Wang Jisheng, Xin Daigao, Sun Changhua, Lin Shuhui (Institute of psychology, Academia Sinica)
This paper is a systematic review of the results of more than 10 years' study in the field of cutaneous sensations including tactual sensation, pressure, localization, 2-point discrimination, hot and pain sensation. Our view points concerning the integral role of acupuncture in the cutaneous sensation are proposed. The experiences of acupuncture anaesthesia, based on the observation of patients' feelings reveal that acupuncture not only modifies the sensations of pain but also seems possible to exercise influence on other cutaneous sensations. By means of experimental methods we have made studies on normal subjects as well as patients under acupuncture anesthesia. For the normal group, the experimental design of Orthogonal Latin Square have been used. There are 47 cases divided into 5 sub-groups. By the parametric operation of different electro-stimulation, 185 cases of acupuncture anaesthetic patients are included in this study. The significance of experimental results are treated statisticaly, and more than 100 tests being made.
Chief results are as follows:
1. Acupuncture heightens not only the pain threshold but also the thresholds of tactual sensation, pressure sensation, localization sensation, two-point discrimination and hot sensation. The differences are statistically significant for example, while acupuncture is applied to the point Sanyinjiao and to the part near the incision, the threshold is heightened 31.3% for tactual sensation, 64.2% for pressure, 204.1% for localization, 63.5% for 2-point discrimination, 45.5% for hot sensation, and 19.4% for pain.
2. The temporal and spatial relation of the effect of acupuncture to pain sensation and 2-point discrimination. When the points of Hegu and Sanyinjiao are stimutated by acupuncture, the relation of induction time to the heightening of pain-threshold is as follows: The efficacy of 25 min. acupuncture analgesia stands first, 15 min. is the second, and 5 min. the last. For the 2-point discrimination threshold both 25 min. and 15 min. acupuncture give about the same heightening efficacy, the results of 5 min. acupuncture being the least desirable. Under the condition that the points of Hegu and Sanyinjiao are stimulated acupuncturally, the brachial pain-threshold gives best results, then the abdominal and lastly the cervical. The abdominal 2-point discrimination threshold gives best results, the cervical next and the brachial. These demonstrate the relative specificity of acupuncture points.
3. The factors influencing the heightening of pain sensation and 2-point discrimination sensation by acupuncture. The results of research show that the intensity, frequency, and wave pattern of the electro-acupuncture stimulation do have influence on the heightening of pain threshold and of 2-point discrimination threshold.
* We are greatly indebted to Bijing Obstetrical and Genecological Hospital and its medical staff for their care in providing clinical arrangement and their enthusiastic cooperation and support.
4. The relation between the heightening of pain threshold and that of 2-point threshold by acupuncture. Statistical results based on 136 cases show that there is a positive correlation between these two variables, r=0.43, P<0.01. The effect of needling on the heightening of 2-point threshold correlates closely with the efficacy of acupuncture anaesthesia. Research results show that the more heightening of the 2-point threshold, the better the general efficacy of acupuncture anaesthesia. This provides for the pre-operational anticipation of acupuncture anaesthesia efficacy an easy procedure of prediction to carry out on the patient that is free from pain.
Under different stimulating conditions, acupuncture could heighten the threshold of tactual sensation, pressure, localization, 2-point discrimination, hot sensation and pain. This furnishes new facts for the efficacy of acupuncture on human body. The acupuncture modification of cutaneous sensation manifests itself in 4 characteristics namely: integrality, the non-extinct nature of threshold, efficacy after the retreat of needle, and individual variability. Furthermore, the positive correlation between the heightening of 2-point threshold and that of pain-threshold by acupuncture is statistically significant. The quality of easy administration not only provides means for pre-operational anticipation of the efficacy of acupuncture anaesthesia but also indices for measuring the effect of acupuncture analgesia as well as the relative specificity of acupuncture points in the study of mechanisms underlying acupuncture.
The integral effect of acupuncture on cutaneous sensation suggests that acupuncture may be capable of modifying the total functional state of the cutaneous sensation which are in the cerebral cortex. This may furnish us new clues for our understanding of the mechanisms underlying acupuncture anaesthesia. A penetrating search into the relationship between the modification of pain sensation and that of other cutaneous sensations due to to acupuncture may play a crucial role in the advancement of our knowledge concerning the mechanism underlying acupuncture anesthesia. The modification of cutaneous sensation by acupuncture anaesthesia propose, a new theme for cognitive psychology research.
