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J Acupunct Meridian Stud 2016;--(-):--e--

Available online at www.sciencedirect.com

Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies

journal homepage: www.jams-kpi.com

BRIEF CASE REPORT

Effect of Laser Acupuncture on Heart Rate

Variability of Nonpatients and Patients with
Spinal Cord Injury
Yiu Ming Wong*

Health Science Unit (PEC), Hong Kong Physically Handicapped & Able Bodied Association,
Sham Shui Po, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Available online - - -

Received: Aug 11, 2016 Abstract

Revised: Oct 19, 2016 Sensory loss in a complete spinal cord injury (SCI) can be described as an injury that re-
Accepted: Nov 15, 2016 moves the ability of the brain to receive electrical afferent signals generated below the
site of the injury. The sensory nervous system appears to be the same as the meridians
KEYWORDS in the concept of Oriental medicine, thus, we assumed that a complete SCI would lead
acupuncture; to discontinuation of the meridians in humans. In this case series report with a cross-
heart rate variability; sectional view, we observed quantitative changes in heart rate variability induced by
laser; laser acupuncture at bilateral GB34 and ST36 points for 15 minutes in eight patients
spinal cord injury with complete SCIs between the levels of T8 and T12, and eight healthy individuals
as a control group. A comparison between pre- and post-treatment data demonstrated
that the physiological effect on the heart rate variability was absent when the laser
acupuncture was applied below the level of injury among the patients with complete
SCI, while the healthy counterparts showed the opposite pattern. The preliminary data
suggest that the purported meridian system may not be different from the known sen-
sory nervous system, as the transected spinal cord leads to interrupted meridians. The
findings in the present case series warranted further investigation.

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any
medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
* Corresponding author. Health Science Unit (PEC), Hong Kong Physically Handicapped & Able Bodied Association, S102, G/F, Lai Lo House,
Lai Kok Estate, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
E-mail: pt@hkphab.org.hk.
pISSN 2005-2901 eISSN 2093-8152
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jams.2016.11.004
Copyright ª 2016, Medical Association of Pharmacopuncture Institute.

Please cite this article in press as: Wong YM, Effect of Laser Acupuncture on Heart Rate Variability of Nonpatients and Patients with Spinal
Cord Injury, Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jams.2016.11.004
 + MODEL
2 Y.M. Wong
1. Introduction
Acupuncture is described as an energy-based model of
therapy that an energy named ‘‘qi’’ travels through the
body along internal channels called ‘‘meridians,’’ with the
‘‘acupuncture points’’ located along the meridians. Theo-
retically, qi obstructions in the meridians cause diseases in
the body, and acupuncture practitioners, by massaging or
needling the acupuncture points, can enhance the flow of
qi and restore physical wellbeing [1]. The physical exis-
tence of the meridians, however, is highly debatable;
Longhurst [2] stated that the sensory nervous system is the
same as the meridians in the concept of Oriental medicine.
Kim [3] found that anatomical structures named the primo
vascular system could be direct and visual evidence of the
meridians. The primo vascular system has been traced in
the subarachnoid space of the spinal cord in animal models
[4], therefore, we assumed that a complete spinal cord
injury (SCI) would lead to a discontinuation of the meridians
in humans. In the following report, we offer preliminary
data regarding the above assumption.
2. Case Presentation
In our outpatient clinic, we routinely measured heart rate
variability (HRV) of neurologically impaired patients using a
physiological measurement system (FlexComp; Thought
Technology Ltd., Montreal, QC, Canada), while they per-
formed rehabilitation exercises or received acupuncture.
We used a commonly used parameter of HRV named the RR
interval (intervals between consecutive R waves in elec-
trocardiography), because the RR interval has been used as
a biomarker for outcome measures of acupuncture therapy
[5e7]. Basically, a longer RR interval is associated with
greater parasympathetic dominance and is more desirable
during or after acupuncture [8].
Sixteen male adults were involved in the present report:
eight were healthy volunteers and eight were without
detectable motor and sensory functions below the levels of
SCI between T8 and T12. Both groups had a comparable age
range between 24 years and 52 years. Under 660 nme50 mV
laser acupuncture (Konftec, New Taipei City, Taiwan) on
the bilateral GB34 and ST36 points for 15 minutes, the
healthy individuals responded by producing significant
changes in RR interval (Pre-treatment Z 842  63 milli-
seconds, Post-treatment Z 992  85 milliseconds; p < 0.05
in paired t test). The SCI patients, however, produced
nonsignificant changes in RR interval (Pre-treatment Z
920  76 milliseconds, Post-treatment Z 939  101 milli-
seconds; p > 0.05 in paired t test).
Please cite this article in press as: Wong YM, Effect of Laser Acupuncture on Heart Rate Variability of Nonpatients and Patients with Spinal
Cord Injury, Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jams.2016.11.004
3. Discussion
The present report preliminarily demonstrated that the
physiological effect on HRV was absent when laser
acupuncture was applied below the level of injury among
the patients with complete SCI; the healthy counterparts
showed the opposite pattern. The findings suggest that the
purported meridian system may not be different from the
known nervous system, as the transected spinal cord leads
to interrupted meridians. However, other cause-and-effect
phenomena of acupuncture stimulation for SCI patients
remain unknown until future data are available, such as
electroencephalography and functional magnetic reso-
nance imaging. This report also reinforces that HRV could
be used as a tool in acupuncture research and practice for
quantifying physiological responses and treatment
effectiveness.
4. Disclosure statement
The author declares that he has no conflicts of interest and
no financial interests related to the material of this
manuscript.
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