The American Journal of Chinese Medicine

The hypothesis of Meridian-Cortex-Viscera Interrelationship maintains: 1. Meridian channel system in an independent system connected with the nerves to the cortex; 2. It acts through the nerves; 3. The nervous action is realized by humoral agents. This article gives preliminary-experimental supports for the above criteria.

Primitive life faced dangers to life during delivery and also the newly born. As a prophylactic measure Soma juice was consumed by the mother and was the first drink given to the child. This custom has survived among the Parsis. A verse in Rigveda, hiherto overlooked, is offered implying the rite previously existed even among the Vedic Ayrans.

A survey of 19 voluntary institutions providing Chinese traditional medical services in Singapore investigated their organisation, the types of medical services provided, patient volume, and the characteristics of the physicians working there. This paper reports on the findings of the survey.

The basis of human personality as given in ancient Hindu Ayurvedan literature is reviewed and interpreted in the light of current knowledge and understanding. The structure of mind expounded in Sankhyan philosophy is explained and its parallelism with the Freudian approach is brought out. The formative influences in the development of the mental constitution of an individual are described. An attempt is made to demonstrate close similarity between Ayurvedan and Lewin's field (Gestalt) theories. Significance of Tridosh (Vat, Pitta and Kaf), by vitiating the chemical balance, as estiological factors of mental illness is described. Sixteen presonality types and their correspondence with 16 types of mental disorders are mentioned.

Chinese medicine has the heritage of diagnostic technique in which the past, present and future characteristics of patients are comprehensively pigeonholed by the concept of ''confirmation'' to presume the prognosis of the disease. If this simple ''therapeutic diagnosis'' to select the therapeutic agents can be combined with ''pathologic diagnosis'' of Western medicine, it could contribute a great deal to the modern medicine. For this purpose, it is necessary to study the philosophy of and agents used in Chinese medicine at the current level of science.

Although the government of the Republic of Singapore do not give official recognition to the estimated 1000 Chinese physicians in the country, these practitioners of traditional herbal medicine still enjoy the patronage of a certain segment of the population, 76% of whom are ethnically Chinese. In an earlier paper, we have reported on the characteristics of Chinese physicians who volunteer their service for institutions that provide Chinese traditional health care in Singapore. This complementary paper reports the findings of a survey of 55 physicians who run their own private practice about whom, prior to our study, very litle was known.

Taking stock of the origin, the location and the function of the three heaters is determining their inseparability from the art of acupuncture. Apart and together they are ducted heating system of the body and pervade every cell. This really wholistic concept is firmly tied up with the birth place of all matter in the cosmos. At the change-over from energy to matter and v.v. we find them as the triggering and fertilizing force keeping body, mind and spirit together as a trinity. Consequently, although concerned with the Chi conversion on one hand, a not properly working San Chiao is mainly involved with disturbances of emotional life on the other. Locating them in the lining of the stomach is introducing the concept of heaven, earth and man. Applied to the traditional pulse positions the three heaters quite clearly, but not surprisingly, represent the three urges of life.

The effect of safflower on cerebral infarction was studied in 152 Mongolian gerbils. Sixty-three animals were evaluated neurological deficit over 8 hours postoperation, then sacrificed and NE, DA and 5-HT contents of each cerebral hemisphere and brain stem were determined. NE, DA and 5-HT of hemisphere ipsilateral to the ligated artery in untreated animals declined significantly compared with sham-operated animals and safflower-treated gerbils. There was no significant difference between safflower-treated and sham-operated animals in NE, DA and 5-HT contents. The mean stroke index at 8 hours in safflower treated animals was 2.1 ± 0.7, whereas untreated gerbils was 7.8 ± 1.9 (P < 0.01). Eighty-nine animals were followed up for 5 days, the safflower-treated animals showed a benign clinical course and mortality rate was reduced by 29.7% (6/34 vs. 26/55) in safflower-treated animals compared with untreated animals (P < 0.01). Safflower has a protective and beneficial effect on cerebral ischemia induced in Mongolian gerbils.

A number of food materials or drugs have been screened for the effect on the growth and development of transplantable Ehrlich ascites tumor cells. Growth of tumor-bearing mice was significantly inhibited by feeding garlic as well as some amino acids. These materials significantly reduced the total number of free tumor cells growing in the peritoneal cavity of mice and prolonged significantly the length of time for 50% death of tumor-bearing mice.

Guava is a plentiful fruit in Taiwan and it was taken from the plants of Psidium guajava Linn. (Myrtaceae). According to the folklore in Chinese Medicine, gauva was useful in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. In the present study, acute i.p. treatment with 1 g/kg guava juice produced a marked hypoglycemic action in normal and alloxan-treated diabetic mice. Although effective duration of guava is more transient and it is less potent than chlorpropamide and metformin, blood glucose lowering effect of guava also can be obtained by oral administration in maturity-onset diabetic and healthy volunteers. Thus, it is suggested that guava may be employed to improve and/or prevent the disease of diabetes mellitus.

