1.Analgesic effects induced by the moxibustion in rats regional differences of its effectiveness.
Kenji KAWAKITA ; Hirosada KAWAMURA
Journal of the Japan Society of Acupuncture and Moxibustion 1986;36(2):131-134
Effects of moxibustion on the jaw-opening reflex (JOR) were examined in lightly anesthetized rats. The evoked EMGs of digastric muscle elicited by tooth pulp stimulation were clearly suppressed for 2-3min by the moxibustion applied to the hair-removed skin. The suppressive effects of moxibustion on the JOR indicated some regional differences. The most effective region was the contralateral fore-arm, and a slightly less effective regions were the ipsilateral face, ipsilateral fore-arm and contralateral hind-leg. The difference of the effectiveness on JOR suppression between the acupuncture point and non-acupuncture point was not apparent.
These results suggest that the polymodal receptor, which is undoubtly activated by moxibustion, participates in the peripheral process of the induction of analgesic effect.
2.Studies on the Low Resistance Points of the Auricular Skin in Experimental Gastric Ulcer Rats
Kenji KAWAKITA ; Hirosada KAWAMURA ; Hiromi KEINO
Journal of the Japan Society of Acupuncture and Moxibustion 1982;32(1):10-13
Experimental gastric ulcer rat was prepared by submucosal injection of acetic acid (0.1ml) and the number of the low resistance point and the degree of sweating were measured at 3, 7, 14 and 21 days after the operation. The stomach and the auricular skin at the low resistance point were fixed then examined histologically.
The low resistance points detected by the square pulse method were gradually increased with the development of gastric ulcer then decreased to the control level at 21 days after the operation. The degree of sweating of the auricular skin also increased accompanied with visceral disorder. The parallel change of the low resistance point and sweating was slightly diminished by the bilateral section of the superior cervical ganglion. No characteristic histological changes of the skin was observed in the low resistance point as far as we examined.
These results suggest that the increase of the low resistance points accompanied with the gastric ulcer is caused by the neural and humoral activation of the sweating gland.
3.A Method Detecting The Low Resistance Point of the SKin
Kenji Kawakita ; Hirosada Kawamura ; Kenji Nihonyanagi
Journal of the Japan Society of Acupuncture and Moxibustion 1981;31(1):5-10
In the acupuncture clinic the method of selecting treatment points by measuring the electrical resistance of the skin has been widely used. It has become known that depending on the measuring period and the loaded voltage, the low resistance points of the skin are easily created, thus there remain many problems of the methods for measuring the skin resistance.
The present study was performed on the forearm skin of human subjects. For the measuring electrode an Ag-AgCl wire electrode with a diameter of 0.5mm was used. The electrode was fixed up to a FD-pick up (Nihon Kohden) and monitoring the pressure applied to the skin. A metal rod wrapped in a piece of gauze soaked with saline solution was used as the indifferent electrode. The skin resistance was calculated by measuring the current pass the both electrodes with a fixed resistance (10KΩ) Placed in series in the circuit when a square pulse (10msec, 4V) was appqied to the skin.
By used of the spuare pulse the low resistance points of the skin are stably detected when they are measured repeatedly. On the other hand, by of -DC 10 Volt, tce low resistance points gradually increase in number and lowering the resistance value by repeated measurerents. The sweat glands and hair follicle also show the low resistance value.
In conclusion, we could not distinguish the “true” low resistance points from sweat gland and other resistance destroyed points by measuring current clearly. But the square pulse method for measuring the skin resistance is useful to detect the low resistance point.
4.Electro-acupuncture Analgesia After Neonatal and Adult Capsaicin Treatment.
