5200-Year-Old Acupuncture in Central Europe?

Dorfer, Leopold; Moser, Maximilian; Spindler, Konrad; Bahr, Frank R.; Egarter-Vigl, Eduard; Dohr, Gottfried

doi:10.1126/science.282.5387.239f

Cited by 57 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…Findings from the Tyrolean Iceman, who had tattoos at acupuncture points along the Bladder Meridian, have been suggested to possibly reflect the ancient origin of acupuncture [1]. Acupuncture is still widely practiced in East Asia, but the detailed mechanisms underlying its effects are poorly characterized.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of application of an ancient type of acupuncture needle on body temperature, immune function and the autonomic nerve system

Watanabe¹,

Takano²,

Tomiyama³

et al. 2012

Health

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The di-zhen (DZ) is an ancient type of acupuncture needle with a history dating back more than 2000 years. Unlike modern acupuncture needles, the DZ is not inserted subcutaneously, and is safely and commonly used at the bedside. The mechanisms underlying its effects are not known. In this study, we measured sublingual and cutaneous body temperature, pulse rate, oxygen pressure (PO 2 ), oxygen saturation (SO 2 ) and carbon dioxide pressure (PCO 2 ) before and after DZ application in 25 healthy male volunteers. Serum levels of catecholamines (adrenaline, noradrenaline and dopamine) and white blood cells (WBCs; ratio and number) were traced for one week. Soon after DZ application, pulse rate, body temperature, PO 2 and SO 2 all decreased. The serum levels of adrenaline and noradrenaline increased, indicating sympathetic dominance, and the number of granulocytes was elevated. One week after DZ application, the number of lymphocyte increased. We therefore suggest that DZ affects body temperature, pulse rate, catecholamine secretion and immune function by inducing transient sympathetic dominance via actions on the autonomic nervous system. These effects are similar to the effects observed with modern needles, which are inserted subcutaneously. Therefore, we consider DZ treatment to be advantageous and safe in modern clinical practice, especially in postsurgical and terminal care, as it avoids the issues with infection and tissue damage sometimes seen with modern acupuncture needles.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of application of an ancient type of acupuncture needle on body temperature, immune function and the autonomic nerve system

Watanabe¹,

Takano²,

Tomiyama³

et al. 2012

Health

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“…The tattoos are located at points traditionally indicated for this condition. 10,11 The animistic health and safety beliefs of Neolithic shamans have evolved in the Far East into a mechanistic system of therapeutic needling for the adjustment of the vital flow of a putative subtle substance called Qi (pronounced "chee"), that is believed to circulate in a network of 12 primary "channels," also called "tracks," or "meridians," which, like stellar constellations, connect 360 principle points. This art has been practiced in China for thousands of years along with herbal medicine and manipulative therapy (tui-na) and has been conceptualized according to ancient metaphysics, alchemy, astrology, Chinese humoral medicine, numerology, and geomancy (feng shui).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Neuroimmune Basis of Anti-inflammatory Acupuncture

2007

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This review article presents the evidence that the antiinflammatory actions of acupuncture are mediated via the reflexive central inhibition of the innate immune system. Both laboratory and clinical evidence have recently shown the existence of a negative feedback loop between the autonomic nervous system and the innate immunity. There is also experimental evidence that the electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve inhibits macrophage activation and the production of TNF, IL-1β β, IL-6, IL-18, and other proinflammatory cytokines. It is therefore conceivable that along with hypnosis, meditation, prayer, guided imagery, biofeedback, and the placebo effect, the systemic anti-inflammatory actions of traditional and electro-acupuncture are directly or indirectly mediated by the efferent vagus nerve activation and inflammatory macrophage deactivation. In view of this common physiological mediation, assessing the clinical efficacy of a specific acupuncture regimen using conventional double-blind placebo-controlled trials inherently lacks objectivity due to (1) the uncertainty of ancient rules for needle placement, (2) the diffuse noxious inhibitory control triggered by control-needling at irrelevant points, (3) the possibility of a dose-response relationship between stimulation and effects, and (4) the possibility of inadequate blinding using an inert sham procedure. A more objective assessment of its efficacy could perhaps consist of measuring its effects on the surrogate markers of autonomic tone and inflammation. The use of acupuncture as an adjunct therapy to conventional medical treatment for a number of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases seems plausible and should be validated by confirming its cholinergicity. Keywords

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“…Enabling the IR capability is therefore a matter of removing this filter, allowing the full spectrum of wavelengths to hit the CCD. Tattoos may be thus visualized easily because of the deeper penetration through the skin of IR wavelengths, and because IR is absorbed by the coloring particles introduced in the deeper layers of the skin by tattooing (Dorfer et al, 1998;Lynnerup and Kragegaard Knudsen, 2002) (see Fig. 2).…”

Section: Infrared Reflectography and Ultraviolet Fluorescencementioning

confidence: 99%

Mummies

Lynnerup

2007

Am. J. Phys. Anthropol.

169

115

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Mummies are human remains with preservation of nonbony tissue. Mummification by natural influences results in so-called natural mummies, whereas mummification induced by active (human) intervention results in so-called artificial mummies, although many cultures practiced burial rites, which to some degree involved both natural and artificial mummification. Since they are so uniquely well-preserved, mummies may give many insights into mortuary practices and burial rites. Specifically, the presence of soft tissues may expand the scope of paleopathological studies. Many recent mummy studies focus on the development and application of nondestructive methods for examining mummies, including radiography, CT-scanning with advanced three-dimensional visualizations, and endoscopic techniques, as well as minimally-destructive chemical, physical, and biological methods for, e.g., stable isotopes, trace metals, and DNA. This article discusses mummification and gives a presentation of various key mummy finds and a brief history of mummy studies. A description of the extant key technologies of natural and medical science that are applied in mummy studies is given; along with a discussion of some of the major results in terms of paleopathology. It is also shown how mummy studies have contributed much to the knowledge of the cultural habits and everyday life of past populations. Finally the impact of mummy studies on analyses of mortuary practices and cultural history is discussed. Yrbk Phys Anthropol 50: 162-190, 2007. V

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5200-Year-Old Acupuncture in Central Europe?

Cited by 57 publications

References 2 publications

The effects of application of an ancient type of acupuncture needle on body temperature, immune function and the autonomic nerve system

The effects of application of an ancient type of acupuncture needle on body temperature, immune function and the autonomic nerve system

The Neuroimmune Basis of Anti-inflammatory Acupuncture

Mummies

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