Wellness Blog

Bioelectrical acupuncture, or electroacupuncture, involves application of electrostimulation to acupuncture needles during traditional acupuncture treatment. Another form of bioelectrical acupuncture uses direct electro stimulation of acupuncture points in place of needles.

Licensed acupuncturists can apply electrostimulation to acupuncture needles during acupuncture. Direct electrostimulation of acupuncture points can be performed by licensed acupuncturists or trained health care workers, or self­administered by a layperson under the supervision of a practitioner. Nurses who work in massage or pain clinics, those trained in acupressure and the acupuncture energy channels (meridians), or those who do body work with their patients may also be practitioners of this therapy.

A concept developed by German Dr. Reinhold Voll, called electro acupuncture according to Voll (EAV), is the basis of subsequent bioelectrical acupuncture biofeedback devices, also called electrodermal screening devices. In the United States, these devices are approved only for use as experimental screening devices. They are not yet approved for treatment. Using low frequencies, these devices provide information that can be used to treat conditions that are identified by bioelectrical acupuncture assessment.

Benefits And Uses of Bioelectrical Acupuncture

As with traditional acupuncture, there are numerous therapeutic applications of bioelectrical acupuncture, depending on the ability and experience of the practitioner. It’s reported to be particularly effective for treating physical injury and acute and chronic pain.

How the treatment is performed

Like traditional Chinese acupuncture, bioelectrical acupuncture devices can be used both to assess and to provide treatment for a patient’s condition. These devices measure the flow of energy along the meridians at specific acupoints . (points along a meridian where energy flow can best be measured and manipulated). A steady flow indicates health, while an impaired flow suggests disease, with different organs associated with specific meridians. Some acupoints, called control measurement points (CMPs), give an overall indication of health in an organ or tissue. Other acupoints relate to specific parts of the organ and can show the specific site of the imbalance in that organ. Over 2,000 CMPs have been identified with this type of meter. Each acupoint has a standard measure that represents health. With deteriorating health, the measurement changes.

Various bioelectrical acupuncture devices are available. They range in sophistication from simple handheld, battery operated, point locator treatment devices to multifaceted, computerized units. Computerized bioelectrical acupuncture devices can be used quickly to perform multiple screenings, and they support research with a detailed patient database. Most of these bioelectrical acupuncture devices are battery-operated, using direct current to avoid introducing the possible adverse effects of a pulsating or fluctuating alternating current into the system. Some of the devices are assessment tools; others deliver treatments; and still others do both.

Dermatron

Assessment devices such as the Dermatron, developed by Voll, use sensors to measure the electrical resistance at acupoints. Higher than normal resistance at a specific acupoint indicates irritation or inflammation in the corresponding organ, while lower than normal resistance at the acupoint is indicative of degeneration or fatigue. In this way, the Dermatron provides a means of screening for the existence of disease. It can also test the energetic effects of certain remedies. For example, when a patient takes a homeopathic dilution prescribed for his disease, the EAV reading returns to normal. EAV screening resembles an electronic version of kinesiology, a muscle testing method that assists the therapist to identify what weakens or strengthens the muscular system.

Locator-stimulator

The locator-stimulator is another example of a bioelectrical acupuncture assessment tool. This simple, battery operated device is used to locate and treat acupoints and trigger points (any point responding with pain upon palpation). One dial adjusts to location, emitting a flashing light and sound when a point is located. The stimulation control delivers a fixed frequency signal (10 Hz) for treating the point. For self-treatment, a metal plate on the side of the device can be used to complete the necessary grounding circuit. A separate grounding pole is used to complete this circuit when being used by a practitioner.

SOLITENS device

The SOLITENS is a treatment unit that’s categorized as a transcutaneous electric nerve stimulator (TENS) device. TENS units were originally developed to block pain by directing a stimulating current into local nerves, using a relatively high frequency signal. This sometimes created muscle spasm instead of the intended pain relief. Used at low frequencies, TENS devices have been found effective for reducing pain by stimulating acupuncture and trigger points without the use of needles.

The SOLITENS has point location abilities, a timer, a ground, and the capability of delivering a stimulation pulse rate of 15 Hz for treating acupoints and trigger points. Therapeutic applications include symptomatic relief of chronic intractable pain, post-traumatic acute pain (in athletic injuries, for example), and post-surgical pain.

MORA

A combination assessment and treatment device developed by Dr. Franz Morrel, the MORA works under the assumption that all biological processes are bioelectromagnetic and can be recognized by a distinctive, complex waveform. A smooth wave indicates health, and higher or lower wave deviations indicate disease. The MORA collects electromagnetic signals directly from the acupoints, manipulates and adjusts any aberrant wave forms to create normal waves, and then feeds these corrected waves back into the patient through the same acupoints. Proponents of this device describe it as a truly natural therapy because it uses specific wave information from the patient without introducing any artificial electrical signal.

