Bioengineering assessment of acupuncture, part 7: heart rate variability.
In the seventh part of this review article, preliminary research on the topic of acupuncture and heart rate variability is described. Heart rate variability (HRV) refers to the beat-to-beat alterations in heart rate. Under resting conditions, the electrocardiograms of healthy people exhibit periodic variations in the percentage change in sequential chamber complexes (RR-intervals). The parameter HRV is modulated by the blood-pressure control-system, influences from the hypothalamus, and, in particular, the vagal cardiovascular center in the lower brainstem. This review article contains a short summary of scientific literature on HRV and acupuncture.
Litscher
Gerhard
G
Research Unit of Biomedical Engineering in Anesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM Research Center), Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria. gerhard.litscher@medunigraz.at
D026881:Acupuncture; D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D000328:Adult; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System; D017704:Baroreflex; D001698:Biomedical Engineering; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000294:innervation / Q000503:physiopathology; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006349:Heart Valve Diseases / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D010507:Periodicity