Full Title: Contact-free infrared thermography for assessing effects during acupuncture: a randomized, single-blinded, placebo-controlled crossover clinical trial

BACKGROUND: Although evidence of its effects is tentative, acupuncture has long been used in the treatment of multiple maladies. So far, it has not been possible to discriminate the effects of the venue from specific results of needling itself, thus physicians merely depend on patients' statements. The authors investigated the efficacy of infrared thermography in distinguishing response to true acupuncture as compared to nonacupoint cutaneous and muscular needling (sham or minimal acupuncture), as well as without manipulation. METHODS: Thermographic imaging was performed in 50 healthy volunteers randomly assigned to four groups: Acupuncture of Hegu (LI 4), needling of a cutaneous and a muscular point where no acupuncture point has been described yet, and without manipulation. In a crossover protocol, each proband completed all four arms of the protocol in a random order. Infrared thermograms were gathered at defined points in each group. RESULTS: A significant increase in surface temperature occurred within 2 min after needling the acupuncture point Hegu (from 30.1 +/- 2.7 degrees C [SD] to 31.2 +/- 3.0 degrees C and to 31.9 +/- 2.5 degrees C after 10 min, P < 0.001), whereas needling of the cutaneous and muscular point, as well as without any manipulation resulted in a decrease of temperature in the monitored area. CONCLUSION: Contact-free infrared thermographic imaging is a reliable and easy-to-handle tool to distinguish between needling at Hegu and needling of a nonacupoint ("sham" acupuncture).

Anesthesiology. 2009 Sep;111(3):632-9. Agarwal-Kozlowski K, Lange AC, Beck H. Center for Palliative Care and Pain Management, Doerenberg Medical Center, Bad Iburg, Germany. kagarwal@doerenberg-klinik.de

Effect of photo-acoustic stimulation on the flow rate and protein concentration of whole saliva was investigated. 10 medical students' and 11 edentulous patients' salivary volume and protein concentrations were measured before, during, and after stimulation. The flow rate of the students' group was significantly higher (p < or = 0.01) before and after the treatment, whereas the protein concentration was significantly lower (p < or = 0.05) before, during and after treatment comparing to the patients' group. The flow rate of the students' groups significantly decreased during stimulation (p < or = 0.05). Salivary protein concentration of the students' group significantly increased (p < or = 0.05) after stimulation. There were no significant changes in the group of patients. Repeated stimulation combined with hypnotic relaxation was used in the case of 4 psychosomatic patients. Resting salivary flow and protein concentration significantly increased in 2 cases (p < or = 0.05) as a result of the therapy.

Fogorv Sz. 2003 Oct;96(5):217-21. Kaán B, Krause WR, Krause M, Fejérdy L, Gáspár J, Bálint M, Fábián TK. Semmelweis Egyetem, Fogpótlástani Klinika, Budapest.