Dilatation of the chambers of the heart, which can be caused by a variety of factors, is always seen as serious heart pathology. The enlargement of the left ventricle inevitably leads to its loss of the systolic function, which, in turn, results in dyspnoea, fatigue, tachycardia and edemas. Widening of the right heart is almost surely a sign of pulmonary hypertension. The dilatation of the left atrium is most often seen, through temporary pacing, to be resistant to medical therapy. The most radical and effective way to solve the problem is via transplantation of the heart. The present case study involves successful treatment of heart dilatation and heart insufficiency caused by thyrotoxicosis by means of a short course of acupuncture. Results have been confirmed by methods routinely used in cardiology. Long-term effects of the treatment are also presented.
The electrocardiogram is a representative signal containing information about the condition of the heart. The shape and size of the P-QRS-T wave, the time intervals between its various peaks, etc., may contain useful information about the nature of disease afflicting the heart. However, the human observer cannot directly monitor these subtle details. Besides, since bio-signals are highly subjective, the symptoms may appear at random in the time scale. Therefore, the heart rate variability signal parameters, extracted and analyzed using computers, are highly useful in diagnostics. Analysis of heart rate variation (HRV) has become a popular non-invasive tool for assessing the activities of the autonomic nervous system. HRV analysis is based on the concept that fast fluctuations may specifically reflect changes of sympathetic and vagal activity. It shows that the structure generating the signal is not simply linear, but also involves nonlinear contributions. This work is an attempt made to do a quantitative study on the effect of reflexology on the HRV during reflexologic stimulation. The nonlinear parameters are evaluated for this study and the results obtained for 20 subjects are tabulated.
The effects of mechanical stimulation on various skin areas on rectal motility were examined in anesthetized rats as a model of human. The rectal motility was measured by the balloon method at a position about 4–6 cm from the anus. Mechanical stimulation of the perineum induced a characteristic contraction of the rectum. Stimulation of the other skin areas did not produce any responses in the rectal motility. After the spinal transection at the 1st to 2nd cervical level, stimulation on the hindpaw and lower abdomen as well as the perineum induced the characteristic contraction of the rectum. These responses were abolished by severance of the pelvic nerves. After the severance of the sympathetic nerves innervating the rectum, the rectal motility increased its frequency, behind which the stimulation-induced responses were hidden and could not be observed. These results indicate that rectal motility was modulated by cutaneous mechanical stimulation through a segmental spinal reflex mechanism in anesthetized rats.
The author asserts, that each point of Principal meridian renders differential influence on a skeletal musculation. Particularly on each muscle renders direct influence four points, though there are also exceptions. Whereas the quantity of muscles size constant, occurs an opportunity to prognosticate opening new points. The creation of the completed system of active points of a body will enable to lead Qi in any site of a skeletal musculation of the person, and system will allow to describe interrelation between akupoints and skeletal muscles. And though the belonging of points to a concrete meridian is defined by their direct influence on an internal body usually appropriate to the name of a meridian. Nevertheless, this difficult process of identification is easier for beginning from interrelation akupoints and skeletal muscles. The detailed description of influence of each concrete point on sites of skeletal muscles, internal bodies, veins, arteries will frame an opportunity to consider very exact influence of each point on all organism as a whole. On an example of the Lung meridian will are considered general principles of interaction between akupoints and skeletal musculation. Muscularly––tendon meridians described in the ancient medical treatises to the given work have no any attitude.
Placebo controlled trials are used to examine the relative size of the specific effects of a therapy. When the therapy is a manual treatment like acupuncture, placebo control models are very complex due to the range of non-specific effects that can occur and issues such as blinding. This article examines ten different research models that have been used to control for placebo or other non-specific effects in clinical trials of acupuncture. Through an examination of the different non-specific effects that can occur in acupuncture therapy, it explores the relative ability of these ten models to control for the placebo and other non-specific effects. Three models are eliminated as probably unable to adequately control for these effects and therefore unable to explore the specific effects of acupuncture. The strengths and weaknesses of the remaining seven models are analyzed. Finally, methods and assessments needed to control for non-specific effects are discussed so that these seven models can be used to control for these effects and thus the models can examine the specific effects of acupuncture treatment.
