title: [Our considerations about non-acupoint selection for experimental studies in rats].
abstract: Researches on the specificity of acupoints need a contrast of non-acupoint. However, there have been no uniform standards for locating the non-acupoint in both human body and animals. In the present paper, the authors make a review about the methods for locating the non-acupoint in rats during acupuncture experiments in recent decade. Till now, four methods were frequently used, i.e., 1) selecting a spot beside the known acupoint at the same level, 2) selecting the mid point between two meridian running courses, 3) choosing a spot at the tail, and 4) choosing a spot below the costal region. The authors hold that of the 4 methods, the last one, i.e., taking the spot below the costal region as the non-acupoint is probably the most reasonable approach, if it is far from the observed acupoint, and on the same or the adjacent spinal nerve segment.
authors.affiliation: College of Overseas Education, Fujian University of Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou 350003, China. lynne981143@yahoo.com.cn
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.forename: Gui-Rong
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Pei
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D015669:Acupuncture Points; D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D016740:Meridians; D023421:Models, Animal; D051381:Rats