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LaserAcupuncture
In the nameof improvineclassical
unilaterally,
no changewasproduced
lohannesJ Bischko
acupuncture,
many atteriptshave
on the ipsilateralside,however,the
beenmadeat replacing
needlingof
untreat<id,
contralateralsidedemon
Headof the Ludwi! Boltzmann
theskin,whichsomepeopleconsider Acupuncture lnstitute,Vienna
strateda significantincreasein ternpainful,with other means.One of
peratureof 0.27oC.Measuremenl
theseattempLsis the substitutionof in thestratumcoriumiitonlyreaches laser application(-15seconds),and
needleswith the laserbeam.ls this the pigmentof the strarumbasale contro measurementwere per
justified?
Yes.Why?
whehtle wavelengths
are300nm or formedin immediatesuccession.
We
points more.The longertle waveengthof haveno explanationfor this pheno
Weknowthatacupuncture
aresupenorareasof the slrn.Thrsrs the light,the deeperthe penetration
the capilsupported
by the(relatrvely
measur intothe skin,thusreaching
Biochemical
changesfollowing
able)redu(edelectrL(al
5lrn resisl- lary and neuralterminalnetwork. laserradiationof st 36 were demon
ance they demonstrate,as well as The maximumdepthof penetration straredby the followingparameters:
11'
KELLNER's
histological
studieswhich seemsto be about800nm,whichis urine quantity,17-ketosteroids,
warelengths hydroxyconicosteroids,
by hrgher
Na, K, Ca,
differentiatethe pointsaccordingto againreduced
predomrnantly/f lhe sameenerByrsLnvolved.
receptor{contarnrng
Mg, and phosphates.
One urine
Krause,
Malphigian,
Ruffini's,
HoyeF
At our institute
we usea helium sampe wastakenbetween700 9.00
Crossercorpuscles,
etc)and effector neon-laser
with a wavelengthof 632 am. Lasertherapywas thenapplied
attributes.
Thelattercontainbundles nm (ie.in theredspectral
range).
and and the secondsamplewas taken
of smoothmusculature
with lymph a poweroLrtpLrt
of 2 mW Laser
liShtis between 9.0G11.00am. Fourteen
channels
whichformvesseis.
Hence, differentiated
from normallightby its patientswere treatedwith placebo
the transmission
locationsof the intensity,
monochromatism,
difective laser(ie, not appliedcorectly to St
acupuncture
stimulus
from the peri bundling
andcoherence.
lt isgenera 36); sixteenwere treated correctl/.
pheryto the reacting
organliein the ted by inducedemission.
ltseffecton The radiationpen was not placed
subcutis
and corium.Everystimulus biologicalsystemsdependson the directlyon the poinqthe beamwas
in theselayersproduces
of about1 mm
a response intensityof the laser.lf it is sligh! appliedat a distance
in the connective
tissueand neural biophysical
in the humoral in both randomgroups.All patients
changes
groupdemonstrated
a
structures
locatedthere-Thestimulus environment,for exarnple,in the in theplacebo
(ie, clusterformation,can be produced srpnificant
drop In all tegtedpara
canbe manual,electrornagnetic
wrrhthe erceptronof Ca.Thrs
ight),thermal,or chemical.
aside from enerqeticohenomena m-eters
Absorption
of energyis the pre suchasthermaleflects,f hotochemi was not the casewith true radiation
requisitefor an effect via light. Un cal reactions,etc. Professor
KELLNERof st 36. Congruousresultshaveal(rnadiatindlight15justas demonstrated,
on patients
absorbed
for example,on oxy- readybeendemon5trated
inaffpctrve
as totally reflected.
The dation reactionson the fool of fie who received acupuncture with
(BIRKMEYER,
REIDERER
et al).
energyof the photonsdependson pig,that photosensitizers
arealsoin- needles
whrchis determrned volvedin the efie.t of the laserbeam.
therrfrequency
Anothertestserieswasperfonned
by multiplyingthe oscillationfre This aso producedsturdres
on the withpotentiameasurement.Tension
quency by Planck'sconstant and drrectandrndrrect
dep$ of peneka- betweena cylindrical
groundelec
hence,also determinesthe liShfs tion on the sameorgan.Whilethese trode with a lurface 01.60cm' and
colour
studieswere still cairied out with a a pointelectrode
of 4 mm'wasmeaTheenergylevelsof the photons mr.rltiplecore light conductor,the suredon the begLnning
and terminal
wrththoseof theabsorb- clinical
correspond
wereproduced
with loci of the mendrans
findinss
wrth an appa-with
inBsubstance.
Thisprocess,
whi(h is apparatuses
single core light ratus constructed by KOKOsCHI
pro conouctors.
automatically
calledresonance,
NECC. tive consecutivemeasureprimaryabsorption
ducesa selective
Thedirectdepthof penetration
of mentsoi the startinBvalue
wereper
whichis ableto callforthsecondary thelaserray(ie,unscattered
|Bht)was foflned on fourleen patients.Since
reactions.Theseagain may have a 0.8 mm, the indrrectdepth(caused the measurement
valuesno longer
latentperiod,a reactionthreshold, by the scatterin tissue)rangedfrom changealteronLytwo measLrremen{5
anddependon thedosage.
1 0 1 5m m .
(whilethe first measurement
with
Hence,theeffecL
of the rAhtwLll
Certain substancesregularly applied radiation pen indeed probe differenton differentmateiialand change their electrical resistance ducedan increaseof 15 m{ therapy
demonstratedependency on the dependinB
so that was administered
on temperature
in ea.h casebe
lighfswavelength.
Theskinsperme- they can be usedto measurethe lat- tweenfie secondandthirdmeasure
consists ter by meansof probes.Measuring ment- Placebolaser therapywas
abilityfor lightquantitatively
of the refle.tionand transmission
of probesof this type were appliedto ti\,ento ninepatient5;
points
LorrecL
the lieht.The
of the trans- thepointLu5 on 21thermally
dimension
acclim wereradiatedon elevenpatients.The
missi6nis partlydependenton ab' atized patients,whereby the probe placebo subjects demonstrateda
sorptronand partly on the scatter wassunoundedby skinon all sides distinctdrop in tension;correctly
Thesefactorsproducerhe depth of through adductionof the forearm. applredtherapydemonshatedan
penetration.
Hence,if a smallamount Priorto laseracupuncture,
a mean increase.
Thistoo can be observed
of liehtis reflected{suchasin the UV temperatLrreof 35.4o was deter with acupunctureperfoflned with
range in particulai),$e light will mined. Noteworthyis the observa needles-Our explanationfor this
already
to a greatextent tionthatwhenthe laserwasapplied effectisthat the infonnationcontent
beabsorbed
18

