Intradermal Acupuncture on Shen-Men and Nei-Kuan Acupoints in Patients With Insomnia After Stroke

Abstract

This is the first study that focuses on the effects of intradermal acupuncture on insomnia after stroke. We enrolled hospitalized stroke patients with insomnia and assigned them into a real intradermal acupuncture group (RA group) or a sham acupuncture group (SA group) by randomization. The RA group received intradermal acupuncture on shen-men (He-7) and nei-kuan (EH-6) for 2 days, and the SA group received sham acupuncture on the same points. The effectiveness was measured by the Morning Questionnaire (MQ), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS). These scales were examined by an independent, blinded neurologist before, and 1 and 2 days after treatment, repeatedly. Thirty subjects (15 in the RA group and 15 in the SA group) were included in the final analysis. The RA group showed more improvement on insomnia than the SA group. Repeated measures analysis detected that there were significant between-subjects effects in the MQ, the ISI and the AIS. In conclusion, we suggest that intradermal acupuncture on shen-men and nei-kuan is a useful treatment for post stroke-onset insomnia.

Microcurrent Stimulation at Shenmen Acupoint Facilitates EEG Associated with Sleepiness and Positive Mood: A Randomized Controlled Electrophysiological Study

“…TCM practitioners regard Shenmen as the gate to the spirit and claim that stimulation at the Shenmen acupoint can restore spiritual harmony. Recent studies on patients with insomnia after stroke reveal that acupuncture on Shenmen is able to lower the level of sympathetic activity, resulting in a significant decrease in heart rate variability [81, 82]. The possible mechanism seems to be related to specific afferent nerve signals sending to the central nervous system to lower the sympathetic activity [115].…”

“…Administering magnetic stimulation to the Shenmen acupoint makes EEG signals less chaotic, suggesting that the brain is calmer and more ordered as a result of this treatment [83]. Positive results such as improved sleep quality [37], better quality of life [38], reduced insomnia in stroke patients [81, 82], and the reduction of psychological stress [37] have been reported in clinical trials. If microcurrent stimulation has a similar mechanism of action by restoring the flow of internal energy, the use of microcurrent to stimulate the Shenmen acupoint is also expected to increase sleepiness and enhance mood.…”

Intradermal Acupuncture on Shen-Men and Nei-Kuan Acupoints Improves Insomnia in Stroke Patients by Reducing the Sympathetic Nervous Activity: A Randomized Clinical Trial

“…This is a complement study to the authors' previous work entitled "Intradermal Acupuncture on Shen-Men and Nei-Kuan Acupoints in Patients with Insomnia after Stroke" (Kim et al, 2004). To assess the effect of acupuncture on the autonomic nervous function, two new measuring devices were used: a 24-hours ambulatory blood pressure monitor (ABPM) and an ambulatory ECG monitor to check the subjects' heart rate variability.…”

“…Post-stroke-onsetinsomnia is mainly caused by anxiety resulting from hyperactivity of the sympathetic nervous system (Palomaki et al, 2003;Leppavuori et al, 2002). Based on the hypothesis that acupuncture could control the autonomic nervous system (Baba et al, 2002;Kotani et al, 2001;Haker et al, 2000;Suter and Kistler, 1999;Hsieh et al, 1999;Knardahl et al, 1998), a RCT (Randomized Controlled Trial) was conducted by authors in a previous study, and based on those results, which was reported in the American Journal of Chinese Medicine that intradermal acupuncture on Shen-Men (He-7) and Nei-Kuan (EH-6) acupoints improved insomnia after stroke (Kim et al, 2004). In that report, the results were attributed to the inhibitory effects of Shen-Men and Nei-Kuan on sympathetic activity, however, the direct variables related to the subjects' autonomic nervous function were not assessed.…”

Acupuncture for Treatment of Insomnia in Patients With Traumatic Brain Injury

“…Acupuncture has been found to be effective in the treatment of insomnia poststroke 19 and has been utilized in the TBI population for treatment of various sequelae of TBI (eg, aphasia, pain, facial palsy, postconcussive syndrome). Acupuncture has been found to be effective in the treatment of insomnia poststroke 19 and has been utilized in the TBI population for treatment of various sequelae of TBI (eg, aphasia, pain, facial palsy, postconcussive syndrome).…”