Abstract
Numerous observations in the literature demonstrate the existence of interactions between pain mechanisms and sympathetic activity, changes in superficial skin temperature reflect the superficial cutaneous perfusion which is directly a function of sympathetic activity.
Based on these observations, our laboratory is currently observing the effects of acupuncture via thermography.
In this study recordings of skin temperature of face, hands and feet were performed in 19 normal subjects for one hour period under five conditions: resting condition, manual and electrical acupuncture of the left hand HoKu point, and manual and electrical acupuncture of the left knee Tsu-sanli point.
Compared to the temperature changes during the resting conditions, manual and electrical acupuncture of the HoKu and Tsu-sanli points induced a generalized warming effect which was immediate after acupuncture onset in the face area and ten to fifteen minutes delayed in the hands and feet areas. This temperature increase was significantly greater under manual acupuncture than under electrical acupuncture. An initial and transient segmentary cooling effect was observed only under electro-acupuncture.
Hypothetical correlations between the sympathetic effects of acupuncture found in this study and acupuncture analgesia are discussed.
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