Abstract
Background:
Acupuncture may achieve results partially through altering vagal tone. Heart rate variability (HRV) monitoring is a noninvasive method of observing sympathovagal tone.
Objectives:
To explore HRV analysis methods applicable to the acupuncture clinic setting, and to compare intratreatment HRV response in patients who have responded to their acupuncture series with patients who did not respond.
Design, Setting, and Patients:
Retrospective, uncontrolled observational study of 22 patients presenting to a private acupuncture clinic.
Intervention:
All patients received body acupuncture prescribed by the tenets of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), according to their presenting pattern and diagnosis. Data were analyzed after their treatment course was completed.
Main Outcome Measure:
Patients' assessment of progress and functionality, as a function of their LFR/HFR (low frequency to high frequency ratio) HRV intratreatment trend.
Results:
Patients who responded to their acupuncture series tended to exhibit a decrease in LFR/HFR during the acupuncture treatment. Non-responders tended to show no change or an increase in their LFR/HFR.
Conclusions:
In this study, the correlation between vagal enhancement (decrease in LFR/HFR) during acupuncture treatment and positive response to acupuncture was supported.
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