TITLE:
Effect of enpishin (press tack acupuncture needles) on autonomic function, WBC count and oxidative stress
AUTHORS:
Mitsunori Tsumaki, Yoshitomo Saita, Hiroshi Ikeda, Kazuo Kaneko, Takehiko Yukishita, Keiko Lee, Sungdo Kim, Shinichi Yokota, Nobuhiro Suetake, Hiroyuki Kobayashi
KEYWORDS:
Heart Rate Variability; Press Tack Needles; Acupoints; Bi-Digital O-Ring Test; Oxidative Stress
JOURNAL NAME:
Health,
Vol.3 No.7,
July
19,
2011
ABSTRACT: Acupuncture as a vital component of traditional medical systems of the Far East has been used to restore and maintain health for over three millennia. However, the neurobiological correlates of this therapy remain largely unknown. The purpose of this study was therefore to determine the effect of enpishin acupuncture (press tack needles (PTN)) on autonomic function, WBC count, and oxidative stress between subjects that received either verum or placebo PTN treatment. Twenty men (mean(SD) age: 36.7(5.1) years) who provided oral consent were randomized to receive either verum PTN (n = 9) or placebo PTN (n = 11). Bi-Digital O-Ring Test (BDORT) was used to select the acupoints for each participant. Autonomic function and oxidative stress level were analyzed before and after the treatment via heart rate variability (HRV) and free radical analysis system (FRAS4), respectively. Pre- and post-treatment WBC count was also evaluated. Verum PTN group had a statistically significant increase (p = 0.008) in Ln TP, an index of overall autonomic activity. Subjects in this group also had a significantly greater (p = 0.006) variation in Ln TP than the placebo PTN group in response to the treatment. Similarly, Ln HF of subjects receiving verum PTN showed a marked increase (p = 0.0026) after the treatment. Moreover, a significantly greater (p