Maria Reichmanis

Electrical Correlates of Acupuncture Points

Employing a Wheatstone bridge, skin conductance was measured over those putative acupuncture points on the large intestine and pericardium meridians lying between the metacarpophalangeal joints and the elbow. Results were compared to those from anatomically similar locations devoid of acupuncture points. At most acupuncture points on most subjects, there were greater electrical conductance maxima than at control sites.

D.C. skin conductance variation at acupuncture loci.

Skin conductance was measured in 10 subjects with a DC Wheatstone bridge in 10 areas purportedly containing acupuncture loci on the Triple Burner (TB) and Lung (Lu) meridians. When the results were compared to those from anatomically similar locations devoid of acupuncture loci, local conductance variation was found to be significantly different (p less than 0.05) in most acupuncture locus locations.

Laplace Plane Analysis of Transient Impedance Between Acupuncture Points Li-4 and Li-12

AC impedance between two acupuncture points (Li-4 and Li-12) and two pairs of anatomically similar points with the same separation was studied via Laplace plane analysis of the time domain current response to a predetermined voltage perturbation. The series resistance between the two acupuncture points was found to be significantly lower than between either pair of control points. The characteristic impedance of an equivalent transmission line was lower and the signal propagation velocity higher for the acupuncture point system as compared to both controls.

Laplace Plane Analysis of Impedance on the H Meridian

The AC impedance of a length of the H meridian not containing any acupuncture points was studied by means of Laplace plane analysis of the time domain response to an input voltage pulse. The ensuing frequency domain data were compared to the results of an identical analysis for two anatomically similar controls on either side of the meridian. The resistance of the meridian was significantly lower than either control.

Relief of experimentally-induced pain by stimulation at acupuncture loci: a review.

24 recent studies on acupuncture analgesia for the relief of experimentally-induced pairs are reviewed. Negative or equivocal results are reported in 7 of these. The remaining 17(71%) report significant analgesic effects during manual or electrical stimulation (particularly at very low frequencies on the order of 2 Hz) at acupuncture loci. Many investigators note that the full analgesic effect is attained only after about 20 minutes of stimulation. Furhter investigation of the analgesic effects of stimulation at acupuncture loci, particularly the effect of very low frequency electrical stimulation, is fully warranted by these preliminary findings.

Fracutre healing in rats exposed to extremely low-frequency electric fields.

Fibular osteotomies in rats were exposed to an extremely low frequency field for 14 days. By histologic evaluation it was found that the healing rate was retarded by the field. The effect (which was replicated) occurred at much lower power levels than are presently employed in electircal osteogenesis.

Laplace plane analysis of impedance between acupuncture points H-3 and H-4.

The frequency dependence of the skin impedance between two acupuncture points (H-3 and H-4) was determined by Laplace plane analysis of the time domain response to an input voltage perturbation. Both the resistance and capacitance between the acupuncture points differed significantly from the corresponding controls, thus supporting the interpretation of the acupuncture system as an information transfer network.

Physiological effects of stimulation at acupuncture loci: a review.

Recent studies reporting significant physiological effects associated with electrical and manual stimulation at several traditional Chinese acupuncture loci are reviewed. Other reports on the anatomy and electrical properties (DC resistance and potential, AC impedance) of these sites indicate that many are significant local skin resistance minima and may also be points of locally more positive DC potential. Further investigation of the basic properties of the acupuncture system and its mode of action is fully warranted by these preliminary findings.

Weak Electric Fields Affect Plant Development

High-strength electric currents and fields can alter plant physiology by the production of heat within the plant tissue and by the ionization of air molecules at the plant tips. It has been suggested that weak low-frequency electric and magnetic filelds may alter germination and early plant development [4], [5], but the question has not been resolved. Our aim was to determine the possible existence of weak electric-field effects on sunflower germination and to calculate the electric-field threshold inside the seed for any such effects. We found that an applied electric field of 5 kV/m, 60 Hz, produced an internal electric field of 7.5 ×10-4 V/m in a seed in moist soil and resulted in a statistically significant decrease of about 5 percent in germination rate. No effect was found for an applied field of 1 kV/m (1.5 ×10-4 V/m inside the seed). These results established for the first time that electric fields can affect plants by a nonthermal mechanism other than air ionization.