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Is Acupoints Sensation Necessary for Acu-TENS to Elicit Physiological Changes in Healthy Subjects?

NCT01804192 · Status: UNKNOWN · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 36

Last updated 2013-03-05

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioners believe that health can be maintained if the body has a balanced ying-yang or the qi flows in correct strength and quality along the meridians.Stimulation of the acupoints such as by acupuncture can awaken and modulate qi in the channels and is able to regulate and restore yin-yang balance.However, there are some drawbacks associated with acupuncture which may limit its applications. These include transmission of infectious disease, pneumothorax and other problems associated with organ punctures, cardiac tamponade, and broken needles with remnants migrating to other locations.Studies have shown that when TENS is applied over acupoints (Acu-TENS), it is effective in reducing dyspnoea in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,facilitate early haemodynamic recovery after open-heart surgery,relieve labor pain,increase in blood β-endorphin level,reduce blood pressure changes in normal healthy subjects and decrease airway resistance.Despite these promising results, how Acu-TENS works still remain unclear.This study aimed to investigate the effects of Acu-TENS over Hegu (LI4) and Quichi (LI4) on the autonomic nervous system activities and to investigate whether the subject could experience distinct sensation as deqi.

Conditions

  • Autonomic Nervous System Disorder

Interventions

OTHER

Acu-TENS

Systolic and diastolic blood pressures will be taken on the left arm by a digital blood pressure monitor (Mindray PM-8000 Express Patient Monitor, Bio-Medical Electricity, Hamburg, Germany). The mean arterial pressure (MAP) will be recorded from the machine. Three ECG electrodes will be applied over left and right clavicles and left upper quadrant of abdomen respectively and then connect to a digital patient monitor device (Mindray PM-8000 Express Patient Monitor, Bio-Medical Electricity, Hamburg, Germany). The heart rate (HR) will be measured. The ECG signals will be transferred to the PowerLab 16/30 (ADInstruments Pty Ltd. NSW, Australia) for data acquisition and analysis of the HRV.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Tai Wai David Yu, MSc · The Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Model
FACTORIAL

Eligibility

Min Age
20 Years
Max Age
40 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2013-02-28
Primary Completion
2013-05-31
Completion
2013-08-31

Countries

  • China

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT01804192 on ClinicalTrials.gov