This paper is a systematic review of the results of more than 10 years' study in the field of cutaneous sensations including tactual sensation, pressure, localization, 2-point discrimination, hot and pain sensation. Our view points concerning the integral role of acupuncture in the cutaneous sensation are proposed. The experiences of acupuncture anaesthesia, based on the observation of patients' feelings reveal that acupuncture not only modifies the sensations of pain but also seems possible to exercise influence on other cutaneous sensations. By means of experimental methods we have made studies on normal subjects as well as patients under acupuncture anesthesia. For the normal group, the experimental design of Orthogonal Latin Square have been used. There are 47 cases divided into 5 sub-groups. By the parametric operation of different electro-stimulation, 185 cases of acupuncture anaesthetic patients are included in this study. The significance of experimental results are treated statisticaly, and more than 100 tests being made.
Chief results are as follows:
1. Acupuncture heightens not only the pain threshold but also the thresholds of tactual sensation, pressure sensation, localization sensation, two-point discrimination and hot sensation. The differences are statistically significant for example, while acupuncture is applied to the point Sanyinjiao and to the part near the incision, the threshold is heightened 31.3% for tactual sensation, 64.2% for pressure, 204.1% for localization, 63.5% for 2-point discrimination, 45.5% for hot sensation, and 19.4% for pain.
2. The temporal and spatial relation of the effect of acupuncture to pain sensation and 2-point discrimination. When the points of Hegu and Sanyinjiao are stimutated by acupuncture, the relation of induction time to the heightening of pain-threshold is as follows: The efficacy of 25 min. acupuncture analgesia stands first, 15 min. is the second, and 5 min. the last. For the 2-point discrimination threshold both 25 min. and 15 min. acupuncture give about the same heightening efficacy, the results of 5 min. acupuncture being the least desirable. Under the condition that the points of Hegu and Sanyinjiao are stimulated acupuncturally, the brachial pain-threshold gives best results, then the abdominal and lastly the cervical. The abdominal 2-point discrimination threshold gives best results, the cervical next and the brachial. These demonstrate the relative specificity of acupuncture points.
3. The factors influencing the heightening of pain sensation and 2-point discrimination sensation by acupuncture. The results of research show that the intensity, frequency, and wave pattern of the electro-acupuncture stimulation do have influence on the heightening of pain threshold and of 2-point discrimination threshold.
* We are greatly indebted to Bijing Obstetrical and Genecological Hospital and its medical staff for their care in providing clinical arrangement and their enthusiastic cooperation and support.
4. The relation between the heightening of pain threshold and that of 2-point threshold by acupuncture. Statistical results based on 136 cases show that there is a positive correlation between these two variables, r=0.43, P<0.01. The effect of needling on the heightening of 2-point threshold correlates closely with the efficacy of acupuncture anaesthesia. Research results show that the more heightening of the 2-point threshold, the better the general efficacy of acupuncture anaesthesia. This provides for the pre-operational anticipation of acupuncture anaesthesia efficacy an easy procedure of prediction to carry out on the patient that is free from pain.
Under different stimulating conditions, acupuncture could heighten the threshold of tactual sensation, pressure, localization, 2-point discrimination, hot sensation and pain. This furnishes new facts for the efficacy of acupuncture on human body. The acupuncture modification of cutaneous sensation manifests itself in 4 characteristics namely: integrality, the non-extinct nature of threshold, efficacy after the retreat of needle, and individual variability. Furthermore, the positive correlation between the heightening of 2-point threshold and that of pain-threshold by acupuncture is statistically significant. The quality of easy administration not only provides means for pre-operational anticipation of the efficacy of acupuncture anaesthesia but also indices for measuring the effect of acupuncture analgesia as well as the relative specificity of acupuncture points in the study of mechanisms underlying acupuncture.
The integral effect of acupuncture on cutaneous sensation suggests that acupuncture may be capable of modifying the total functional state of the cutaneous sensation which are in the cerebral cortex. This may furnish us new clues for our understanding of the mechanisms underlying acupuncture anaesthesia. A penetrating search into the relationship between the modification of pain sensation and that of other cutaneous sensations due to to acupuncture may play a crucial role in the advancement of our knowledge concerning the mechanism underlying acupuncture anesthesia. The modification of cutaneous sensation by acupuncture anaesthesia propose, a new theme for cognitive psychology research.
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