Meridian Studies in China: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Meridian theory is a major part of Chinese medicine and has guided acupuncture and clinical practice for thousands of years. Meridian theory describes many important concepts about the rules of human body function and regulation, but has comparatively huge differences with the basic concepts of modern medicine. These differences have caused deep concern and attracted attention from scholars, both inside and outside of China. The interest in meridian theory lies in determining the structural nature of meridians. Not only is this information still unclear, it is very difficult to achieve clear results in a short period of time. Despite this, the phenomena of meridians can be used as the entry point for meridian studies. After many years of effort, although the physical structure of meridians has not been found, the existence of the meridian phenomena has been fully confirmed. Although there is a lack of morphological evidence for the existence of the meridian, concluding non-existence may be incorrect as morphology techniques develop and structures previously not determined are being found. Since the phenomenon of meridians exists, some biological basis behind its occurrence must be present. This implies that research on meridians needs to continue as research techniques advance and may eventually reveal the biological basis of the meridian phenomenon. In the present review, we analyze the history of meridian studies in China.

Analysis on Postmortem Tissues at Acupuncture Points in the Image Datasets of Visible Human Project

“…[17][18][19][20][21][22] In this study, the positioning of acupuncture points in 3D and the visualization of red blood cell networks under the skin have been achieved with the VHP dataset. Further research on the relationships between the network of acupuncture points and meridian and other circulatory systems, such as the blood vessel network and the nervous system, can be done by introducing more systematic processes over the whole body.…”

Effectiveness of Chinese Hand Massage on Anxiety Among Patients Awaiting Coronary Angiography

“…24Y27 It is also a prevailing care approach for anxiety. 28,29 Several studies have reported the effect of Chinese hand massage on alleviating anxiety among pregnant women or hypertension patients. 30Y33 However, the effect of Chinese hand massage care for the patients awaiting percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) operation has not been tested.…”

The Effects of Electrical Acupuncture and Essential Amino Acid Supplementation on Sarcopenic Obesity in Male Older Adults: A Randomized Control Study

“…The participants in the EA + AA group had been treated with electrical acupuncture using the LI14 and LI11 pair, and the ST31 and ST34 pair on both sides of the body. The four acupuncture points belong to the Yang meridian, and they were chosen because the Yang meridian is associated with activation in traditional Chinese medicine theory [22]. The acupuncture points were punctured 5 mm subcutaneously, using sterile disposable acupuncture needles (CE-0197; Suzhou Hualun Medical Appliance Co., Ltd., Suzhou, China), and were stimulated with an electric stimulator (KWD-808I; Changzhou YinDi Electronic Medical Device Co., Ltd., Changzhou, China) for 20 min with a frequency of 5 Hz, wave duration of 1 ms, and strength of 1.5 mA, once every 3 days for 12 weeks.…”