Part I examines the modern theory of metaphor against the background of progress made in the understanding of consciousness, language, and cognition. The role of metaphor in the construction of medical systems in China and the West is then discussed. An inquiry into the metaphors used in the expression of emotion in English and Chinese follows. Part II of the article will focus on the metaphors of depression in Chinese and English common languages, and the metaphorical implications of the respective medical heritages in each of these. The possibility is that the sharing of medical metaphors cross-culturally has broad implications for the deeper understanding of human dysfunction it suggested. It is also demonstrated that anyone reaching across cultures to treat Westerners with Chinese medicine, or Chinese with Western psychology/biomedicine, can benefit greatly by learning more about the basic structure of conceptual metaphors in each system. It is shown that this exercise allows for greater sensitivity to patients, more flexible treatment strategy, and better communication.
On February 15, 2003 the Tri-State College of Acupuncture hosted the first in a series of colloquia to facilitate communication and cross-fertilization among leaders in acupuncture practice, research, and education in North America. In this first meeting, the purpose was to bring needling technique and the issue of de qi into an open forum, to address the issue of needling stimulation and needling sensation. To this end, five Master Practitioners (representing different styles and traditions of acupuncture) were each invited to demonstrate and discuss their techniques to an audience of leading researchers, educators and each other. An open forum discussion of each practitioners’ methodology and underlying theory ensued. Though the initial focus was on needling technique and de qi, the organic nature of the discussion illuminated a complexity of inextricably linked themes, underscoring acupuncture as a complex interaction between practitioner and patient.
The diagnostic processes of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) are fundamental to the practice of acupuncture. A review was conducted of some central issues underlying pattern differentiation and the integration of the TCM diagnostic system into acupuncture research. Problems with diagnostic reliability and the implications for clinical trials are discussed. Future research should include diagnostic reliability studies and the development of strategies for improving diagnostic reliability within acupuncture clinical trials.
The author discusses the historical nature of acupuncture, examining issues that emerge in the investigation of traditionally based systems of practice. He proposes a three-step process for investigating such systems. The first step involves defining traditionally based systems and determining what constitutes sufficient evidence to satisfy such a definition. The second step identifies claims made by traditionally based systems that are characteristic of specific systems or all such systems. The third step explores implications for clinical trial and basic science investigations of acupuncture with examples of theoretical and methodological issues for both clinical trial and basic science studies. Many investigating acupuncture's clinical efficacy propound the use of research methods and models that, while useful to test some aspects of acupuncture, are often incapable of examining the very issues they set out to test. Few of the basic science investigations of acupuncture have focused on testing the nature of traditionally based systems of practice. Those that have focused on these systems usually lack the logical bridge between the research techniques they use and the models they test, without which it is difficult to clearly link the results of their studies to the theories or mechanisms that they sought to explore. Suggestions are offered of how to address these issues.
Primary objectives: To explore the current level of computerization in clinical practice of acupuncturists in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Belching, or hiccup in TCM, can be a very serious condition for the suffering patients experience in their working, learning and social situation, and yet, little attention is given for its treatment in Western Medicine. Traditional Chinese Medicine theory suggests the condition may be a warning sign of deterioration of other acute or chronic diseases, which requires early diagnosis and treatment to prevent complications. Acupuncture treatment involves the principle of harmonizing stomach function and descending inverse through specific point selection, which is determined by the different types of hiccup. The acupuncture treatment, which is very inexpensive and without side effects, has been 100% effective in this study, has increased the patients’ acceptance and confidence in this therapy.
Context: Depression is one of the most common and painful forms of mental suffering. Treatment with acupuncture may help to alleviate, transform and perhaps eliminate symptomology.
The evaluation of traditionally-based systems of acupuncture (TBSA) is complex. However, we can assess specific measurement techniques and the diagnostic consistency of traditional Chinese medicine. In the context of randomised controlled trials, the intrinsic value of individual diagnostic systems versus general formulaic prescriptions for specific conditions needs to be carefully thought through, and an individual trial methodology based on the structure of each research proposal needs to be developed. The implications of evaluating TBSAs are discussed in this paper, although it is clear that we have as yet no clear answers to these complex issues.
How can we account for the fact that traditional Chinese medicine is both so ancient and yet so effective? This apparent paradox is difficult to explain from the world view of the physical sciences. To address it, we must be aware of the gap between East and West, and bearing such awareness in mind we can begin to shed light on such questions from the perspective of system science. In doing so we will discuss Yı̄n-Yáng and the Five Phases theory, which constitute the basic theoretical framework of Traditional Chinese Medicine. In these ancient Chinese modes of reasoning, Yı̄n-Yáng is the first step to classify the qualitative properties of things, while the Five Phases are employed to analyze and express the relationships among systems. Following this combination of contemporary and ancient ways of thinking, Traditional Chinese Medicine can provide a promising method to deal with complex things.
