Effects of Electrical Acupuncture to the Stellate Ganglion on Measurements by Neurometer / 全日本鍼灸学会雑誌

ABSTRACT

It has been told that acupuncture to the stellate ganglion suppresses the sympathetic activity. By using 15 patients, we made measurements of electrical current of the skin at the 24 typical determinate points of Ryodoraku with a Neurometer before and after electrical acupuncture to the right stellate ganglion.<br>After 20min rest in the supine position, average values of 6 points of the right and left upper extremities decreased with 30% and 27%, and those of the right and the left lower extremities decreased with 34% and 31%, respectively.<br>Immediately after 30min of electrical acupuncture, average values of 6 points of the right and left upper and the right and left lower extremities increased with 9%, 12%, 17% and 9%, respectively.<br>Twenty minutes after the right stellate ganglion block, average values of 6 points of the right upper extremity decreased with 16%, and those of the left one, the right and left lower extremities decreased with 9%, 18% and 14%, respectively.<br>These data suggest that acupuncture to the stellate ganglion stimulates the sympathetic tone by showing increase of electrical conductivity of the skin, while the stellate ganglion block shows the decrease.