Study on the microcirculatory blood velocity of acupoint monitored by laser Doppler signal.

Meridian system composed of acupoints is the most fundamental concept to build oriental medicine. In this study, we employ LDF measurement to compare the microcirculatory blood velocity of acupuncture point and its surrounding tissues. Measurements were performed around an important acupoint in oriental medicine, Hoh-Ku (Li4, on the hand), in healthy volunteers. The study presented has shown that the acupoints have significantly slower mean blood velocity than their surrounding tissues (p all < 0.005). This finding facilitates the detection of the position of acupuncture point and helps us to provide a possible connection between microcirculatory physiology and the underlying mechanism of acupoints.