TITLE:
Clinical Teleacupuncture between China and Austria Using Heart Rate Variability in Patients with Depression
AUTHORS:
Lu Wang, Guangyu Cheng, Zemin Sheng, Qianqian Niu, Weiping Cheng, Xiao Feng, Jan Valentini, Ingrid Gaischek, Xinyan Gao, Haixue Kuang, Gerhard Litscher
KEYWORDS:
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Teleacupuncture, Heart rate Variability (HRV), Sino-Austrian Cooperation, Depression
JOURNAL NAME:
Chinese Medicine,
Vol.2 No.2,
June
14,
2011
ABSTRACT: In previous studies by the same research group it has been shown in post-stroke patients that the autonomic system can be affected by acupuncture. Within this study, teleacupuncture between China and Austria is used for quantifying the effects of heart rate variability (HRV) in Chinese patients suffering from depression. In 22 Chinese depression patients (17 f, 5 m; mean age ± SD 52.3 ± 10.6 years; range 31 - 70 years) electrocardiographic signals before, during and after acupuncture at the acupoint Jianshi (PC 5) were recorded in Harbin and analyzed in Graz using teleacupuncture via internet. HRV data were analyzed in the time and frequency domain and a protocol from Austria was sent to the team in China immediately after the treatment and recording session. Mean heart rate decreased significantly (p