title: [Impacts on skin blood flow under moving cupping along meridians in different directions].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the impacts on skin blood flow between moving cupping following the meridian running direction and that against the running direction.
  
  
  METHODS
  JLG-2 meridian cupping drainage instru ment was used for moving cupping on the back along the Bladder Meridian running course in either single direction for 20 times. The cupping device was Bian stone cup, 44 mm in inner diameter, negative pressure from -0.03 to -0.04 MPa. PeriScan PIM II laser Doppler perfusion imager was used to observe the changes in skin blood flow on the running course of the Bladder Meridian with cup moved up and down and in the same region on the contralateral Bladder Meridian. Blood flow was measured before cupping, at the immediate time after cupping and 10 min after cupping separately. Fourteen healthy volunteers received the test. The measuring region was subdivided into a moving cupping area, an upstream area, a downstream area, a contralateral moving cupping area, a contralateral upstream area and a contralateral downstream area. The mean blood flow was calculated in each area.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Blood flow was increased significantly in each area and was more apparently increased in the moving cupping area. In comparison of the changing rate of blood flow between cupping following the meridian running direction and that against the running direction, it was only found that the changing rate in the upstream area of moving cupping against the running direction was significantly higher than that following the running direction (P < 0.05). The differences were not statistically significant in comparison among the other areas. Additionally, the changing rates of blood flow in the upstream and downstream area of the Bladder Meridian were increased significantly as compared with the contralateral Bladder Meridian.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The local effects are similar between moving cupping following the meridian running direction and that against the running direction. The abscopal effect of moving cupping against the running direction is superior to that following the running direction. It is suggested that the dual-directional moving cupping is applicable for the treatment of local disorders and the abscopal effect is better with moving cupping against the meridian running direction.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China.
authors.forename: Yu-Ying
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Guang-Jun
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Shu-Yong
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.forename: Yu-Qin
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Wei-Bo
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D016740:Meridians; D008875:Middle Aged; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D012867:Skin / Q000098:blood supply*; D012879:Skin Physiological Phenomena