Acupuncture (Acup) and moxibustion (Moxi) are commonly used interventions in clinical practice. However, the difference between Acup and moxibustion mechanisms is unclear. In current study, blood perfusion responses resulted from Acup or Moxi at Weishu acupoint (BL21) and control points were explored, respectively. The time series of blood flux signals at BL21 and control points were transforme...

Although it was believed that the brain was incapable of regeneration after embryonic development, neurogenesis is now known to occur into adulthood. Adult neurogenesis has been demonstrated in the subventricular zone of the lateral ventricles and the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. Acupuncture has long been used to treat neurologic conditions, and recent reports sugge...

Background. In traditional Chinese medicine acupuncture manipulation is one of the key factors that affect the curative results of acupuncture and more and more researches focus on how the different acupuncture manipulation techniques influence microcirculation nowadays. In this paper we demonstrate the different influences of lift-thrust reinforcing and reducing on blood perfusion. Method. The...

This study investigated whether immediate acupuncture effects in the acupoint are histamine dependent. Both histamine injection and manual acupuncture stimulation increased the pain threshold (PT) after treatment compared with the model group (P < 0.01), producing an analgesic effect. After pretreatment with clemastine, an H1 receptor antagonist and an antipruritic, the increase in the animals'...

Acupuncture, an alternative medicine, has been widely applied for people with sleep disturbances; therefore, the effects should be evaluated objectively. Micro-minipigs (MMPigs), the smallest miniature pigs for animal experiments, were used. Acupuncture was performed at two different points: Dafengmen is located on the head and is an anatomically similar point to human-Baihui (GV20), an effecti...

This study determined if any acupuncture point (acupoint) known for its calming effects also aided hypnotic induction. Hypnosis was offered to 108 patients requiring minor surgical or dental procedures. All had a history of panic attacks and surgical or dental phobias that complicated or prevented treatment. Unpleasant intruding thoughts of imminent invasive treatments handicapped their ability...

There are only few scientific publications dealing with the basic investigation of the effects of only one or two acupoints or comparing one single point with another single point, using different stimulation methods in the same persons. The aim of this needle-controlled, randomized crossover study was to investigate the neurovegetative parameters heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV...

Acupuncture and related techniques are increasingly practised in anaesthesia. This paper reviews the current evidence and applicability of acupuncture and related techniques for anaesthetic procedures and postoperative nausea and vomiting. Recent evidence suggests that manual acupuncture is effective for reducing preoperative anxiety and for postoperative pain relief. Current available data do ...

Acupuncture has been indispensable in Chinese medicine. However, its function still remains elusive. This paper studies the effect of acupuncture in ischemia stroke treatment using the Sprague Dawley rat animal model. We induced focal cerebral ischemia in rats using the middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) procedure. For each rat in the real acupuncture group (n = 63), the sham acupoint trea...

The modern pentathlon (MP), sports discipline including fencing, swimming, steeplechase and a cross-country run, requires a rapid change of central nervous and peripheral neuromuscular activity from one sport to another in order to achieve the best possible results. We describe the case where a top MP athlete was supported by a program of acupoint stimulation, which was directed to relieve the ...