Evaluating Acupuncture Points With Scanning Kelvin Probe

Massachusetts General Hospital24 enrolled

Overview

The purpose of this study is to characterize the surface electrical potential of acupuncture points with a Scanning Kelvin Probe.

Acupuncture points are anatomical structures described by traditional Chinese medicine. To this day, however, their scientific and Western anatomical characterizations remain unclear. Past studies have suggested that acupuncture points are distinct electrically (increased electrical conductivity). To evaluate this claim, this study uses a Scanning Kelvin Probe to study the electrical potential of three acupuncture points and their respective adjacent controls in 24 healthy individuals. The Scanning Kelvin Probe is a novel device that measures the electrical potential of skin without actually touching the skin surface.

Study Type

OBSERVATIONAL

Enrollment

Conditions

Healthy Individuals Acupuncture Points Electrical Potential

Interventions

not applicable in this studyOTHER

No actual interventions will be administered for this study.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 65 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Individuals without chronic medical condition requiring daily medications (hypertension, diabetes, hypothyroidism, etc). Exclusion Criteria: * Individuals with autonomic disorders (sweating irregularities), skin disorders, extensive burns/scars on the hand, tremors, neuromuscular conditions, restless leg syndrome, movement disorders, and implanted cardiac defibrillator/pacemaker

Locations (1)

Massachusetts General Hospital - Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging

Charlestown, Massachusetts, United States

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Electrical Potential at Acupuncture points

Scanning Kelvin Probe measurements of electrical potentials at 3 predetermined acupuncture points.

Time frame: One day

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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