Munenori Minagawa

Acupuncture to Danzhong but not to Zhongting increases the cardiac vagal component of heart rate variability

There is currently no convincing evidence that acupuncture has any specific effects on autonomic nervous function as assessed by heart rate variability (HRV). We examined whether the stimulation of neighboring acupunctural points, Danzhong (CV17) and Zhongting (CV16) on the anterior median line of the thorax, induced different effects on HRV. In 14 healthy males, epifascial acupunctural stimulation (single instantaneous needle stimulation on the fascial surface without producing De-Qi sensation) was performed at CV17 and CV16 on different days in a clinical study utilizing a cross-over design. We found that the stimulation of CV17, but not of CV16, decreased the heart rate (P=0.01, repeated measures ANOVA) and increased the power of the high-frequency component of the HRV, an index of cardiac vagal activity (P=0.01). The low-frequency to high-frequency ratio, an index of sympathetic activity showed no significant changes for either point. Our observations could not be explained as either nonspecific or psychological/placebo effects of needle stimulation. This study provides strong evidence for the presence of a specific acupunctural point that causes the modulation of cardiac autonomic function.

Effects of acupuncture stimulation on blood glucose concentration in the Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rat, an animal model for type-2 diabetes mellitus

Background Effects of acupuncture stimulation on blood glucose concentration and body weight were investigated in the Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rat, a model for type-2 diabetes. Material/Methods Three groups of rats were used: OLETF, acupuncture-treated OLETF (AcOLETF), and Long-Evans Tokushima Otsuka (LETO) rats (as control for the OLETF rats). In AcOLETF rats, acupuncture stimulation was applied twice a week to 6 points (zhongwan, tianshu, qihai, ganshu, pishu, shenshu) and changes in blood glucose concentration and body weight were measured. Results Initially, at 6 weeks old, there was no significant difference in blood glucose levels between groups. Blood glucose levels increased with age in each group, reaching a maximum of about 430 mg/dl at 37 weeks in OLETF rats. In AcOLETF rats, blood glucose levels increased at a slower rate than in OLETF rats, reaching a maximum concentration of about 280 mg/dl at 37 weeks of age, significantly lower than that in OLETF rats. The concentration of blood glucose in LETO rats had stabilized at a maximum value of 120~140 mg/dl by 16 weeks, remaining at this level for up to 39 weeks. In each group, body weight increased with age and was not affected by acupuncture treatment. Conclusions In OLETF rats, acupuncture treatment significantly reduced blood glucose levels, but not their body weight, suggesting that acupuncture therapy was effective in preventing the development of type-2 diabetes mellitus.

Site-specific organ-selective effect of epifascial acupuncture on cardiac and gastric autonomic functions

Needle stimulation at the specific sites of body surface modulates autonomic functions in various organs. To examine their site-specificity and organ-selectivity, the changes in electrogastrogram (EGG) and heart rate variability (HRV) with such stimulation at PC6 (forearm), BL20 (back), CV12 (abdomen), BL32 (sacral), and ST36 (lower leg) were analyzed in healthy men. Stimulation at CV12 increased vagal HRV component without affecting dominant EGG frequency. Conversely, stimulation at BL32 decreased dominant EGG frequency without affecting vagal HRV component. Stimulation at the other points affected neither of them. These support site-specific and organ-selective effect of body surface needle stimulation on autonomic functions.

Objectification of Diagnosis in Acupuncture and Moxibustion; Increased Fluctuation of Meridian Functions Measured by AMI after Acupuncture Treatment According to the Low of the Five Elements.

過去、腺診に関する研究として黒野らは、豚診と六祖脈との研究とAMI (経絡機能測定器) と豚診との対応の研究を行っている。今回は、AMIのBP値を指標として本治法による経絡機能の変動を客観的に検討した。コントロール (AMI10回連続測定) でのBP値の変動は、各経絡とも平均4%以内で推移し安定していた。本治法による経絡機能の変動を検討した結果、被験者6名の証の経絡のBP値の変動は本治法を行うことによって全例において増加した。今回の研究結果から、経絡機能の変動の客観化にAMIを使用することができる一証拠を提出できたものと思われる。今後、さらにAMIを使用し診断と鍼治療の関係を多面的に検討して行きたい。

Examination on the acupancture for indefinite complaints.Analysis of health check tables for 703 new patients.

今回 (社) 全日本鍼灸学会研究委員会不定愁訴班が作成した健康チェック表を使用し, 平成3年8月30日より平成6年8月26日までの約3年間に東洋医学研究所®に来院した新患703名の初診時の健康チェック表を基に調査分類し, 種々検討を行った。年令別分類では, 50代が175名と最も多く, 40代144名, 60代121名と50代を頂点とした山形パターンを示していた。性別分類では, 男性が285名, 女性が418名で, 男女比は約1:1.5で女性優位であった。新患703名のうち, 重症度判定基準により5点以下あるいは51点以上の除外が45名であった。残りの658名の重症度別分類では, 軽症293名 (41.7%), 中等症265名 (37.8%), 重症100名 (14.2%) であった。層別分類では, 自律神経失調性項目が26.1%, 神経症性項目が20.7%, うつ状態性項目が25.6%, その他の項目が27.6%と約4等分されていた。層別の各項目別分類では, それぞれ特異的な項目に訴えの頻度が高いことが認められた。以上の結果から, (社) 全日本鍼灸学会研究委員会不定愁訴班で作成した健康チェック表を使用することによって, 来院患者の鍼灸診療の診断及び治療計画をより正確に立てることの可能性が示唆された。