Change of blood perfusion in Hegu acupoint after contralateral Hegu acupoint was stimulated.

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this study was to investigate the change of mean blood flux in Hegu acupoint after contralateral Hegu acupoint was stimulated.

METHODS

Healthy volunteers (N=140) were placed in a temperature-controlled room as a resting state for 60 minutes. Then the measurements of skin blood flow were carried out in pre- and postacupuncture stimulation every 30 minutes over a total of 180 minutes using a Moor full-field laser perfusion imager. The change ratio of mean blood flux in Hegu acupoint was used to evaluate the contralateral stimulation effect in different groups.

RESULTS

After acupuncture of the right Hegu acupoint (AR), the change ratio of mean blood flux in the left Hegu acupoint was increased significantly compared with the control group 60 minutes after acupuncture stimulation (p<0.01). Then the blood flow in the AR group was sustained at a higher level compared with that of the control group (p<0.05). However, the change ratio of mean blood flux in the right Hegu acupoint increased significantly in the 30 minutes after contralateral acupuncture stimulation (p<0.01). From that point on, the change ratio was sustained at a higher level in the AR group than in the control group until 150 minutes after stimulation (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

On stimulation of either the left or right side of Hegu acupoint, the change ratio of mean blood flux was increased in the contralateral Hegu acupoint in a period from 30, 60, to 150 minutes after stimulation, respectively.