The Study on Clinical Significance of
"Test of Volt-Ampere Property of Human Meridians"

On behalf of Prof. Wang Xuetai, Zhuang Ding, et al, altogether 10 researchers, I am going to give the presentation: The study on clinical significance of "Test of Volt-Ampere Property of Human Meridians."

In the late of 20th century, researchers of acupuncture in various countries, on the basis of detecting the cutaneous electric impedance at acu-points in meridians, worked out various meridian-detecting devices and intended them to be used in clinic. However, the simple detection of electric impedance would be easily disturbed by external factors. Therefore, Chinese scholars of electronic-engineering in recent years focused on the research of volt-ampere property of meridians, and an inspiring beginning has been obtained.The acupuncture researchers from 10 units have conducted the cooperative study on the clinical significance of detecting the volt-ampere property of human meridians, and the result is as following.

I. The detection on Yuan-Primary Points of twelve regular meridians would result in the following pictures:

Normal curves:

Abnormal ones: altogether 5 types, i.e. imbalance, deficiency, excess, cold and heat.

II. The test of Stability

In institute of acupuncture, the stability of this method was tested. In the same subject, the test was repeated at one point for 24 times, and there was a 2-second break after each time. The result of 40 cases showed that there is fairly high repetivity and consistency of the result from 24 times of test at the same point.

The result of 8 cases (each with 24 times of test) tested in institute of acupuncture was made the statistics of difference for 2 connected times, altogether 184 times was made. The statistical result also revealed the fairly high stability and repetivity of this method, indicating its practical value.

III. Differentiation of meridians

The result of clinical observation on 5 kinds of diseases by 10 units showed ，that there exists great identity between the disordered meridians detected by the analyzing system of volt-ampere property of human meridians and the syndrome differentiation of meridians on the basis of four diagnostic methods of traditional Chinese medicine.

IV. Syndrome differentiation for Zang-Fu Organs

Disorders of Zang-Fu organs could be reflected in the related meridians. The clinical observation on 3 kinds of diseases by 10 units found that there is great identity between the affected meridians detected by the testing method of volt-ampere property of meridians and the syndrome differentiation of Zang-Fu organs on the basis of four TCM diagnostic method

V. Differentiation of cold, heat, deficiency and excess

The observation in the past 15 years showed that the differentiation of deficiency or excess conditions in the affected meridians detected by the method of volt-ampere property of meridians is identical with conventional differentiating method of TCM. Moreover, this method could exhibits the functional status of every meridian, so it is helpful to distinguish the loci of the deficiency or excess for the patients with syndrome of mixture between excess and deficiency. For instance, a patient named Wang Hui was displayed evidently by meridian curves that there was deficiency of kidney meridian and excess of liver meridian, an identical result to the syndrome differentiation of liver-Qi stagnation and kidney deficiency in the line with the routine TCM method.

Another example is a patient named Zhang Yuping, whose meridian curves found the imbalance characterized by coldness in hand meridians and heat in the foot meridians (excessive heat in liver meridian). This diagnosis agrees with the syndrome differentiation of coexistent deficiency of Qi and blood and overflowing of blood due to heat in terms of the conventional method of TCM.

It is a new advance in the latest year to make differentiation of cold and heat syndromes with this method. First of all, Prof. Zhang Ji from Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine discovered that there often appears an oblique line of the meridian curves in patients of Bi-syndrome caused mainly by the predominancy of cold and damp. . Later, the PLA General Hospital selected 40 cases of heat syndrome (378 abnormal meridians) and 32 cases of cold syndrome (249 abnormal meridians) all of that were diagnosed with the conventional differentiating method of TCM. It was found that the meridian value is over + 150 in heat syndrome and it is below -150 in cold syndrome.

VI. To guide the clinical treatment

Firstly, the method could be helpful in guiding the acupuncture treatment, that is, in accordance with the result of volt-ampere property of meridians test, acu-points are prescribed from the affected meridians detected by this method. For instance, 25 cases of Bi-syndrome and 20 cases of miscellaneous diseases were treated respectively for one treating course in the TCM clinic of Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the effective rate was respectively 88%, and 85%.

In Guang An Men Hospital, during the treatment of asthma, it was found with this method that except the abnormality of lung meridian, there is also the abnormality of gallbladder meridian in 70% patients. This is a really exceptional diagnosis beyond the conventional TCM differentiating method, and has developed a new thinking mode of treatment, i.e. to treat lung disease, gallbladder should be included besides the lung. When the disease was improved with the treatment, the abnormality of gallbladder meridian is also much relieved.

Doctors in Beijing Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital treated stroke and neuropathic deafness patients and the treatment was guided by the test result of this method. Points were selected from the affected meridians, and the performance was made to reinforce the "mother" for deficiency and reduce the "child" for excess, thus the achievement of good effect.

The clinical observation in Central Hospital of Shengli Oil Field showed that it is quite promising to set the treating principle and making prescriptions for the internal medicine of TCM. For instance, a patient of rheumatic arthritis was treated in this hospital. The patient was so susceptible to cold that gloves and thick trousers are needed even in summer. During several times of hospitalization the treatment was concentrated on warming Yang, dredging obstruction, and dissipating cold, but the effect was unsatisfactory. The test of this method revealed the heat condition in number of meridians, and the treatment changed accordingly, i.e. clearing the heat and resolving the toxins, thus obtained a marked effect.

VII．To evaluate the curative effect

In Guang An Men Hospital of TCM, China Academy of TCM, prior to and after the treatment of asthma and acute ankle sprain, the patients were detected with this method and it was found that the improvement of the abnormal meridians is agreeable to that of the disease.

In Beijing Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, this method was used to detect the acupuncture effect for stroke patients. Before the treatment of acupuncture, there was remarkable abnormality in 6 meridians, heart, kidney, liver, stomach, spleen, and Sanjiao (Triple Energizer). 40 minutes after the needling, the detection found the improvement in various degrees. After 15 sessions of treatment, among 40 patients, 37 were effective, the effective rate was 92.5%, and the abnormality of above 6 meridians was also subsequently improved.

VIII. Summary

1). This method proves to be of high stability.

2). It could be taken as an objective measure for syndrome

differentiation of meridians, Zang-Fu organs, and cold, heat, deficiency and excess.

3). It could be used to direct the selection of acu-points and needling techniques in acupuncture treatment and the treating principle and prescription in herobology.

4). It could also be regarded as one of the objective index in evaluating the therapeutical effect.

In general, this method is a successful trial in the modernization of traditional Chinese medicine, is an important auxiliary diagnostic means for traditional Chinese medicine, and is of very good practical value in clinic.