Matos Luís Carlos, Lopes Lara Teixeira, Freire Virginie Abreu, Machado Jorge Pereira, Monteiro Fernando Jorge, Greten Henry Johannes
Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, s/n 4200-465, Porto, Portugal; CTEC - Centro Transdisciplinar de Estudos da Consciência da Universidade Fernando Pessoa, Praça 9 de Abril, 349, 4249-004, Porto, Portugal; Centro de Biociências em Saúde Integrativa (CBSIn), Atlântico Business School, Avenida Sanatórios, Edifício Heliantia, 4405-604 Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal.
ICBAS - Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar, University of Porto, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal; Centro de Biociências em Saúde Integrativa (CBSIn), Atlântico Business School, Avenida Sanatórios, Edifício Heliantia, 4405-604 Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal.
J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2021 Apr;26:309-317. doi: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2020.12.038. Epub 2020 Dec 31.
Acupoints have bioelectrical properties distinct from common skin. Besides the higher electrical conductivity and lower resistance, acupoints show capacitor-like properties, which can be related to their endogenous electrical potential. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) postulates that meridians are physiological structures connecting acupoints and working as a conduit for the flow of two essential substances known as qi and xue.
This pilot study was focused in evaluating whether the electrical potential of acupoints can be correlated objectively to the functional properties as described by ancient Chinese medical theories, such as the theories of coupled meridians of the same phase ('elements'), and the principle of coupled points.
Direct needle moxibustion on LU5 and needle dispulsion of LI4 were performed in 21 subjects. The electrical potential of each acupoint was measured with a high-resolution data acquisition system taking to reference the acupoint SP6 of the Spleen conduit.
The results may indicate a functional relationship between the therapeutics and the electrical potential response on the selected acupoints. These effects seem to be explainable considering the specific properties of each acupoint, the relationship between TCM phases, and the dynamics between coupled conduits.
The evaluation of the endogenous electrical potential of acupoints and the changes caused by an external stimulus might contribute to the understanding of TCM concepts, mechanisms, and the effects of associated therapeutics. The observed phenomena encourage the systematic assessment of the functional vegetative status via skin electrophysiology and using objective measurements.
穴位具有与普通皮肤不同的生物电特性。除了较高的电导率和较低的电阻外，穴位还表现出类似电容器的特性，这可能与其内源性电势有关。中医认为经络是连接穴位的生理结构，是气血这两种基本物质运行的通道。
本初步研究旨在评估穴位的电势是否能与中国古代医学理论所描述的功能特性客观相关，如同一相位（“元素”）的经络耦合理论和穴位耦合原理。
对21名受试者进行了肺经5穴的直接艾灸和大肠经4穴的针刺泻法。使用高分辨率数据采集系统测量每个穴位的电势，并以脾经的穴位三阴交作为参考。
结果可能表明所选穴位上治疗方法与电势反应之间存在功能关系。考虑到每个穴位的特定特性、中医相位之间的关系以及耦合经络之间的动态变化，这些效应似乎是可以解释的。
评估穴位的内源性电势以及外部刺激引起的变化可能有助于理解中医概念、机制以及相关治疗方法的效果。观察到的现象鼓励通过皮肤电生理学和客观测量对功能性自主神经状态进行系统评估。
