Is there any difference in human pupillary reaction to acupuncture between light- and dark-adaptive conditions?

OBJECTIVES: To determine if acupuncture stimulation elicits a pupillary response under light adaptation and whether there is any difference in the pupillary response between light and dark adaptation environments during acupuncture stimulation. METHODS: The participants consisted of 55 healthy individuals who had no known eye diseases or pupil abnormalities. Experiment 1 compared pupillary responses between acupuncture stimulation and no-stimulation groups under light adaptation. Experiment 2 compared pupillary responses to acupuncture between two conditions (dark and light adaptation) with a two-period repeated measurement crossover design. For both experiments the pupil diameter was continuously measured for 3 min before stimulation, during stimulation and for 3 min after stimulation. For all acupuncture stimulation interventions an acupuncture needle was inserted superficially at the TE5 acupuncture point followed by gentle tapping stimulation for 90 s. RESULTS: In experiment 1 the pupil diameter was significantly decreased during (p<0.01) and after stimulation (p<0.0001) compared with the pupil diameter before stimulation under light adaptation. No significant difference was noted in the serial changes in pupil diameter in the no-stimulation group. In experiment 2 the pupil diameter was significantly decreased 90 s after stimulation (p<0.05) and 150 s after stimulation (p<0.05) under light adaptation conditions. Furthermore, the pupil diameter was significantly decreased 120 s after stimulation (p<0.05) and 150 s after stimulation (p<0.01) under dark adaptation conditions. No significant difference in the serial changes in pupil diameter was noted between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that pupil constriction occurs following acupuncture stimulation under light adaptation and this response is no different from that seen under dark adaptation.

Those with the habit of going to sleep early show a higher ratio of lymphocytes while those with the habit of staying up late show a higher ratio of granulocytes.

In this study, we examined the effect of the difference in time of going to sleep on the numerical values of leukocyte subsets and various hormones. Subjects consisted of 26 healthy adults (15 men, 11 women) with a mean age of 37.6 years. Among the 26 individuals, 12 persons (Group E) were of the habit of going to sleep before midnight consistently, while 14 persons (Group L) were of the habit of staying up late, consistently going to sleep after 2 am. For Group E, it was found that the ratio of lymphocytes was remarkably high in comparison with Group L (Group E 41.6 +/- 2.54%, Group L 31.7 +/- 2.03%, P < 0.01). On the other hand, for Group L it was found that the ratio of granulocytes was remarkably high in comparison with Group E (Group E 53.0 +/- 2.51%, Group L 62.3 +/- 2.22%, P < 0.01). However, no difference was observed in lymphocyte and granulocyte ratios due to the duration of the sleep. As the excessive quantity of granulocytes was not corrected through longer sleep, these findings suggest that the time when first going to sleep is more important than the total hours of sleep achieved.

Pupillary response induced by acupuncture stimulation--an experimental study.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether acupuncture stimulation affects autonomic nerve function by measuring pupil diameters with electronic pupillography. METHODS: Two studies were conducted (Experiment 1 and 2) in the Tsukuba University of Technology, Tsukuba, Japan. Experiment 1 examined the responses before, during and after acupuncture. Experiment 2 compared acupuncture and a no acupuncture control in a two period, repeated measurement crossover design. Twelve healthy male university students were recruited for Experiment 1 and nine healthy male university students for Experiment 2. The intervention was superficial acupuncture at the acupuncture point TE5. Following the insertion, gentle repetitive tapping stimulation was applied during the subject's exhalation phase in a sitting position for 90 seconds. The main outcome measures in Experiment 1 were pupil diameter, heart rate, pulse wave and blood pressure. In both experiments, pupil diameter was measured for three minutes before acupuncture stimulation, during stimulation and for three minutes after stimulation. RESULTS: In Experiment 1, a decrease in pupil diameter was observed after acupuncture stimulation (P=0.018) and a decrease in heart rate was observed during the stimulation (P=0.049). Moreover, a significant decrease of pulse wave amplitude was observed during and after acupuncture stimulation. In Experiment 2, a decrease in pupil diameter occurred after acupuncture stimulation (P=0.007), whereas no change occurred under the no acupuncture control. CONCLUSIONS: It is thought that the pupillary constriction observed after gentle, superficial acupuncture stimulation may be attributed to an increase of parasympathetic nerve function. Further study is necessary in order to further clarify the duration of the observed response and to elucidate the mechanisms behind it.

