Abstract:
The acupuncture source points have been known in the traditional Chinese medicine for
about 5000 years and various therapies and diagnostic methods have been applied using them. Studies
indicate that these points also express electrical modifications, depending on the health status of the
individual. Aim. The aim of the paper is to study the relevance of electrical resistance measurements
in these points in distinguishing inner organ changes. The study was conducted on patients from the
gastroenterological department. The electrical resistance of the source points was measured using a
Wheatstone bridge, of our own manufacturing, based on certain acupuncture maps. The data was
collected using disposable Ag/AgCl electrodes and the results of the measurements were compared with the standard diagnosis test results. The statistical interpretation was performed using Microsoft
Excel and GraphPad. The measured electrical resistance was between 23 and 600 kilo ohms, with
considerable variations from a patient to another. Patients with organ resections (gall bladder, kidney,
stomach) expressed a decreased electrical resistance in the source points corresponding to these
organs (the gall bladder point etc.). Also, patients with cardiac failure expressed a modified electrical
resistance in the heart source point, but also in the pulmonary point, probably anticipating the
pulmonary stasis consecutive to the heart disease. Gall bladder lithiasis, hepatic cirrhosis and
rheumatism also expressed altered electrical resistance in the correspondent points. Patients with
inner organ diseases expressed modified electrical resistance in corresponding source points. Further
studies will be conducted to test the accuracy of this method to distinguish specific inner organ
pathologies and to test the applicability of this measurement as a screening instrument.
