Anatomical Evidence of Acupuncture Meridians in the Human Extracellular Matrix: Results from a Macroscopic and Microscopic Interdisciplinary Multicentre Study on Human Corpses.

For more than 2500 years, acupuncture has been applied to support the healing of different diseases and physiologic malfunctions. Although various theories of the meridian system and mechanisms were formulated to explain the functional basis of acupuncture, the anatomical basis for the concept of meridians has not been resolved. The aim of the present study was to search for replicable anatomical structures that could relate to meridians. To this end, four human specimens and additionally two lower legs were dissected anatomically. Our study found evidence that acupuncture meridians were part of the human extracellular matrix and that fascia was an important part of the anatomic substrate of acupuncture meridians. At the same time, we found vessel-nerve-bundles, which were hypothesized to account for 80% of acupuncture points, only in a few acupuncture points. Therefore, our findings contradict the theory that acupuncture points are only located along the nervous channels.

Is acupuncture in addition to conventional medicine effective as pain treatment for endometriosis? A randomised controlled cross-over trial.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to examine whether acupuncture is an effective additional pain treatment for endometriosis. STUDY DESIGN: One hundred and one women aged 20-40 years participated and were randomised into two groups, each receiving two units of 10 acupuncture treatments, twice a week over a period of five weeks. Group 1 (n = 47) received verum-acupuncture during the first series, and group 2 (n = 54) received non-specific acupuncture. After the first unit of 10 treatments, an observation period of at least two menstruation cycles was set, followed by a second unit, according to a cross-over design. Prior to the study (during a two-week run-in period) the patients' actual pain intensity was surveyed. Throughout the study period, participants were asked to keep a 'pain protocol', in which they defined and recorded their pain according to the 10-point visual analogue scale (VAS). RESULTS: Eighty-three out of a total of 101 patients finished the study. Group 1 showed a significant reduction of pain intensity after the first 10 treatments. In comparison, group 2 showed significant pain relief only after the cross-over. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture treatment on specific acupuncture points appears to be an effective pain treatment for endometriosis, but this has to be confirmed in further study.

Laser acupuncture and probiotics in school age children with asthma: a randomized, placebo-controlled pilot study of therapy guided by principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) postulates an interaction between the lung as a Yin-organ and the large intestine as a Yang-organ. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate in asthmatic school age children whether treatment with laser acupuncture and probiotics according to TCM portends a clinical benefit to standard medical treatment performed according to pediatric guidelines. Seventeen children aged 6-12 yr with intermittent or mild persistent asthma were enrolled in this randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind pilot study. Eight patients received laser acupuncture for 10 wk and probiotic treatment in the form of oral drops (living non-pathogenic Enterococcus faecalis) for 7 wk. Nine patients in the control group were treated with a laser pen which did not emit laser light and were given placebo drops. Peak flow variability (PFV) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV(1)) were measured and Quality of Life was assessed by a standardized questionnaire. Laser acupuncture and probiotics significantly decreased mean (standard deviation) weekly PFV as a measurement of bronchial hyperreactivity by -17.4% (14.2) in the TCM group vs. 2.2% (22.5) in the control group (p = 0.034). No significant effect was detected for FEV(1), Quality of Life criteria and additional medication. As an exploratory result, patients in the TCM group had fewer days of acute febrile infections when compared with the control group [1.14 (1.4) vs. 2.66 (2.5), p = 0.18]. In conclusion, this pilot study generates the hypothesis that the interactive treatment of lung and large intestine according to TCM by laser acupuncture and probiotics has a beneficial clinical effect on bronchial hyperreactivity in school age children with intermittent or mild persistent asthma and might be helpful in the prevention of acute respiratory exacerbations. These results should be confirmed by further studies.