Research Group of Acupuncture Anesthesia, Institute of Medicine and Pharmacology of Fujian Province, etc.
The inducement of the blocking response is one of the important characteristics of propagated sensation along channels (PSC). In the past 5 years, 37 cases with marked PSC were studied in a series of experiments. There are two main contents in this paper: (1) Blocking factors of propagarted sensation along the channel and the characteristics of blocking response, (2) role of blocking of propagated sensation along channels (BPSC) on the effect of acupuncture. Three methods were adopted to bring out BPSC: (1) mechanical compression, (2) local administration of novocaine or normal saline, and (3) local application of ice bag for reduction of tissue temperature. Pain threshold (with the digital plethysmograpy registered simultaneously), borborygmi and EMG were chosen as indices to evaluate the effect of acupuncture. In some experiments, action potentials were recorded from the sensory nerve (radial nerve in upper arm) with stimulation of acupuncture point (Hegu) using the computer average response technic. Results are shown as follows:
1. PSC could be blocked by mechanical compression. The efficient pressure for blocking was 800 gm/cm{2} approximately. PSC was blocked when the pressure was applied and recovered immediately after the pressure was relieved. The above result could be repeated time and again in a short interval. However, the pressure had to be applied on the course of PSC in a direction perpendicular to the skin. There would be no effect on PSC when the skin was squeezed with the same pressure or compression applied on sites apart from the course of PSC.
In some cases, PSC could be blocked with local administration of novocaine or normal saline. The results were the same with the two solutions during the course of blocking indicating that BPSC under the above two conditions was elicited by similar increasing local pressure of the deep tissue.
2. PSC could be blocked by reduction of local temperature of deep tissue underneath the region designed for blocking. The blocking response of PSC kept in step along with the decrease of tissue temperature. After removal of ice bag, BPSC was recovered step by step in accordance with the increasing of tissue temperature. It was noted that the development of BPSC and the recovery of PSC were produced gradually under the above conditions. The critical temperature of the deep tissue underneath the iced portion for BPSC was approximately 21ºC.
3. When PSC was blocked by mechanical compression at Shousanli, the action potentials of the radial nerve during stimulation of Hegu did not show any change. When block with ice, the amplitude of action potential did not show striking variation, but the latent period was delayed slighly sometimes. If 2% novocaine (2.5 ml) were injected intramuscularly at the point of Shousanli (keeping the condition of the test), the action potentials of radial nerve during stimulation of Hegu did not show striking change too.
4. Whatsoever be the cause of BPSC, the effectiveness of acupuncture analgesia decreased obviously as PSC was blocked. For example, Hegu was punctured and Shousanli was compressed at the same time, pain threshold increased sharply in the region below Shousanli (such as Youngxi, etc.) where PSC had travelled through, but the pain threshold had no variation in the region above Shousanli (such as Binao, etc.) where PSC had been blocked. After the relief of pressure, PSC could travel through from Hegu to the face, and the pain threshold of Binao, etc. (where PSC had been blocked before) was soon increased. It obviously demonstrated that acupuncture analgesia was affected seriously by BPCS. Under proper conditions, the above phenomenon could be registered objectively, if the variation of amplitude of plethysmographic pulse wave was employed as an index of the pain reaction.
When points of the stomach and spleen channels were punctured, the induced regulatory effects of gastro-intestinal tract movements were decreased sharply as PSC was blocked.
The above evidences demonstrated that the analgesic as well as the regulatory function of acupuncture was closely related to PSC. Therefore, there might exist a certain intrinsic connection between them.
5. In two of the cases, the contraction of facial muscles was visible as PSC arrived at the face. If PSC was blocked, the contraction would disappear instantly. One of them was a case of nerve deafness, and a series of experiments was observed. The muscle potential of the auricular region discharged intensively by the time PSC arrived at that region. In comparison with the control experiment it is evident that EMG of the preauricular muscles was surely a particular response evoked by PSC arrived at that portion. The intensity of discharge of those muscles was essentially proportional to the intensity of PSC perceived by the subject. Therefore, EMG could be employed as an index indicating the arrival or variation of PSC, and the characteristics as well as the process of BPSC development had been studied objectively with it.
The results mentioned above revealed that PSC might be blocked by factors such as mechanical compression and local freezing. The effects of acupuncture decreased seriously or disappeared completely, as PSC was blocked. During BPSC, the function of transmission of sensory nerve concerned with the acupuncture point did not show striking variations. It was evident that BPSC was out of all relation to the dysfunction of the nerve. Yet there was no direct evidence to demonstrate that the real cause of BPSC was either the interference of two afferent signals of acupuncture and compression in the central nervous system, or blocking of channels coursing along the "body surface" by factors such as mechanical compression, etc. Although evidences of current research likely more favorable to the supposition of "the block of channel course", but in virtue of the complexity of the problem, still the question remains open.
Though the phenomenon of blocking of channel cannot be explained appropriately, yet it is an important clue to the investigation of the nature of PSC and the clarification of the essence of the channel. In a word, it requires thorough examination.
