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Microcirculatory characteristics of acupuncture points obtained by laser Doppler flowmetry

Hsin Hsiu1, Shih-Min Huang1, Pin-Tsun Chao2, Ming-Yie Jan2, Tse-Lin Hsu2, Wei-Kung Wang2 and Yuh-Ying Lin Wang2,3

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Acupuncture points (acupoints) form part of the meridian system that constitutes the most fundamental concept in oriental medicine, but their physiological basis has not been clarified. In this study we employed laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) to extract the microcirculatory characteristics of acupoints and their surrounding tissues, and we interpreted the results from the viewpoint of microcirculatory physiology. Three groups of measurements were performed focusing on the following two important acupoints in oriental medicine in healthy volunteers (n = 13 for group A and n = 9 for groups B and C, respectively): Hoh-Ku (Li4, on the hand) and Ching-Ku (B64, on the foot). The two groups of measurements around Hoh-Ku (Groups A and B) were so designed as to examine the effect of the direction of the nonacupoint away from the acupoint, whereas comparison between the Hoh-Ku and the Ching-Ku measurements was to verify whether the phenomenon was consistent in the upper and the lower extremities. We found that the mean LDF signals were significantly larger at the acupoints than in their surrounding tissues (all p < 0.05), which indicates a larger blood supply into the microvascular beds of acupoints. The results indicate that the physical properties of the vascular structure of acupoints may affect the perfusion resistance, and thereby modulate the microcirculatory perfusion in accordance with tissue needs. This finding facilitates the localization of acupoints, helps in identifying the connection between microcirculatory physiology and responses to acupoint stimulation, and introduces an objective research method for understanding the mechanisms that underlie oriental medicine.


PACS

42.62.Be Biological and medical applications

47.63.Jd Microcirculation and flow through tissues

87.80.-y Biophysical techniques (research methods)

87.19.U- Hemodynamics

Subjects

Fluid dynamics

Instrumentation and measurement

Optics, quantum optics and lasers

Medical physics

Biological physics

Dates

Issue 10 (October 2007)

Received 4 May 2007, accepted for publication 2 August 2007

Published 18 September 2007



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