Abstract
Objective:
The objective was to investigate the effect of three different modes of stimulation on: (1) the electrical conductance of a known acupuncture point (AP) and a point with no known acupuncture function(NP); and (2) the corresponding characteristicvs of
Design:
The design was prospective.
Settings and Locations:
Healthy subjects were recruited for the study at the University of California, San Diego Medical Center.
Subjects and Study Interventions:
Fifteen subjects were enrolled. Two locations of the subjects’ nondominant hand were marked: (1) AP (Li4); and (2) NP, a control location with no known acupuncture function. The following different stimulation paradigms were applied to the testing sites in a randomized fashion: (1) transcutaneous electrical stimulation via an ECG electrode; (2) manual stimulation via an acupuncture needle; and (3) electrical stimulation via an acupuncture needle. All electrical stimulation was provided at 12 V and 5 Hz for 30 seconds.
Outcome Measures:
The conductance before and after each stimulation were measured. The subjects were asked to choose four most predominant descriptors of the
Results:
The conductance values at the AP site are generally a bit higher than conductance values at the NP site for each given stimulation type. The
Conclusions:
The
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