Therapeutic applications of the MORA include treatment of skin disease and circulation problems; relief of headaches, migraines, and muscular aches and pains; and treatment in conjunction with homeopathy. The MORA doubles as an EAV diagnostic instrument. It can also be used in color therapy to transmit individual color frequencies of the spectrum of electromagnetic fields (EMFs), a treatment believed to impart beneficial effects.

Electro-Acuscope

The Electro-Acuscope is a treatment device that Uses extremely low-frequency current microamperage rather than the milliamperage used by standard TNS devices. Microamperage is used stimulate tissue repair. Rather than delivering a premeasured current, the device matches current delivery to the resistance sensed in the damaged tissue; such self­regulation facilitates the repair process.

This treatment works at the cellular level. Microcurrent stimulation is believed to induce extracellular calcium ions to enter the cell through pores in the cell membrane (called voltage-sensitive calcium ion channels). Higher levels of calcium, in turn, encourage increased synthesis of adenosine triphosphate, which activates mechanisms that control deoxyribonucleic acid and protein synthesis. The result is an increase in the rate of cellular repair and replication.

Treatment with this device calls for a high degree of interaction between the patient and a well-trained practitioner. Popular as a treatment instrument in sports medicine, the Electro-Acuscope is used to treat musculoskeletal injuries, such as lumbosacral sprains, shoulder strains, whiplash, trauma, temporomandibular joint pain, bursitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, and muscle spasms. It’s also used for arthritis, bruises, herpes zoster infections, local skin infections and skin ulcerations, chronic fatigue syndrome, migraines, neuralgia, surgical incisions, and palliative care of a ruptured disk in patients unwilling or unable to undergo surgery.

Nogier auriculotherapy device

The Nogier auriculotherapy treatment device uses direct current (DC) or laser energy to treat acupoints on the ear. Similar to reflexology, in which treatment is administered through the foot, auriculotherapy operates on the concept that the entire body and all its organs can be identified at different points on the ear. Auriculotherapy can also be practiced with acupuncture needles, therapeutic magnets, and a glass rod technique for point massage.

While using the Nogier device to treat the patient, the practitioner takes a radial pulse. The increase or decrease in radial pulse amplitude, called the vascular autonomic signal, is used as an indicator for the progression of treatment.

Considerable training is required before using this device. Therapeutic applications include addictions, dyslexia, pain control (acute or chronic pain, back pain, and pain from trauma), tinnitus, and Parkinsonian tremors. Its use is contraindicated for severe conditions, such as renal insufficiency and heart disease.

Other devices

Many bioelectrical acupuncture devices apply other frequencies from the low range of the electromagnetic spectrum. For example, a light beam generator has been used to direct photons of light to assist in restoring cells’ normal energy state, thus promoting healing. Able to attain deep body penetration, it’s described as effective for treating organ as well as skin problems.

Sound probes are reported to destroy parasites and anything not in resonance with the body, by emitting a tone of three alternating frequencies. Radio frequency diathermy devices use radio waves to send penetrating heat deep into the tissues for improved blood flow, pain reduction, and healing.

Most bioelectrical acupuncture devices are used in similar ways. First, the practitioner uses the device to locate either tradational acupoints or a patient’s trigger points of complaint. The practitioner searches for tissues impedance, which generates a pitched signal from the device. Then he uses the device to provide treatment consisting of low-level DC directed back into the identified points. Treatment lasts 30 minutes to 1 hour, and the patient may need to return for additional visits. Some patients can use the devices at home.

Side Effects of Bioelectrical Acupuncture

Headache, nausea, and unpleasant sensations can occur with invasive or noninvasive bioelectrical acupuncture, requiring adjustment in the frequency and amperage of the device. Skin irritation and rash are also possible. 1f alterations in skin integrity occur, treatment may need to be postponed or treatment frequency reduced.

Clinical considerations

• Bioelectrical acupuncture devices are contraindicated for pain of unknown cause and for severe conditions such as renal insufficiency and heart disease. These devices shouldn’t be used for patients with demand type cardiac pace makers, or in transcerebral electrode placement (because of the remote risk of seizures) or electrode placement over the carotid sinus region (which regulates blood pressure).
• Whether these devices may be used safely during pregnancy hasn’t been established. However, in Europe TENS units have been used during labor and delivery to facilitate contractions.

Research summary

Controlled studies have demonstrated the benefits of bioelectrical acupuncture to treat postoperative pain, chemotherapy-induced illness , and renal colic and to induce contractions in post-term pregnancy. In search with rats, bioelectrical stimulation of acupuncture points has enhanced peripheral motor nerve regeneration and sensory nerve growth.

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