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AControlledTrialof
Acupunctureinfinnitus
Tinnitusis a conditionfor whichfew
patients find a successfulmedical
N., Marks,P Emery
treatment,it was thereforedecided
and C Onisipho.ou
to conductatrialusinganalternative Thejournalof Laryngology
and
unorthodoxtreatmenl.Chronicoain
Otololy. November1984,Vol. 98,
andtinnituswerecompared
pp11031109
andsev
eral similarities
were noted and a
theoretical felationshipwas established.As acupuncture
is successfulfailed to reveal any significant
in treatingchronicpain,it was used differencesbetween ilacebo and
to treat tinnitus. Patients were activeacupuncturetreatment-How
treatedon a doubleblind crossover ever, individual patients reported
The trial was placebocon' short term improvementsafter acuba5r5.
trolled usingmock acupuncture
as puncture treatment but not alter
the placebo.This entaiJed
shallow pLaceoo.
This trial ot acupuncture
treats
epidermalprickingin inappropriate
srtes-lwo treatmentsweregtvenone ment can be criticisedfrom three
week apart.Therewas a rest period aspects.First,the points used bore
of three weeks then the patients little relationship to Traditional
were ctossedover,Assessment
was ChineseMedicine.Point selection
after each treatment. Statistical appearedto be basedon their proxianalysisof the group as a whole mity to the eat or their being on

on thearm.OnlyKidney6
meridians
wasselected{or itseffectson the eat
accordingto T.C.M.lf points were
selectedaccordingto modernwesternmedicine
thenLl4withitsstrong
generaleffectswould be chosenin
addition to points which might influence the eighth cranial nerve.
Secondly,the useof two treatments
only, cannot be consideredto be
adequate,ten to fifteenbeingrecom
mendedby some authors.Finally,
crossing
duringan acupuncture
trial
faLls
tolake inio accoJntany of the
long terrnettectsot acupuncture.
On the whole the lackof efficacy
in thi5Lflalseenrs
to
of acupunclure
of rhetrral.
bedureto thepoordesrgn
It merelyopensthe door for further
trialswhichwouldbe justified
by the
individual short-term benefits reported.

