is consensus that the nervous system plays a key role in processing its effects. This research is based on the structural theory of acupuncture, which aims to correlate the location of acupuncture points to peripheral nerves, spinal segments, and spinal plexuses. This mechanistic study explores the close anatomical association between the Pericardium meridian/median nerve and the Heart meridian/ulnar nerve in an attempt to produce electrophysiologic data measuring acupuncture’s direct, nerve-specific effect on the underlying nerves. Specifically, the purpose of this research is to use nerve conduction studies (NCSs) and quantitative sensory testing (QST) to assess for any local, nerve-specific effect of three acupuncture modalities on two anatomically distinct nerves in the forearm — the median and ulnar nerves — in subjects with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). The choice of CTS as an injured nerve model allows for comparisons between the response in an injured nerve (median) to that of a healthy one (ulnar).MethodsSubjects with mild to moderate CTS will be randomized to three intervention groups: manual acupuncture and low- and high-frequency electroacupuncture. Each subject will receive two treatments, 1 week apart, to points in the forearm, which overlay the median nerve (Pericardium meridian) or the ulnar nerve (Heart meridian). Acupuncture will be administered in random order to minimize learning effects in sensory testing. During Week 1, baseline NCS and QST (vibration and cold detection thresholds) will be obtained in both nerve territories, followed by acupuncture and post-acupuncture NCS and QST measurements in both nerve territories. During Week 2, repeat baseline QST and NCS measurements will be obtained, followed by acupuncture to points overlying the nerve not treated in Week 1, followed by post-acupuncture NCS and QST measurements in both nerve distributions.DiscussionThis works aims to capture and characterize the local effects of acupuncture on an underlying nerve and compare them to those on a neighboring nerve. Quantifying acupuncture’s effects using physiologic parameters and discrete values could standardize treatment regimens and help assess their therapeutic effect.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03036657. Registered on 30 January 2017. Retrospectively registered.

A New-Type Acupuncture Model Based on STM32

Background: The foundation of this acupuncture model is to solve the lack of experimental teaching model and student’s inadequate ability to identify acupoints in the teaching of acupuncture and moxibustion in traditional Chinese medicine. Methods: In this model we use modern materials to simulate human arms and combination with electronic engineering to create a “Modern Version of Acupuncture Man” and select 2015 undergraduates of Traditional Chinese Medicine School in Jinan University as the research object, to divide those students into two teaching mode which is using acupuncture models or not, to compare their mastery of the acupoint names and position. Results: After the three times different mode teaching and have a test, the average score of using models group was much higher than traditional teaching mode groups (p < 0.05). And all the students expressed that using the model teaching and investigation could better grasp the location and depth of acupoints and enhance their ability of identifying acupoints. Conclusions: The acupuncture models beneficial to the training the acupuncture of Traditional Chinese Medicine students, and also it can make the theory of acupuncture more “Standardization” and “Visualization”.

Response to Robinson re: "The Geometry of Emotions: Using Chakra Acupuncture and 5-Phase Theory to Describe Personality Archetypes for Clinical Use".

Response to Robinson re: "The Geometry of Emotions: Using Chakra Acupuncture and 5-Phase Theory to Describe Personality Archetypes for Clinical Use".

Acupuncture in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Scientific research into the effects and mechanisms of acupuncture for gastrointestinal diseases including inflammatory bowel disease has been rapidly growing in the past several decades. In this review, we discuss the history, theory, and methodology of acupuncture and review potentially beneficial mechanisms of action of acupuncture for managing inflammatory bowel disease. Acupuncture has been shown to decrease disease activity and inflammation via increase of vagal activity in inflammatory bowel disease. Acupuncture has demonstrated beneficial roles in the regulation of gut dysbiosis, intestinal barrier function, visceral hypersensitivity, gut motor dysfunction, depression/anxiety, and pain, all of which are factors that can significantly impact quality of life in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. A number of clinical trials have been performed to investigate the therapeutic effects of acupuncture in ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Although the data from these trials are promising, more studies are needed given the heterogeneous and multifactorial aspects of inflammatory bowel disease. There is also an important need to standardize acupuncture methodology, study designs, and outcome measurements.

Re: "The Geometry of Emotions: Using Chakra Acupuncture and 5-Phase Theory to Describe Personality Archetypes for Clinical Use" by Chase (Med Acupunct. 2018;30(4):167-178).

Re: "The Geometry of Emotions: Using Chakra Acupuncture and 5-Phase Theory to Describe Personality Archetypes for Clinical Use" by Chase (Med Acupunct. 2018;30(4):167-178).

Design and implementation of capacity-oriented curriculum modules of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Medicine

In order to improve the teaching quality of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Medicine, the author valued the students' ability as guidance and purpose, analyzed the characteristics of the curriculum design and the selection of teaching materials, and proposed 3 teaching modules consisted of theory, practical training and application of acupuncture- moxibustion. Hereafter, it was constantly summarized and improved to realize the goal of curriculum knowledge, ability and quality. The reform method of the curriculum design, teaching content and method of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Medicine in traditional Chinese medicine was preliminarily explored.

Application of the analogy in the connotation of reinforcing and reducing principle and method in traditional acupuncture

Analogy is the significant thinking method in TCM and it has been recorded abundantly in ancient literature of TCM. The analogy idea had been adopted in the connotation of the reinforcing and reducing principle and method of traditional acupuncture, such as the reinforcing and reducing manipulation techniques, the timing of the reinforcing and reducing method and the effects of deqi. In view of the analogy idea, the relevant reinforcing and reducing principles andmethods of traditional acupuncture were collated and analyzed in the article. It is anticipated that the origin and essence of reinforcing and reducing principles and methods can be better identified and this thinking characteristic of ancient acupuncture theory be widely understood and fully emphasized.