Effect of massage on blood flow and muscle fatigue following isometric lumbar exercise.

BACKGROUND: This study attempted to investigate the influence of massage on the skin and the intramuscular circulatory changes associated with localized muscle fatigue. MATERIAL/METHODS: Twenty-nine healthy male subjects participated in two experimental sessions (massage and rest conditions). Subjects lay prone on the table and were instructed to extend their trunks until the inferior portion of their rib cage no longer rested on the table. Subjects held this position for 90 seconds (Load I). Subjects then either received massage on the lumbar region or rested for 5 minutes, then repeated the same load (Load II). Skin blood flow (SBF), muscle blood volume (MBV), skin temperature (ST), and subjects' subjective feelings of fatigue were evaluated using Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). RESULTS: An increase of MBV between pre- and post-load II periods was higher after massage than after rest (p<0.05). An increase of SBF at pre- and post-load II was observed only under massage condition. An increase of SBF between post-load I and pre-load II periods was higher after massage than after rest (p<0.05). An increase of ST between post-load I and post-load II periods was greater after massage than after rest (p<0.05). The VAS score was lower with massage than with rest in the post-treatment period (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: A significant difference was observed between massage and rest condition on VAS for muscle fatigue. Lumbar massage administration also appeared to have some effect on increasing skin temperature and enhancement of blood flow in local regions.

The effect of massage on localized lumbar muscle fatigue.

BACKGROUND: There is not enough evidence to support the efficacy of massage for muscle fatigue despite wide utilization of the modality in various clinical settings. This study investigated the influence of massage application on localized back muscle fatigue. METHODS: Twenty-nine healthy subjects participated in two experimental sessions (massage and rest conditions). On each test day, subjects were asked to lie in the prone position on a treatment table and perform sustained back extension for 90 seconds. Subjects then either received massage on the lumbar region or rested for a 5 minute duration, then repeated the back extension movement. The median frequency (MDF), mean power frequency (MNF), and root mean square (RMS) amplitude of electromyographic signals during the 90 second sustained lumbar muscle contraction were analyzed. The subjective feeling of fatigue was then evaluated using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). RESULTS: MDF and MNF significantly declined with time under all conditions. There was no significant difference in MDF, MNF or RMS value change between before and after massage, or between rest and massage conditions. There was a significant increase in fatigue VAS at the end of the 2nd back extension with rest condition. There was a significant difference in fatigue VAS change between massage and rest condition. CONCLUSIONS: A significant difference was observed between massage and rest condition on VAS for muscle fatigue. On EMG analysis, there were no significant differences to conclude that massage stimulation influenced the myoelectrical muscle fatigue, which is associated with metabolic and electrical changes.

Unique immunomodulation by electro-acupuncture in humans possibly via stimulation of the autonomic nervous system.

Cumulative evidence suggests that immunologic responses are under the regulation of the autonomic nervous system. Since acupuncture has recently been reported to modulate the autonomic nervous system, we investigated the possibility that acupuncture eventually modulates the immune system. In the present study, electro-acupuncture was applied in young volunteer subjects. As for the proportions of granulocytes and lymphocytes in the blood, there were three groups: (1) granulocytosis and lymphocytopenia; (2) granulocytopenia and lymphocytosis; and (3) normal pattern. Interestingly, with the administration of acupuncture, the status of subjects with relatively low levels of granulocytes and high levels of lymphocytes shifted to Group 1, whereas that of subjects with high levels of granulocytes and low levels of lymphocytes shifted to Group 2. In other words, acupuncture tended to normalize the pattern of leukocytes. We confirmed that acupuncture induced parasympathetic nerve stimulation, resulting in a decrease in the heart rate. These results suggest possible mechanisms underlying how acupuncture ameliorates the condition of patients with many chronic diseases.