title: [Influence of different acupuncture manipulations at Zusanli (ST 36) on skin microcirculation blood perfusion in healthy subjects].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe the influence of different acupuncture manipulations at Zusanli (ST 36) on blood perfusion of skin microcirculation in healthy volunteer subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 10 healthy volunteers were recruited in the present study. Acupuncture manipulations of lifting-thrusting reinforcing and reducing, uniform reinforcing-reducing, and simple needle insertion were applied to right Zusanli (ST 36) for 2 min. Changes of blood perfusion in the right Zusanli (ST 36) area were detected 1 min, 5 min, 10 min, 15 min, 20 min, 25 min and 30 min after acupuncture stimulation, respectively by using a Pericam Perfusion Speckle Imager. The interval between two detections for different needling manipulations was 2 days at least.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In comparison with pre-acupuncture stimulation, the blood perfusion levels of the skin microcirculation around the right Zusanli (ST 36) region were significantly increased from 1 min to 10 min following simple needle insertion, from 5 min to 30 min after uniform reinforcing-reducing manipulation, from 1 min to 30 min after reinforcing manipulation, and from 1 min to 25 min following reducing manipulation, respectively (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), and the effects of reinforcing manipulation were apparently superior to those of the reducing, uniform reinforcing-reducing manipulations and simple needle insertion in upregulating blood perfusion level (P < 0.05, P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lifting-thrusting reinforcing, reducing, uniform reinforcing-reducing manipulations of acupuncture needle, and simple needle insertion at Zusanli (ST 36) can obviously increase blood perfusion level in normal volunteer subjects, and the effect of reinforcing manipulation is apparently better.
authors.affiliation: Research Centre for Experimental Acupuncturology, Tianjin University of Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 300193, China. 13323379723@yeah.net
authors.forename: Xiao-Mei
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yan-Qi
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Yang-Yang
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Ying-Hong
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jian-Wei
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yong-Ming
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Guo
mesh_terms: D015669:Acupuncture Points; D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008833:Microcirculation; D012867:Skin / Q000098:blood supply*; D055815:Young Adult