An Investigation of the Existence of Electrically Located Acupuncture Points

McCarroll, G. Duncan; Rowley, Blair A.

doi:10.1109/tbme.1979.326392

Cited by 40 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Sixteen articles representing 18 studies were maintained in the review and evaluated in detail. Nine studies evaluated the acupuncture point [Reichmanis et al, 1975[Reichmanis et al, , 1976Hyvarinen and Karlsson, 1977;McCarroll and Rowley, 1979;Poon et al, 1980;Falk et al, 2000;Pearson et al, 2007], while the other nine evaluated the acupuncture meridian [Reichmanis et al, 1977a[Reichmanis et al, ,b, 1979Hu et al, 1992;Zhang et al, 1999;Martinsen et al, 2001;Johng et al, 2002;Lee et al, 2003;Ahn et al, 2005].…”

Section: Selection Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Electrical skin measurements appear to vary significantly across body sites. Impedance graphs revealed that the mean impedance of PC6 at 1 kHz was approximately 500 kO while that of PC5 (a few cm away) was approximately 1300 kO [McCarroll and Rowley, 1979]. The median impedances at acupoint TW1 differed from the non-acupoint control (several inches away) by 5611 kO for the DC measurements (acupoint-12493 kO, control 6993 kO) and 483 kO for the AC measurements (acupoint-3496 kO, control 3979 kO) [Pearson et al, 2007].…”

Section: Acupuncture Points: Interpretationmentioning

confidence: 93%

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Electrical properties of acupuncture points and meridians: A systematic review

Ahn

Colbert

Anderson

et al. 2008

Bioelectromagnetics

210

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According to conventional wisdom within the acupuncture community, acupuncture points and meridians are special conduits for electrical signals. This view gained popularity after anecdotal reports and clinical studies asserted that these anatomical structures are characterized by lower electrical impedance compared to adjacent controls. To ascertain whether evidence exists to support or refute this claim, we conducted a systematic review of studies directly evaluating the electrical characteristics of acupuncture structures and appropriate controls. We searched seven electronic databases until August 2007, hand-searched references, and consulted technical experts. We limited the review to primary data human studies published in English. A quality scoring system was created and employed for this review. A total of 16 articles representing 18 studies met inclusion criteria: 9 examining acupuncture points and 9 examining meridians. Five out of 9 point studies showed positive association between acupuncture points and lower electrical resistance and impedance, while 7 out of 9 meridian studies showed positive association between acupuncture meridians and lower electrical impedance and higher capacitance. The studies were generally poor in quality and limited by small sample size and multiple confounders. Based on this review, the evidence does not conclusively support the claim that acupuncture points or meridians are electrically distinguishable. However, the preliminary findings are suggestive and offer future directions for research based on in-depth interpretation of the data.

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Section: Selection Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Acupuncture Points: Interpretationmentioning

confidence: 93%

Electrical properties of acupuncture points and meridians: A systematic review

Ahn

Colbert

Anderson

et al. 2008

Bioelectromagnetics

210

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Most devices used for electrical skin impedance have two electrodes, one of which is pressed manually against the skin by the examiner. [10][11][12] Variation in pressure and angle could signifi cantly infl uence the results. There is a need for further development of devices to measure electrical skin impedance.…”

Section: -7mentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterisation of Human Skin Impedance at Acupuncture Point Pc4 Ximen and pericardium meridian using the four-electrode method