Normal fertile women gives an oral dose of I-mu Ts'ao decoction (30 g. dry weight equivalent) showed an increase in intra-uterine pressure in 41.3% of 121 cases. The increase ranged from 150% to over 300% of spontaneous activity before dosing. A slightly higher success rate was observed with 2 successive doses or with improved experimental skill in later cases. Ergonovine (0.2 mg i.m.) scored a success rate of 61%. Therefore, I-mu Ts'ao decoction appeared to have a relative potency of 91% compared with ergonovine when the highest success rate (55.5%) of the former is considered. Blank control with water yield a positive response rate of 2.7%. There are no observable side-effects apart from diuresis.

Elevation of plasma levels of cholesterol and triglyceride was reduced by the intramuscular injection ginseng principles fraction 4 (saponin content, ca. ½). The elimination of intraperitoneally injected 4-[¹⁴C]-cholesterol from plasma was accelerated by fraction 4 administration. Fecal excretion [¹⁴C] bile acids and [¹⁴C] sterols after intraperitoneal injection of 4-[¹⁴C]-cholesterol was significantly increased by fraction 4 administration.

Ascited hepatoma (AH41C or AH130) was transplanted to male rats Donryu, strain. Plasma cholesterol, triglyceride (TG) and non-esterified fatty acid levels were reduced with oral administration of ginseng principle fraction 3 (saponin content, ca. 1/5). Incorporation of 1-[¹⁴C]-acetate into total lipids and fatty acids in adipose tissue was increased by fraction 3 administration in both normal and tumor-bearing rats. The incorporation increased in earlier stage of tumor growth and decreased in the later one. Incorporation of 1-[¹⁴C]-acetate into total lipid, free and esterified cholesterol, TG and phospholipid in the liver was also enhanced by fraction 3 administration in both normal and tumor-bearing animals. In vitro addition of ginseng principle fraction 4 (saponin content, ca. 1/2) increased incorporation of 1-[¹⁴C]-acetate into lipid fraction is adipose tissue and liver. Incorporation of 1-[¹⁴C]-acetate into lipid fractions in ascites hepatoma cells remained unchanged with both oral administration of fraction 3 and in vitro addition of fraction 4. DNA and protein synthesis in the tumor cells was not changed with in vitro addition of fraction 4.

Effects of Panax ginseng on plasma and hepatic lipids were investigated in the high cholesterol diet-fed rats and in patients with hyperlipidemia. Oral administration of red ginseng powder reduced plasma total cholesterol, triglyceride and NEFA*, while plasma HDL*-cholesterol was elevated. Platelet adhesiveness was also reduced by ginseng administration. The plasma lipid-improving actions were also observed in patients with hyperlipidemia. Hepatic cholesterol and triglyceride contents were decreased and phospholipid increased by ginseng administration in the high cholesterol diet-fed rats, corresponding to improvement of the fatty liver.

34 patients suffering from Meniere's disease were treated by acupuncture. Prior to acupuncture most of them had been treated with various other medical means without satisfactory results. After acupuncture treatment their condition greatly improved. The classic symptoms of Meniere's disease are vertigo, tinnitus and deafness, but for all the treated patients vertigo was the most uncomfortable and distressing symptom. In all our cases vertigo stopped after a few acupuncture courses; but in our opinion it is more important to follow and control hearing threshold, since if it remains stable the other symptoms of Meniere's disease also do not persist. All our patients were regularly followed by careful audiometric studies several years after acupuncture treatment. In most cases hearing level had not greatly varied, so the other symptoms of Meniere's disease were not present in any large degree.

Acupuncture was offered to patients with lesions affecting the locomotor system. These patients had received conventional physiotherapy treatment with limited success. The lesions treated by acupuncture were hemiplegia, low back pain, frozen shoulder, dropped foot, Sciatica, and arthritis of the knee and hip. Response to acupuncture was excellent in the more acute conditions of low back pain and frozen shoulder, where six treatment sessions were required for complete recovery. The more chronic conditions required many more treatment sessions and the improvement recorded was significant, though not complete. It was concluded that acupuncture has a valuable role to play in a physiotherapy department.

Effects of moxibustion stimulation on the phagocytic activity of the reticuloendothelial system in ddY and ICR mice has been studied by using the carbon clearance methods. It was found that moxibustion stimulation induced the enhancement of the phagocytic activity with increased phagocytic indexes (K and a indexes) and lysosomal enzyme activities in mice peritoneal exudate cells and peritoneal macrophages. In addition, the increase of carbon uptake in the Kupffer cells of the liver after carbon injection can be seen by light microscopy when compared with that of nontreated mice. Few big holes on the cell surface of the macrophages obtained from the moxibustion mice were observed in scanning electron microscopical studies. These results suggest that the moxibustion treatment caused the enhancement of the host defence mechanisms in mice.

