Detection of Acupuncture Points and Meridians Based on their Electrical Properties

Acupuncture is one of the main components of Traditional Chinese Medicine and has been applied as a therapeutical method for centuries. As a therapeutical system, it is based on the use of specific lines in the human body, called meridians, and specific acupuncture points, for choosing the locations where the needles will be applied, depending on the specific problem. In the last few decades, there have been increasing efforts to detect and document the existence of such meridians and points based on at least some of their electrical properties being different when compared to the surrounding skin. A number of researchers have designed experiments, which have had varying degrees of success. Since different researchers have used different experimental setups, and the sample size is usually low, there are issues of validity and comparison between different research results. On the other hand, the majority of available evidence is in favor of there being points and lines characterised by distinct electrical properties, corresponding to acupuncture points and meridians respectively. At the same time, several other theories have been proposed to explain the biological basis of acupuncture points and meridians, while their connection to specific cellular components or neural sequences is an intriguing possibility. While comprehensive research is required to fully document the electrical properties of acupuncture points and meridians, a connection between such properties and their biological basis must also be established.