eCAM Advance Access published online on November 12, 2007
eCAM, doi:10.1093/ecam/nem145
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Ten Years Evidence-based High-Tech Acupuncture—A Short Review of Peripherally Measured Effects*
Research Unit of Biomedical Engineering in Anesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 29, A-8036 Graz/Austria
Since 1997, the Research Unit of Biomedical Engineering in Anesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine of Graz Medical University has been dealing with the demystification of acupuncture and examining, using non-invasive methods, how different stimulation modalities (manual needle acupuncture, laserneedle acupuncture and electro acupuncture) affect peripheral and central functions. Laser is also an important instrument for acupuncture. One only needs to mention the treatment of children or of patients with needle phobia. The laserneedle acupuncture, which was examined scientifically for the first time in Graz, represents a new painless acupuncture method for which up to ten laserneedles are glued to the skin, but not stuck into it. This first part of the short review article summarizes some of the peripherally measured effects of acupuncture obtained at the Medical University of Graz within the last 10 years.
Keywords: complementary medicine – integrative medicine – laserneedle acupuncture – traditional Chinese medicine
For reprints and all correspondence: Gerhard Litscher, Research Unit of Biomedical Engineering in Anesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 29, A-8036 Graz/Austria. Tel: +43 316 385-3907; Fax: +43 316 385-3908; E-mail: gerhard.litscher{at}meduni-graz.at
* This article was presented by the author in part as a keynote lecture at the 10th East-West Medical CMIR Conference Integrative Medicine—The Future? on March 17th, 2007, at the Royal College of Physicians in London. This article is based on the review series Bioengineering Assessment of Acupuncture as published in Critical Reviews in Biomedical Engineering (2–6, 26).
Received April 23, 2007; accepted September 6, 2007