ognizant Communication Corporation

Acupuncture & Electro-Therapeutics Res., Int. J., Vol. 24, pp. 1-10, 1999
0360-1293/99 $20.00 + .00
Copyright © 1999 Cognizant Comm. Corp.
Printed in the USA. All rights reserved.

National Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Institute of Acupuncture Research, Shanghai Medical University, Shanghai 200032, P.R. China

The present study was designed to investigate whether the Electroacupuncture (EA) is beneficial to extenuate cerebral injuries following transient Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion (MCAO), as well as to observe the effect of EA on expression of Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor (bFGF)-like Immunoreactivity (IR) in rat brains. The results indicate that gross neuronal damages include infarction, swelling and neuron loss, accompanied by increased bFGF-like TR expression following MCAO. In peri-infarct striatum, bFGF-like TR was mainly located in astrocytes except some neurons also showed an upregulation of the TR; in frontoparietal cortex, strong induction of bFGF-like TR was mostly seen in neurons. Both the EA applied during ischemia and reperfusion could evidently alleviate cerebral lesion extent, notably upregulate the expression of bFGF-like TR in striatum and cortex, but there was no significant difference between the effects of EA applied during ischemia and reperfusion, except EA applied during reperfusion seems to be more effective in reducing the cerebral swelling. The results implied that, in striatum, astrocytes might play an important role in the protection of neuron via the expression of bFGF; whereas in cortex, neurons may exert autoprotection through secreting bFGF themselves. One possible protective effect of EA lies in regulating the endogenous expression of bFGF.

Key Words: Focal cerebral ischemia; Electroacupuncture; Neuronal injury; Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF); Protective effect

BION, Institute for Bioelectromagnetics and New Biology, Celovška 264, 1 000 LJUBLJANA, Slovenia

Although more than 200 years have elapsed since the beginning of homeopathy and in spite of numerous confirmatory scientific experiments, the so-called memory of water is still a highly disputable and controversial theme in scientific circles. To make a contribution to solving this riddle, our research group tried to examine memory properties of water by the method of differential corona Kirlian electrophotography of water-drop pairs. The method is based on a modified form of Kirlian photography with a subsequent thorough computer picture analysis. The potassium iodide (KI) mother solution (0.1M) was diluted in the standard way (without potentisation) or with potentisation (succussion by hand - by striking the vial 60 times against a large book as used traditionally) to 10^-3M, 10^-6M, 10^-10M, 10^-16M, 10^-17M, and 10^-24M KI Solutions. In electrophotography method a drop of KI solution was compared with a drop of control water. To get a dependable system of results we compared homeopathic dilutions with ordinary distilled water, sham-potentised distilled water and non-potentised (standard) solutions. The results were analyzed by the Chi-square Goodness-of-fit test and the Sign test. They showed repeatable and statistically significant effects of concentration of KI dilutions as well as potentisation on the corona discharge process (from p < 0.05 to p < 0.001). This indicates that there is some physical basis of molecular (ionic) information imprinted into water.

Key Words: Corona discharge; Kirlian electrophotography; Potassium iodide; Ultra-high dilution; Homeopathy

¹Clinical Research Department, Oriental Medicine Research Center, the Kitasato Institute, Tokyo
²Acupuncture Department, Clinical Division, Oriental Medicine Research Center, the Kitasato Institute, Tokyo
³Former Director of Clinical Research Department, Oriental Medicine Research Center, the Kilasato Institute, Tokyo; Department of Bioregulatory Function, Graduate School of Medicine, the University of Tokyo

The effects of acupuncture on the disorders elicited by abnormalities of endocrine system were investigated in ovariectomized mice. Female mice (strain; C57BL/6) were ovariectomized (OVX) and acupuncture points, Shenshu BL23) on both sides of the back were continuously stimulated by subcutaneous needles for 20 days. After completion of experimental sessions, animals were sacrificed and specific brain regions were assayed for catecholamine contents by high performance liquid chromatography with electro chemical detector (ECD-HPLC). The mitogenic activities of splenic lymphocytes were measured by using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTS) assay and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) assay. Furthermore, the effects of needle stimulation on learning and memory ability were studied by the step-through type passive avoidance test. Norepinephrine and dopamine contents in the frontoparietal cerebral cortex, ventral hippocampus and olfactory bulb were decreased in the OVX group, and both MTS activity and ALP activity were decreased 20 days after ovariectomy. The mean latent period was also shortened in the passive avoidance test in the OVX group. However, applying needle stimulation increased norepinephrine and dopamine contents in the brain regions, and enhanced mitogenic activities of splenic lymphocytes. The stimulation also improved memory-related behavior. It was concluded from this study that after mice were stimulated by subcutaneous needle insertion, overall changes were observed in central nervous system (including retention of memory) and immune functions. The study suggests that acupuncture improves the memory loss and decrease of immune responses accompanying aging and/or menopause, and that it may have an important role in medical care for the elderly.