The purpose of this experiment was to investigate how the skin resistance on accumulation points is modified by general anesthesia in gastric surgery and whether the stomach meridian shows particular changes or not. Ten patients were induced with 5 mg/kg of thiopental and maintained with nitrous oxide-oxygen-halothane. The skin resistance on 12 meridians decreased gradually from an average 432 K Ω before anesthesia to an average of 266 K Ω at the end of surgery. However, the kidney and the bladder meridians showed a trend to exceptional increase by a maximum of 100 and 73 percent, respectively. The skin resistance on the stomach meridian showed only a 23 percent decrease and no particular changes. No significant difference was noted in the change rate of meridians between the Yin and Yang groups. Comparison of these changes with those under acupuncture or local anesthesia during ophthalmic surgery was discussed.

Electrical skin resistance on Accumulation points in twelve meridians was measured during operation of cataract under local anesthesia. Electrical skin resistance increased an average of 15 percent in bladder, kidney, liver, stomach, gall bladder meridians, and decreased an average 18 percent in lung, small intestine, heart, spleen-pancreas, heart constrictor, triple heater, large intestine meridians. When comparing the skin resistance values with those under acupuncture anesthesia during ophthalmic surgery, the skin resistance value under acupuncture anesthesia exhibited a marked decrease in all meridians (average 23 percent decrease) except the kidney meridian. On the other hand, the skin resistance under local anesthesia was only a 7.4 percent decrease in all meridians except the kidney meridian. It was speculated as one of the reasons for less changes of skin resistance under local anesthesia that sympathetic nervous activity did not occur so much because of pain relief due to local anesthesia.

The snapping finger condition has increased recently. And this condition is difficult to recover in most cases. The snapping finger condition was improved quite remarkably by the rehabilitation (Reha) of the leison performed immediately after acupuncture in the symmetrical part of the leison on the normal side and Chu-chih (LI-11), Shou-son-li (LI-10), Wai-kuan (TH-5), Ho-ku (LI-4) and Yang-chih (TH-4) on the normal side. But the favorable effect could not be obtained when Reha had not been performed on the leison.

The effects were slight either in the combination therapy of Reha of the leison with the acupuncture of the leison and Chu-chih (LI-11), Shou-son-li (LI-10), Wai-kuan (TH-5), Ho-ku (LI-4) and Yang-chih (TH-4) on the abnormal side or in the simple treatment with Reha or with the acupuncture on the abnormal side. The acupuncture in the normal side resulted in a more remarkable result after Reha (Reha-effect) because Reha of the leison could easily contend with it.

It is a valuable means of therapy as the snapping finger condition is presently on the increase.

We found that "juci" appearing in "Wangdinlijingsumen" is very effective in the treatment of snapping fingers: It was revealed that the finger became able to move immediately after the acupuncture had been carried out on the healthy side at the symmetrical part to the leison. The snapping fingers were improved by the flection-extension exercise and the massage carried out while the effect of acupuncture continued because the joint could move normally during this period. Since this result accords with the principle that the exercise with the extending motility allow an augmentation in effects of rehabilitation (Reha), authors think this therapy is extremely valuable. In this paper, some cases of difficult snapping finger treated with this therapy were reported.

In osteoarthritis deformans and rheumatoid arthritis of the knee and in disorders in motility of the knee joint after cerebral hemorrhage and thrombosis, acupuncture was applied to the normal side at the symmetrical part to the leison and flection-extension exercise and massage on the affected joint were carried out as rehabilitation (Reha) during the time the needles were used. A most remarkable cure rate was obtained in osteoarthritis deformans of the knee when treated with acupuncture on the normal side and flection-extension exercise and massage on the affected part. The cure rate was low in rheumatoid arthritis, and the therapy was non-effective concerning disorders in motility of the knee joint after cerebral hemorrhage or thrombosis.

The improvement rate, however, was extremely low in ostearthritis deformans and rheumatoid arthritis of the knee after the acupuncture on the affected part of the affected side with Reha on the affected part of the affected side, or Reha on the leison, and these means of therapy were completely non-effective concerning disorders in motility after cerebral hemorrhage or thrombosis. Our previous reports No. 1 and 2 accord with the evidence obtained in this study that the acupuncture on the normal side and Reha on the affected part of the affected side produced most remarkable effect in osteoarthritis deformans of the knee. The low improvement rate in rheumatoid arthritis and non-effectiveness concerning disorders in motility of the knee joint after cerebral hemorrhage or thrombosis may be explained by differences in morphology of the diseases.

Recent developments in the field of clinical acupuncture in the USA and worldwide are reviewed. The discovery of β-endorphin in support of acupuncture pain relief is discussed. Other neurotransmitters in relation to the mechanism of action of acupuncture are examined. The uses of acupuncture in treating functional disorders are listed and discussed. Supporting evidence from animal experimentation is examined. The electro-acupuncture according to Voll (EAV) system is introduced as a means to standardize the therapeutic effectiveness of acupuncture. With standardization of the therapeutic effectiveness of this procedure, the author sees acupuncture as a simple, economical and effective treatment modality.