Influence of Bioelectric Current on the Acupuncture: A Pilot Study - Focusing on the Effect of PC6 Against Heart Rate -

Objectives : Many studies have investigated the electric specificity of meridian and acupoint.However, the definition about the real substance of 'Ki(Qi)' that flows in the meridian has not been established yet.The authors hypothesized that the 'Ki(Qi)' may be the very 'bioelectricity' of western medicine, from two common features that they are not visible with naked eyes and that they function in the living body only.Methods : 20 healthy adults participated in this study.Heart rate was measured before and after exercise.Acupuncture was performed at PC6 immediately after exercise with counter balance in the first experiment.In the second experiment, acupuncture group was further divided to the three groups, i.e. glove acupuncture group, manual acupuncture group, and NaCl acupuncture group.In the glove group, acupuncturist put on the two folds of latex gloves to block bioelectric currents between the acupuncturist and subject.In the NaCl group, acupuncturist had his fingertips wet with NaCl solution.Results : Exercise increased Heart Rate and acupuncture at PC6 inhibited this increase.In the second experiment, the significant difference compared to the comtrol group was the most in NaCl acupuncture and the least in Glove acupuncture.However, there was no significant difference between three groups.Conclusions : The results of this study seem to be deficient as a conclusive evidence for the hypothesis that the 'Ki(Qi)' of Korean Medicine is the 'bioelectricity' of western medicine.