The human brain response to acupuncture on same-meridian acupoints: evidence from an fMRI study.

Stimulation of acupuncture points (acupoints) located on meridians has been proven to activate specific areas of the human brain, as evidenced by functional imaging studies. To date, the specificity of acupoints located on different meridians has been investigated with functional magnetic resonance image (fMRI). The present fMRI study explored the effects of stimulating 4 acupoints on 2 different meridians for the purpose of researching the characteristic response of acupoints on the same meridian. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The acupoints studied were LR3 (Taichong) and LR6 (Zhongdu), which belong to the Liver meridian of Foot-Jueyin; ST36 (Zusanli) and ST43 (Xiangu), which belong to the Stomach meridian of Foot-Yangming; and 2 nearby sham acupoints. Fifty-three (53) healthy right-handed subjects were divided randomly into 6 groups. Each group only received acupuncture at one acupoint. All the acupoints in this study were stimulated only on the right side of the subject's body. Through analysisof fMRI data from all subjects, we obtained the activation patterns in the central nervous system (CNS) evoked by acupuncture. RESULTS: In contrast to the CNS activation by sham acupoint, the results showed that all 4 real acupoints under consideration had the common effect of activating 2 specific areas of the brain: the bilateral primary somatosensory area and the ipsilateral cerebellum. Acupuncture stimulation of both acupoints LR3 and LR6 evoked activation at the ipsilateral superior parietal lobe (BA7). Acupuncture stimulation of both acupoints ST36 and ST43 evoked activation at the ipsilateral middle frontal gyrus (BA10). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that different acupoints on the same meridian may activate certain similar areas of the brain. In addition, acupoints that are commonly used in clinical practice might modulate a greater extent of cortical areas than uncommonly used acupoints.

A Comparison Between Chinese and Western Medicine

Mordern medical science is highly analytical and reducing the body to its component parts,it devises appropriate therapy based on experimental studies of bacteriology,physiology,and pharmacology along with clinical reseach.Practitioners of modern medicine concentrate on identifying the disease by isolating it to a single cause,then healing that specific area of the body .The drugs used in treatment are composed of synthetic and chemical substances and surgery is employed as a principle tool.Moreover,medicines are prescribed without consideration of the patient's constitution and life style,or of environmental factors such as climate.Chisee medicine in contrast is interweined with philosophical and metaphysical view of life based on comprehensive whole body treatment .The Chinese physician does not need to know the name of the illness in modern medical terms.Rahter ,he pays special attention to the patient's subjective complaints or conformation and prescibes a holistic treatment on a subjecitive basisi.In short ,while modern medicine relies on accurate diagnosise by naming the disease and its causes ,Chinese medicine stresses the patient's reactions and apming the disease and its causes.

What is the acupoints

Acupoints are the spedfic sites through which the Qi and blood of the Zan-Fu organs and meridians is transported to the body surface, and through which acupuncture and moxibustion and other therapies are applied by external stimulation.Acupoints Distributed on their related meridians pathways are closely linked with the meridians and collaterals. So the acupoints should not be regarded as superficial points alone, but as special sites which connect with each other, and through which the internal tissues and organs are related. The meridian ccdlaterals connect the whole body, both interiorly and exteriorly, and diseases of the body can be treated by puncturing the points on the body surface to regulate the related meridians, Zang-Fu organs and the circulation of Qi and blood.

What are meridians and collaterals?

jing-luo,is a general term for the merdians(jing mai) and collaterals(luo mai),which are the pathways through whici the qi and blood circultes within hunman body.Jing meas go through or a path.They are the main trunks,thick and large.They run longitudinally and are deep-level distributed within the body.They inculuded the twelve regular meridians,the eitht extra meridians and the twelve divergent meridians.Luo means something that connects" or "a net". They are branches of the meridians, thin and snamll. They run transversely and are dustrubyted superficially,and crisscross and net the whole body.They inculude the fifteen collaterals,the minute collaterals,and the superficial collaterals.

The Importance of Health Education

In a modern society ,an increasing number of people will suffer from chronic noninfectious diseases,but their conventional treatments are usually very expensive and effects are far from satisfactory.Medical practice in the developed contries has proved that health care is a good economical way to greatly reduce indidences of chronic noninfectious diseases and to keep fit.Consequently,both WHO and our country call for a great development and promotion of public health education since the future medical work should be centered on people and their health rather than on diseases.In order to improve people health and reduce health risk factors ,the best way is to develop public health education that can involve the participation of all the people.

Wrong Ideas in Raising Children

These days young parents in cities pay much attention to the nutriton of their chidren and can provide them with good food,but doctors find that many childern are pooly nourished .They are thin ,pale and underweight.Obviously they do not take in enough energy.The reason for this problems is that there is a commonly accepted wrong idea among young parents.They believe that animal food is more nutritious while grain food is insignificant in nutrition.As a result,there is too much animal food but little grain in the diet of the chidren.These parents do not know that grain food,namely carbohydrate,is the main source of the heat that the body needs and play important role in the metabolism of the body.If carbohydrate is insufficient and cant produce enough heat ,protein and fat can not play their proper roles either.Lack of heat will lead to many development problems to the body,such as malnutrition,thinness,and slow growth.To resovle above problems,young parents should realize that the key point of nutrion is a balanced diet.Human body needs all kinds of nutrition ,including protein,fat,carbohydrate,vitamins and trace elements.They are all essential to the heath.

The Basic Characteristics of Traditional Chinese Medicine

The theoretical system of traditional Chinese medicine has evolved in the course of long clinical practice under the guidance of materialism and dialectics. It originates from practice and, in turn, guides the practice. This unique system of theory is characterized by the concept of organic wholeness and treatment based on syndrome differentiation. The concept of organic whole refers to the integral unity of the human body and its close relationship with the outer world The human body is composed of various organs and tissues According to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, its constituent parts are inseparable in structure, interdependent in physiology, and mutually influentiaJ in pathology. Such an understanding of the unity between the interior-exterior environment and the entirety of the organism itself is known as the concept of organic wholeness It reflects the influence of ancient Chinese materialism and dialectics on traditional Chinese medicine and permeates through the physiology, pathology, diagnosis, syndrome differentiation and treatment.