Key Words: Acupuncture; Aging: Brain; Catecholamines; Immune system; Memory; Menopause; Mitogenic activity; Ovariectomy; Passive avoidance task

*Correspondence: 5-9-1 Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 108-8642, Japan

State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Shanghai Medical University, Shanghai 200032, People's Republic of China

Previous studies have shown that dopamine (DA) is involved in electroacupuncture analgesia (EAA). L-tetrahydropalmatine (l-THP), a DA receptor antagonist was proved to potentiate EAA in both laboratory research and clinical practice. In the present study SK&F-38393 and quinpirole (Qui), selective agonists of D₁ or D₂ receptors respectively were injected into nucleus (N.) accumbens of rats to investigate the roles of D₁ and D₂ receptors in the potentiation of EAA induced by l-THP. The injection of D₁ agonist SK&F-38393 (5mg or 10mg) attenuated the entiation of EAA induced by l-THP, 10 mg SK&F-38393 attenuated EAA as pot well, while the injection of D₂ agonist Qui (10mg or 20 mg) had no effect on EAA and the potentiation of EAA induced by l-THP. DA release was shown to increase in EAA in previous work, however, whether the synthesis of DA was influenced is still unknown. In the present study, dot blot technique was applied to observe the effect of noxious stimulation or electroacupunctuire on the level of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) mRNA in rat brain. Noxious electric stimulation was found to elevate the TH mRNA level in substantia nigra (SN) and hypothalamus, while electro-acupunture attenuated the effect of noxious stimulation on TH mRNA. The results indicate that D₁ but not D₂ receptor in N. accumbens plays an important role in EAA. EA might regulate the biosynthesis of DA by altering the TH gene transcription.

Key Words: Electroacupuncture; Analgesia; Nucleus accumbens; Dopamine receptors; L-tetrahydropalmatine; Tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA; Dot blot

¹Private Medical Practice "LAV", Vlade Za?evi?a 14, 11000 Belgrade, Yugoslavia
²Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Bulevar Revolucije 73, PO Box 35-54,11120 Belgrade, Yugoslavia; E-mail: rakovic@buef31.etf.bg.ac.yu

Microwave Resonance Therapy (MRT) is a novel medical treatment, which represents a synthesis of the ancient Chinese traditional knowledge in medicine (acupuncture) and recent breakthroughs in biophysics. By affecting the appropriate acupuncture points by the generation of high frequency microwaves (52-78 GHz), remarkable clinical results are being achieved in surgery, orthopedic and traumatology, cardiovascular disorders, urology, gynecology, dermatology, gastroenterology, pulmology, upper respiratory tract, cardiology, neurology, and oncology during the last decade - the MRT being contraindicated only in the cases of acute pain in the abdomen demanding an operation, pregnancy, and menstruation cycle In this paper the quantum-like macroscopic biophysical basis of the MRT and its technical details are elaborated too, offering a new insight in the mechanisms of the assembling gap junction hemichannels upon the internal microwave (MW) electromagnetic field spatio-temporal maximums at the temporary position of the acupuncture system, and, hence, the very biophysical nature of the temporary psychosomatic health or disease. The quantum-like coherent characteristics of the MRT (sharply-resonant sensory response of the disordered organism, extremely low-intensity and low-energy non-thermal biologically efficient MW radiation, and negligible MW energy losses down acupuncture meridians) might be viewed as a consequence of the existence of biological nonlocal selfconsistent macro-scopic quantum potentials, which can give rise to nonlinear coherent EM MW long-range maser-like excitations of biological nonlinear absorption medium with the cells as active centers - with acupuncture meridians related to eigenfrequencies and spatio-temporal eigenwaves distributions of every individual biological quantum system. This suggests that a healthy condition might be considered as an absolute minimum (ground state) of the nonlocal selfconsistent macroscopic quantum potential of the organism. Some disorders of an acupuncture system correspond to higher minimums of the (spatio-temporally changeable) potential hypersurface in energy-configuration space, which possibly explains the higher sensory responses of the more excited (more disordered) acupuncture system and the poor MRT sensory response of the healthy acupuncture system being already in the ground state. Such a picture also supports the EM/ionic "optical" ultra-low frequency modulated MW quantum holographic neural network-like function of the acupuncture system (similar to complex-valued oscillatory holographic Hopfield-like neural networks), and its essential relation to consciousness, as strongly suggested from biophysical modeling of altered states of consciousness. Finally, the ionic aspects of the acupuncture system are considered, too, as well as the relation of ultradian (~ 2-hour) nasal rhythm recognized in Indian swara yoga and eircadian (~ 24-hour) acupuncture rhythm recognized in Chinese traditional medicine, and their significance for maintaining the ionic balance within acupuncture system, as related to overall health.

