ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHIC RESEARCH OF INFORMATION VALUE OF ACUPUNCTURE MERIDIANS
Petar Papuga
Institute BION, Stegne 21, Ljubljana ,
Slovenija
petar.papuga@guest.arnes.si
Abstract
Some physiological changes in people can influence skin electrical conductivity by changing its electrical resistance, which is reproducible in the form of electrophotographic records of the skin surface. We presume that such changes appear earlier than the clinical stage of disease as a reflection of functional disturbances. We tried to explore whether it is possible to record and recognize thyroid hyperactivity by means of electrophotography, acquired by a specially designed tool called GDV- camera (Gas Discharge Visualization Camera). Recording of these changes was significantly repeatable and could be used in addition to other diagnostic and epidemiological screening purposes.
Introduction
There are two major streams of information in the body, carried by the endocrine end the neural signals flows among the different tissues and remote organs. Contemporary neuroendocrinology is focusing most of its attention to the neuroendocrine interface hypothalamic-adenohypophiseal unit, which is capable of converting neural signal to hormonal output. Besides these two, communication may be supported by some additional level of signaling. Interrelationship between the autonomous nervous system and the endocrine glands has a less structured theoretical foundation (Cardinali, 1994). Some experiments show that specific patterns of varying skin electrical resistance are closely related to acupuncture points and meridians (Chan, 1984,1992). In early thirties it was shown that sympathetic nerves may also be involved in functional modelling of acupuncture system neurophysiology (Bowsher, 1998). The meridian system could carry information of organ malfunctioning before the onset of disease.
We know that certain physiological changes (hormonal discrepancies, stress, cardiovascular disturbances, etc.) have their influence on electrical conductivity of skin and cause fluctuations in its electrical resistance. These fluctuations can be measured in various ways, which is often used in psychology or criminology for verification of statements (Horowitz 1997, Patrick 1991, Kircher 1988). Fluctuations in electrical resistance are also applied in therapeutic and research fields of electro-acupuncture. These fluctuations are most obvious on the tips of fingers and toes (Horst, 1984, De Vernejoul,1984, Nakatani, 1977)
The purpose of our research was to explore whether it is possible to record and recognize these electrical resistance changes due to thyroid hyperactivity by means of electrophotography, acquired by GDV- camera (Gas Discharge Visualization Camera. Our basic hypothesis was, that people with thyroid hyperactivity have statistically significant and repeatable changes of peripheral skin resistance in comparison to healthy individuals, and that these changes are provable and repeatable with our analyzing method.
Materials and methods
At the Department of Nuclear Medicine at Ljubljana Clinical Center we studied 8 patients (with confirmed thyroid hyperactivity) and the control group of 6 healthy person, age 18 to 65, without thyroid dysfunction in their medical history and medically examined at Blood Transfusion Center . The diagnostic criteria for selection of patients were: a confirmed diagnosis of thyroid hyperactivity and pathologically high serum values of thyroid hormones FT4 and FT3 along with lowered values of TSH. All examinees were volunteers and were acquainted with the method. We used a camera “Crown-TV”, adapted for electrophotographic recording of fingertips. The “Crown TV” camera (made by Kirlionics International, St.Petersburg) is composed of an electrode, covered with dielectric material, generator of electrical current and a video camera (picture 1).
Protocol description
Examinees fingertips were recorded in the dark chamber of GDV camera. Exposure in the electrical field was 0.5 s, voltage 3.2 kV and frequency 1024 Hz. Data were processed by a computer program, designed for electrophotography analysis (GDV Analysis and GDV Processor, made by Kirlionics International, St.Petersburg), and numerical parameters were statistically evaluated. The corona of each finger is divided into sectors (Korotkov, 1999). Apart from the electrical field and other physical environmental factors (relative humidity, temperature, atmospheric pressure, etc), the shapes of coronas are influenced also by a gas composition around the fingertip and electrical conductivity of its skin, soft tissues and bones (Hoosain, 1982). We standardized most of these parameters.
Changes in coronas can be transitional or permanent. Transitional irregularities are reflections of changeable body functions and seldom indicate health problems. They might also be a consequence of poor recording conditions. Repeating irregularities however point to functional disturbances in the body, reflected in specific parts of the corona. According to these irregularities, coronas can be divided into certain sectors (Korotkov, 1999). Repeating irregularities more or less significantly appear in some or all sectors, which are functionally connected to the observed organ or function. The most reliable are irregularities, which appear symmetrically on both hands. An early pathological condition can be reflected in transitional or changeable irregularities of the same sector.
Sectors from 5 to 7 o'clock of left (L) and right (R) thumb are supposed to reflect the functioning of thyroid and sectors of left and right ring fingers, supposed to reflect the functioning of the endocrine system and its superior brain centers (thyroid, pituitary gland, hypothalamus)(Korotkov, 1999).
We expected differences in the area of GVD-gram of thumb coronas (sectors 4L, 4R) and ring finger coronas (sectors 8L, 7L, 1L, 1R, 2R, 8R) of both hands. These are functionally connected to endocrine and neuroendocrine systems. By the help of a computer model, electrophotographic coronas were quantitatively and statistically evaluated. The following statistical values and methods are going to be used: average value, standard deviation, Student's t-test, Chi-square test.
Results
We found out that even before treatment with J 131 all patients had significantly different GDV-records between experimental (EG) and control group (CG) in sectors, which according to Korotkov correspond to hypothalamus, pituitary gland and endocrine system on left and right ring fingers. The statistical error of measurement was less than 5%.
Table 1: Average value (M) and standard error (SE) of average value evaluation ( t – Student's t-test, p – significance) |
|||||||||
|
EG |
|
CG |
|
|
t |
|
p |
|
|
M |
SE |
M |
SE |
|
|
|
|
|
1L4 |
3,5635 |
0,0161 |
3,1129 |
0,0096 |
|
24,0537 |
|
0,0000 |
|
1R4 |
3,6915 |
0,0087 |
3,1259 |
0,0152 |
|
32,2531 |
|
0,0000 |
|
4.s. |
3,6467 |
0,0140 |
3,1183 |
0,0089 |
|
31,8664 |
|
0,0000 |
|
4L1 |
3,0736 |
0,0159 |
3,0318 |
0,0169 |
|
1,8001 |
|
0,1054 |
|
4L8 |
3,2684 |
0,0140 |
3,0702 |
0,0164 |
|
9,2132 |
|
0,0000 |
|
4R1 |
3,0195 |
0,0025 |
3,0776 |
0,0092 |
|
-6,1009 |
|
0,0002 |
|
4R8 |
3,1311 |
0,0048 |
3,0672 |
0,0094 |
|
6,0302 |
|
0,0002 |
|
1.s. |
3,1201 |
0,0265 |
3,0581 |
0,0115 |
|
2,1482 |
|
0,0602 |
|
8.s. |
3,2165 |
0,0184 |
3,0683 |
0,0098 |
|
7,0986 |
|
0,0001 |
|
Conclusion
The literature as well as our pilot study data suggest that changes in electrophotographic records of clinically confirmed thyroid hyperactivity patients compared to the control group are statistically significant and repeatable. Expected differences in before mentioned sectors of thumbs (sectors 4L, 4R) and ring fingers (8L, 7L, 1L, 1R, 2R, 8R) of both hands were presented in tables.
With anamnestic exlusion of respiratory and throat system pathology, we could use our method as a supplementary diagnostic or screening method for thyroid hyperactivity.
References