Electrophysiological evidence of the existence of acupuncture meridians in traditional Chinese medicine utilizing the SSVP [single square voltage pulse] method

In the history of medicine, the established or conventional mainstream would not appreciate the true medical and physiological meaning of the meridian system in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Western medicine plays the major and significant role in the conventional medicine, and is based upon anatomy whose methodology is the dissection of dead human body. In addition, contemporary medicine is also based upon reductionistic science, such as molecular biology of double helical structure of DNA molecules, biophysical description on the plasma cellular membrane in quantum level and so forth.

These characteristics do not allow us to see the physiological structure that can be only seen in a living human body and that functions as a whole network composed of interwoven energy pathways that cross over each other, such as the acupuncture meridian system as we shall discuss.

However, the aid of modern technology for fast information processing systems such as computers enabled us to approach electrical phenomena in the deep inside of the skin. In 1970's, Hiroshi Motoyama invented a prototype of the physiological monitoring and measurement device called the AMI (Apparatus for Meridian Identification), whose particular capability is to be able to detect and measure an electrical current flowing at the level of the dermis. Although there are many other devices that claim to show the energetic profile of patients or subjects in terms of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the AMI seems to be the only one that has specific capability of showing the condition of internal organs corresponding to specific skin surface area, acupuncture points as described by Traditional Chinese Medicine.

In his study Motoyama selected the so-called Triple Heater meridian for the experiment and stimulated the meridian with very mild heat generated by a small amount of burning Chinese herb, called moxibustion. When the stimulation was applied to the well acupuncture point of the meridian (at the tip of fingers or toes), a reaction was obtained from the associate acupuncture point located on the back. Likewise, when the associate point was stimulated with the same stimulation; the reaction was obtained from the well acupuncture point.
This study clearly showed the features of the meridian system in terms of electrophysiology. Besides that, the Triple Heater meridian, whose existence is not recognized by western medical science by any means, was clearly shown. Nevertheless, no replication study to give it more validity and reproducibility has ever been performed so far.
Now the author and his colleague did the replication study with some addition to prove the existence of the Triple Heater meridian in terms of electrophysiology utilizing the AMI device. In addition, laterality of the meridian system has also been considered and discussed.