Key Words: Acupuncture; Microwave Resonance Therapy (MRT); Biophysical basis; Technical details; Indications and contraindications; Clinical effects

¹Clinical Research Department, Oriental Medicine Research Center, the Kitasato Institute Tokyo
²Director of Acupuncture Department, Oriental Medicine Research Center, the Kitasato Institute Tokyo
³Clinical Division, Oriental Medicine Research Center, the Kitasato Institute Tokyo
⁴Former Director of Clinical Research Department, Oriental Medicine Research Center, the Kitasato Institute Tokyo ; Director of Department of Bioregulatory Function, Graduate School of Medicine, the University of Tokyo

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of acupuncture on peripheral lymphocyte subpopulations and cerebral catecholamines. In order to examine the effects of acupuncture, two experiments were performed. Experiment 1: Eighteen female mice (strain; C57BL/6) at the age of 7 weeks were divided three groups, (a) sham operated (control; n=6), (b) ovariectomized (OVX; n=6), and (c) ovariectomized and stimulated by subcutaneous needles on acupuncture point, Shenshu (BL23) at the both sides of the back for 20 days (OVX+Acu; n=6). These animals were sacrificed at 20 days after needle insertion, and the splenic lymphoid cells were examined by two-color flow cytometry, using monoclonal antibodies (mAb) to the cell surface antigens, CD3, CD4, CD8a and NK1.1 (CD56). In the ovariectomized (OVX) group, the peripheral CD4/CD8 ratio was significantly increased and the ratio of natural killer (NK) cells (CD3- NK1.1+;CD3 negative, NK1.1 positive) to Tlymphocyles was decreased compared to the sham control group. In the ovariectomized with needle insertion (OVX+Acu) group, the CD4/CD8 ratio was reduced, but the NK cells ratio was not changed compared to the OVX group. Experiment 2: To investigate the acute effects of subcutaneous needle insertion, male C57BL/6 mice (7 weeks old) were used (n=6, each group). The acupuncture points Shen-shu (BL23) on the backs of the male mice were also stimulated by subcutaneous needles for 3 and 7 days. As a result, the CD4/CD8 ratio was significantly decreased at day 3 and day 7, compared to the control group. On the other hand the NK cells ratio and activated T-cells were increased at day 7. The mitogenic activities in the splenic lymphocytes were also increased by acupuncture stimulation at day 3. Catecholamine contents in the hippocampus were measured by high performance liquid chromatography with the electrochemical detector (ECD-HPLC) method. No significant change was observed in either dopamine contents or norepinephrine; however, dopamine metabolite, homovanilicacid (HVA) and DOPAC(3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid) were increased at day 3. The study suggests that acupuncture has effects on peripheral lymphocyte subpopulations and may modulate mitogenic activity. In addition, acupuncture may stimulate dopamine turnover.

Key Words: Acupuncture; CD4/CD8; NK cell; Activated T cell; Flow cytometry; Mitogenic activity

*Correspondence: 5-9-1 Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 108-8642, Japan]

National Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Department of Neurobiology, Institute of Acupuncture Research, Shanghai Medical University, Shanghai 200032, P.R.China

To measure the levels of hippocampal nitric oxide synthase isoforms in penicillin induced epilepsy and to test the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on changes of these levels during epilepsy, we injected penicillin into rat hippocampus to make an epilepsy model and performed electroacupuncture treatment on "Feng Fu" (DU of 16) and "Jin Suo" (DU 8) points in Wistar rats. Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) mRNA levels of rat hippocampus were determined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) mRNA markedly increased (p<0.01) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA significantly emerged during epilepsy, whereas no significant change in epithelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) mRNA was observed. EA inhibited the epilepsy and decreased nNOS (p<0.01) and iNOS (p<0.01) correspondingly but had no effect on the amount of eNOS mRNA. The data suggest that penicillin-induced epilepsy caused an increase in nNOS and iNOS, and the EA anticonvulsant effect might be related to the decrease of these nitric oxide syntheses.