2012

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Introduction Traditional Chinese medicine offers several theories to explain the mechanism of acupuncture. One of these theories proposes that acupuncture points and meridians have unique electrical properties and their electrical skin impedance is lower than surrounding areas. The aim of this study was to evaluate the differences in electrical skin impedance between PC4 and the pericardium meridian compared with the surrounding areas. Methods Eighteen healthy subjects (10 women) were recruited to participate in the study. An impedance meter based on the four-electrode technique was designed specifi cally for the study. Twenty-fi ve points were marked on the skin: one on the point PC4, four others on the pericardium meridian and 20 points around it. The electrical impedance of each point was measured with the four-electrode device. Results The mean electrical skin impedance at PC4 was signifi cantly different from the 20 of the surrounding points but not signifi cantly different from the four adjacent points. The mean skin impedance of the fi ve points over the pericardium meridian was signifi cantly different from that of parallel rows of points using repeated measures analysis of variance (p<0.001) Conclusion Within the possible limits of this measurement technique, skin impedance along the pericardium meridian is lower than surrounding areas, supporting the idea of different properties of the pericardium meridian compared with the control areas. Evidence on skin impedance at PC4 is inconclusive and further studies are needed. INTRODUCTIONAn important concept in traditional Chinese medicine is Qi which is believed to fl ow through channels called meridians. Acupuncture points are located along these meridians. Stimulating these points is believed to affect the quality and quantity of Qi fl ow and thus affect body systems. Although acupuncture points and meridians are basic issues of Chinese medicine, there is not yet a complete explanation for this system.Characterisation of human skin impedance at acupuncture point PC4 Ximen and pericardium meridian using the four-electrode method Traditional Chinese medicine offers several theories to explain the mechanism of acupuncture. One of these theories proposes that acupuncture points and meridians have unique electrical properties and their electrical skin impedance is lower than surrounding areas.1-4 Many devices have been developed to locate the right acupuncture points and to diagnose the diseases based upon this theory.This phenomenon was reported independently by different scientists in the 1950s. 5-7Although many investigators have tried to fi nd the relationship between acupuncture and electrical properties of the skin, a review article by Ahn et al in 2008 showed that, among 320 articles referring to electrical resistant and acupuncture points, only 18 met the criteria for further evaluation. These authors concluded that there is not enough evidence to prove conclusively that acupuncture points or meridians are electrically distinguishable and more r...

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“…Reports looking at whether APs have different electrical properties from non-APs are limited in number and conflicting [4,12–16]. Nonetheless, a recent systematic review published by Ahn et al found evidence to support the contention that meridians and APs are electrically distinguishable from surrounding tissue [17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Multichannel System for Continuous Measurements of Skin Resistance and Capacitance at Acupuncture Points

Colbert

Larsen

Chamberlin

et al. 2009

Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies

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Electrodermal screening (EDS) is based on three commonly held assumptions: acupuncture points (APs) have lower electrical resistance than non-APs; resistance at APs varies with health and disease; and effective acupuncture treatments are associated with normalization of resistance at APs. Although evidence confirming these assumptions is limited, EDS is frequently practiced worldwide. Researchers are also beginning to assess EDS' utility as an outcome measure in acupuncture trials. Fundamental in developing EDS as a research tool is the need for an accurate and reliable measurement. We developed an automated multichannel prototype system, the Octopus, and recorded electrical resistance and capacitance at eight skin sites in 33 healthy participants over 2 hours. The Octopus accurately measured against known resistors (within 2.5% of the mean value) and capacitors (within 10% of the mean value), and yielded repeatable readings at all eight skin sites: LR 1 (r = 0.79), SP 1 (r = 0.79), toe non-AP (r = 0.77), LU 9 (r = 0.97), PC 6 (r = 0.96), wrist non-APs (r = 0.97), SP 6 (r = 0.96), and leg non-APs (r = 0.97). Resistance at APs was significantly lower than the nearby non-APs in one out of three comparisons.

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An Investigation of the Existence of Electrically Located Acupuncture Points

Cited by 40 publications

References 3 publications

Electrical properties of acupuncture points and meridians: A systematic review

Electrical properties of acupuncture points and meridians: A systematic review

Characterisation of Human Skin Impedance at Acupuncture Point Pc4 Ximen and pericardium meridian using the four-electrode method

A Multichannel System for Continuous Measurements of Skin Resistance and Capacitance at Acupuncture Points

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