The inducement of the blocking response is one of the important characteristics of propagated sensation along channels (PSC). In the past 5 years, 37 cases with marked PSC were studied in a series of experiments. There are two main contents in this paper: (1) Blocking factors of propagarted sensation along the channel and the characteristics of blocking response, (2) role of blocking of propagated sensation along channels (BPSC) on the effect of acupuncture. Three methods were adopted to bring out BPSC: (1) mechanical compression, (2) local administration of novocaine or normal saline, and (3) local application of ice bag for reduction of tissue temperature. Pain threshold (with the digital plethysmograpy registered simultaneously), borborygmi and EMG were chosen as indices to evaluate the effect of acupuncture. In some experiments, action potentials were recorded from the sensory nerve (radial nerve in upper arm) with stimulation of acupuncture point (Hegu) using the computer average response technic. Results are shown as follows:
1. PSC could be blocked by mechanical compression. The efficient pressure for blocking was 800 gm/cm{2} approximately. PSC was blocked when the pressure was applied and recovered immediately after the pressure was relieved. The above result could be repeated time and again in a short interval. However, the pressure had to be applied on the course of PSC in a direction perpendicular to the skin. There would be no effect on PSC when the skin was squeezed with the same pressure or compression applied on sites apart from the course of PSC.
In some cases, PSC could be blocked with local administration of novocaine or normal saline. The results were the same with the two solutions during the course of blocking indicating that BPSC under the above two conditions was elicited by similar increasing local pressure of the deep tissue.
2. PSC could be blocked by reduction of local temperature of deep tissue underneath the region designed for blocking. The blocking response of PSC kept in step along with the decrease of tissue temperature. After removal of ice bag, BPSC was recovered step by step in accordance with the increasing of tissue temperature. It was noted that the development of BPSC and the recovery of PSC were produced gradually under the above conditions. The critical temperature of the deep tissue underneath the iced portion for BPSC was approximately 21ºC.
3. When PSC was blocked by mechanical compression at Shousanli, the action potentials of the radial nerve during stimulation of Hegu did not show any change. When block with ice, the amplitude of action potential did not show striking variation, but the latent period was delayed slighly sometimes. If 2% novocaine (2.5 ml) were injected intramuscularly at the point of Shousanli (keeping the condition of the test), the action potentials of radial nerve during stimulation of Hegu did not show striking change too.
4. Whatsoever be the cause of BPSC, the effectiveness of acupuncture analgesia decreased obviously as PSC was blocked. For example, Hegu was punctured and Shousanli was compressed at the same time, pain threshold increased sharply in the region below Shousanli (such as Youngxi, etc.) where PSC had travelled through, but the pain threshold had no variation in the region above Shousanli (such as Binao, etc.) where PSC had been blocked. After the relief of pressure, PSC could travel through from Hegu to the face, and the pain threshold of Binao, etc. (where PSC had been blocked before) was soon increased. It obviously demonstrated that acupuncture analgesia was affected seriously by BPCS. Under proper conditions, the above phenomenon could be registered objectively, if the variation of amplitude of plethysmographic pulse wave was employed as an index of the pain reaction.
When points of the stomach and spleen channels were punctured, the induced regulatory effects of gastro-intestinal tract movements were decreased sharply as PSC was blocked.
The above evidences demonstrated that the analgesic as well as the regulatory function of acupuncture was closely related to PSC. Therefore, there might exist a certain intrinsic connection between them.
5. In two of the cases, the contraction of facial muscles was visible as PSC arrived at the face. If PSC was blocked, the contraction would disappear instantly. One of them was a case of nerve deafness, and a series of experiments was observed. The muscle potential of the auricular region discharged intensively by the time PSC arrived at that region. In comparison with the control experiment it is evident that EMG of the preauricular muscles was surely a particular response evoked by PSC arrived at that portion. The intensity of discharge of those muscles was essentially proportional to the intensity of PSC perceived by the subject. Therefore, EMG could be employed as an index indicating the arrival or variation of PSC, and the characteristics as well as the process of BPSC development had been studied objectively with it.
The results mentioned above revealed that PSC might be blocked by factors such as mechanical compression and local freezing. The effects of acupuncture decreased seriously or disappeared completely, as PSC was blocked. During BPSC, the function of transmission of sensory nerve concerned with the acupuncture point did not show striking variations. It was evident that BPSC was out of all relation to the dysfunction of the nerve. Yet there was no direct evidence to demonstrate that the real cause of BPSC was either the interference of two afferent signals of acupuncture and compression in the central nervous system, or blocking of channels coursing along the "body surface" by factors such as mechanical compression, etc. Although evidences of current research likely more favorable to the supposition of "the block of channel course", but in virtue of the complexity of the problem, still the question remains open.
Though the phenomenon of blocking of channel cannot be explained appropriately, yet it is an important clue to the investigation of the nature of PSC and the clarification of the essence of the channel. In a word, it requires thorough examination.
No comments:
Post a Comment