Key Words: Nitric oxide synthase (NOS); Epilepsy; Electroacupuncture (EA); Hippocampus; RT-PCR

Observatory on Complementary Medicine, Institute of Anesthesiology, University of Padova, - A.I.R.A.S. - Padova

Stimulation of the auricle is considered to be an effective analgesic technique. The aim of the present study is to establish whether there is a correspondence between somatic inflammation and the appearance of lower resistance points, and moreover, whether the stimulation of such points has an analgesic effect. The study has been conducted on 57 male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing between 120-140 g; 7 of them have been used to determine whether inflammation in the paw leads to the formation of lower resistance points on the auricle. The 50 remaining animals have been divided into 5 groups: Group 1 [12 animals], control were subjected to all manipulations with the exception of the auricle stimulation; Group 2 [12] was stimulated with manual acupuncture in the area corresponding to that observed in the above-mentioned first group of 7 animals; Group 3 [12] was stimulated with 5Hz and 5 mA; electroacupuncture (EAP) Group 4 [8] and group 5 [6] were treated with acupuncture and with EAP respectively on points believed to be inactive in areas diametrically opposite to the ones observed in the first group. After acupuncture, 100 mg capsaicin in 50mL of physiological solution were injected subcutis in the dorsal surface of the paw. Edema response was monitored for two hours, with measurement taken every 5 minutes.
The results show a reduction in the edema response, only in the group treated with EAP on the appropriate points compared to the control group; no variation was observed in the sham groups.
To conclude, the hypothesis of a somatotopic division would seem to be probable, and it would seem that the stimulation of the appropriate areas and the use of an appropriate intensity constitute the two main variables influencing the result.

Key Words: Acupuncture; Analgesia; Animal; Auricle; Blind study; Controlled study; Ear acupuncture; Electroacupuncture; Neurogenic inflammation

¹Dept. of Meridians, Institute of Acupuncture & Moxibustion China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100700, P.R. CHINA
²Beijing Meridian Research Center, 100002, P.R. CHINA

The impedance on the pericardium merdian near Quze (P3) and control points in 12 cases was measured by a four electrodes impedance instrument. The amplitude of impedance was recorded before, during and after needling the Neiguan. The result showed that the mean impedance on the meridian and control points before the needling were 52.8 ± 11.0 (W) and 61.7 ± 10.3 (W) respectively which had significant difference (P<0.05). During the needling, impedance decreased significantly on the meridian by 9.2 ± 5.6 (W) (P<0.001) while impedance decreased by only 0.12 ± 2.4 (W) on control points without significance (P>0.05). The impedance changed back to 51.1 ± 11.3 (W) and 59.9 ± 11.0 (W) on the meridian and control points respectively during the 5-10 minutes after withdrawing the needling. In some cases, impedance changed intermittently during the needling. The experiment implies that interstitial fluid increases during the needling by axon reflection and blood capillary expanding which may be one of the mechanisms of acupuncture regulation.

Key Words: Electrical impedance; Meridian; Acupuncture

¹Prof. of Oral Medicine, University of Pennsylvania; Director of Dental Residency Program and Research, Lehigh Valley Hospital, PA
²Associate Prof. of Clinical Anesthesiology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Director of Acupuncture Clinie, Montifiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY

Both acupuncture and hypnosis have their distinct applications in the health profession, but combining acupuncture therapy with hypnosis has rarely been done for the purpose of therapeutic treatment, perhaps because few clinicians have proper training in both disciplines. For needle phobic patients, acupuncture treatment can be a dreadful experience, as multiple needles are usually used. It is stressful for both clinicians and patients when the patients are put in an extremely apprehensive state. Our research for combining both acupuncture and hypnosis has revealed that synergy does exist in both, and that hypnosis does augment the effect of acupuncture, resulting in better treatment outcomes. Since many acupuncture patients who are needle phobic do not return for further treatment even though acupuncture has rendered good therapeutic results for them, stress reduction with hypnosis is, therefore, a welcome complimentary adjunct that would enable them to return for further needed acupuncture treatment if and when the factor of fear of the needle is removed.

Key Words: Needle-phobic; Acupuncture; Hypnosis; Trance; Eye-roll test; Corah scores; Trigeminal Neuralgia; Migraine; TMJ; TMD; Tension headache