Hirosada KAWAMURA ; Yuzo NINOMIYA ; Masaya FUNAKOSHI
Journal of the Japan Society of Acupuncture and Moxibustion 1996;46(1):1-6
Effects of capsaicin (CAP) treatment on electro-acupuncture (EA) analgesia were studied by examining, threshold of rats treated CAP in their naonatal and adult periods. Pain threshold of animals were measured as the latency until the occurrence of the hind paw withdrawal in response to heat noxious stimuli by using a hot-plate (HP) method. In control rats, application of EA to the right forepawLI-10, 11), increase the latency to about 160% of the control level (befor the EA application), where as in rats treated with CAP in both neonatal and adult periods, EA application hardly affected the latency.
There results suggests that treatment with CAP in both neonatal and adult period abolishes the EA analgesia in rats.
5.Effects of Local Application of Capsaicin to Pheriperal Nerves on Electro-acupuncture Analgesia for Each Part in The Rat.
Hirosada KAWAMURA ; Yuzo NINOMIYA ; Masaya FUNAKOSHI
Journal of the Japan Society of Acupuncture and Moxibustion 1996;46(2):65-69
Effects of local application of capsaicin (CAP) to peripheral nerve on electro-acupuncture (EA) analgesia were examined in rats. Changes in paine thresholds by the EA were examind using tail-flick, hot-plate and Jaw-opening reflex methods. In the tail-flick methods, and hot-plate the latency of responses to heat noxious stimuli were measured in awake rats. In the jaw-opening reflex method, the EMG amplitude of digstric muscle in response to electrical stimulation of the tooth pulp of the incisor was measure in lightly anesthetized rats. Cap was topically treated on the right side of the radial, ulner and medial nerves of the animal's forepaw. The application of the EA to the CAP-untreated left side of the animal's forepaw produced significant changes in the latencies and the EMG amplitude, indicating the abolishment of the EA analgesia by CAP treatment.
These results suggest that CAP-sensitive primaly afferents are responsible for the EA analgesia measured by there different methodes.
6.Disapperance of aural vertigo after acupuncture treatment of an inner ear point.
Hirosada KAWAMURA ; Miyuki KAWAMURA ; Kenji UNO ; Masaru TOMINARI
Journal of the Japan Society of Acupuncture and Moxibustion 1997;47(1):1-5
Patients with aural vertigo on changing their position in bed were selected for an investigation of the effects of acupuncture on aural vertigo. Second, the effects of acupuncture were compared among two points on the inner ear, Jia'che point (ST-6) and Tinggong's (SI-19), using the Fukuda's vestibular function test. By acupuncture treatment on a point used to treat inner ear symptoms, aural vertigo disappeared and scores on Fukuda's vestibular function test improved. Acupuncture treatment of an inner ear point was shown to be effective for the aural vertigo.
7.A Role of Substancy P Containing Primary Afferent Fibers for The Electro-acupuncture Analgesia.
Hirosada KAWAMURA ; Yuzo NINOMIYA ; Ryuzo YAMAGUCHI ; Masaya FUNAKOSHI
Journal of the Japan Society of Acupuncture and Moxibustion 1995;45(4):232-237
The effects of local application of capsaicin (CAP) to peripheral nerves on electroacupuncture (EA) analgesia were behaviorally examined in the rats. Pain threshold, datermined by using a hot-plate and tail-flick methods, increased to 160-180% of the control value after EA, which was applied to the acupuncture points between LI-11 and LI-12 of the rat forepaw. After the local application of CAP to the radial, ulner and median nerves of the animal's right forepaw, the EA, applied to the treated forepaw, did not significantly change the pain threshold. In the same animals, the EA applied to the untreated side increased the threshold as high as that before the CAP treatment. This indecates that the EA became ineffective on the CAP treated side, this ineffectiveness of the EA cont inued until at last 15 days in the case of the single CAP treatment for 15min, on the peripheral nerves. The substance P (SP) concentration in the spinal dolsal horn (C5-7) of these animals, which was measured by radioimmunoassay, was about 40% lower in the CAP treated side than in the untreated side.
These results suggest that SP-containing primary afferents, of which nerve conduction was probably blocked by treatment whth CAP, convey information for EA analgesia.