OBJECTIVE: To observe capillary blood flow at acupoints during acupuncture treatment of primary dysmenorrhea and gain new insights into its analgesic mechanism. METHODS: Patients with primary dysmenorrhea were enrolled and randomly assigned to a treatment or control group. Subjects' symptoms were differentiated into variousTraditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) syndromes and treated for 10 sessions with puncturing acupuncture or self-pressing right-hand Hegu(LI 4), adding other acupoints based on syndrome. Laser speckle was used to compare the change in the vasomotor amplitude and perfusion of the capillaries in Hegu(LI 4) before and during the treatment. Each subject was required to finish the period pain symptoms observation form, verbal rating scales, numerical rating scale, pain rating index, face rating scale, Zung self-rating depression scale, Zung self-rating anxiety scale, and numerical rating scale before and after treatments. RESULTS: After 10 sessions, the symptom scores, pain index(PI), and visual analog scale(VAS) decreased significantly in treatment group. The volume of blood flow in Hegu(LI 4) declined slightly. No significant evidence supported that needling caused capillary contraction, but the capillary vasomotor amplitude at Hegu(LI 4) increased remarkably. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture can increase the capillary blood flow, thus promoting the flow of Qi and blood in terms of TCM theory, which facilitates pain relief.
Tao HuangLijian YangShuyong JiaXiang MuMozheng WuHang YeWeizhe LiuXinnong Cheng
OBJECTIVE:To compare the effects on the body surface of different kinds of placebo/sham acupuncture with that of traditional needling sensation acupuncture.METHODS:Point Neiguan(PC 6) of 29 healthy subjects,19 males and 10 females,was stimulated with needling sensation,shallow,placebo and deep acupuncture at the non-acupoint.After stimulation with different methods of acupuncture,the change in perfusion of the micrangium in the skin surface around the elbow joint,with Point Quze(PC 3) as its center,was observed with laser Doppler blood-flow imaging.RESULTS:Judging from the absolute value of perfusion of the skin surface micrangium,several methods of acupuncture can cause change in blood flow.The ratio of blood-flow perfusion in the meridian area in and around Quze declined before and after needling insertion in needling sensation acupuncture and shallow acupuncture.This observation did not occur in placebo and non-acupoint acupuncture.Needling sensation acupuncture at an acupoint can relatively reduce the perfusion ofthe micrangium in the projective area of the meridian where the acupoint is located on the body surface(P<0.05),indicating the specificity of meridians.CONCLUSIONS:Stimulation of an acupoint or a point on the body surface with any type of acupuncture can cause change in blood flow in the skin near the needling point.However,the biological mechanism underlying this phenomenon needs to be further explored.