is rnadeavailable
by the organism
in paintul corns, etc- Becauseof the form or the other, although we have
an appropriate
mannerif thepatient laserbeam'ssafetyfor both patient not yet discoveredprognosliccrileria
is compensated.
lf, horvevethe s andphysician,
itsabsolute
steiility,
as for this. Hence, it is recommendab e
decompensated,
thereisa reduction well as painlessness,
areal radiation to revert to the other fonn if the
of information
andtension
ofthistypecanalsobeextended
to a patient does not react to the applied
The last studieson eight and totaldurationof up LothreemtnLrtes. method aftef five treatments.Studips
eleven patients demonstraiedthe Theacupuncture
porntssurtable
for on thls subject are now in pro8ress.
extenl to whi.h suchexiernalinfoF the disorderwith whichone is dealmationcan be impartedby rneansof ing (whenexistent)are to be treated Eibliosraphy
C. Akupunktur
elne Ord
a needleor laser.Aftermeasurement in the usualmannerprior to areal BACHMANN,
nungstherapie,
Haug195q.
asdescribedabove,therensionlevel
BEChER,
R TheoaederEektrzrtrt,8d
ofthe meridiansmeasured
wasdeter
A greatadvantageof the laseris TeubnerBe.in/Leipzig
1941.
mined.Depending
on the level,the stillto be mentionedin conclusion. BERCSMANN,
O. Beziehungen
zw schen
appropriatesedativeor tonification That is lhe limesavingiactor: with Hautund Organam Beisplel
der Lunge,
pointwas needledor radiated
with the laset the durationof the session DZA 196612150.
j. An Introdlctionto Acu
the laserA distinctinfluence
on the can be reducedto a tenth of the BISCHKO,
Haug,1978.
measurement
valuesin the above lengthof time requiredwhenneedles punctufe,
KELLNER,
C. BauundFunktien
der Haut,
sense was again produced.This
personal
DZA
1966/1/1
and
communica
impliesthat the disputedmeridians
The laser cannot be errp oyed
tron1978.
are significantas informationtracks for paralyses
of the extremitiesor in KOKOSCHINECC,
P.,PIENK,
H. Bioelek
and may hencealsobe considered acupuncture
analqesia
Thisis prob trischeMessungen
an AkupunkturpLrnkexistent.
ably due ro $e fact that here,the tenzurDiagnose
undTheraplekontrolle,
As already briefly mentioned needlesmust be insertedrelatively ACSBericht
1/7s.
above,the clinicalcasesweretreated deeplyand intensively
stimolated. KROTLINCER,
M. ZumElnsatzdes
Lasers
with the laserdevicewith a single
Ourstudies
leadusto believethat in der AkupunkturDZA 4l2ol1977lga
core liShtconductor.Here,a distinct thebasically
deepneedleinsertion
in 102.
P, TENK,H,, WERNER,
H.,
Incleaseol me conerence
was pro acupuncture
is not decisive
for the RIEDERER,
H. Maniducedso that rhroughthrs,surface thefapeutic
successj
nor is stimula BlscHKo,J.,RETIA., KR|SPER,
by Acu
radiation
overlargerareasfrom
a dis- tion in everycase.Thereis no signi pulationof Neurotransmitters
Joumaof Neurotransmission
tanceot up to 10cm is possible.Thisficant differencebetween patients puncture?
lZ1, S.6, Springer
methodwas rapidlyadoptedfor the treated with the laser and those TRONNIER,
K.,SCHNEIDER,
W.Lichtther
treatmentof ulcerof the leg,stoma treatedwith needlesin all studies. apie, in Handbuchder physikallschen
titis,woundswhichdo not liealwell, Indeed,in daily practice,one does Therapie
(CRUBER
STIEVE),
Bd.1,Flscher,
scarstfom herpeszosterneuralgia,seecaseswhich reactbetter to one Stuttgart1966.
19

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Laser acupuncture
Johannes J Bischko
Acupunct Med 1986 3: 18-19

doi: 10.1136/aim.3.1.18
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