The Moxibustion-Induced Thermal Transport Effect Between The Heart And Lung Meridians

The Moxibustion-Induced Thermal Transport Effect Between The Heart And Lung Meridians With Infrared Thermography

Although some important progresses were made in the field of the meridian research, no breakthroughs have been achieved. Besides,there are some problems in meridian researches. Particularly, previous research of meridian phenomenon involved lots of subjective elements and outcomes. Researches that use modern scientific techniques to investigate the biological characteristics of meridian phenomenon are urgently needed. Therefore, this study was designed to assess the heat transport characteristics of meridian phenomenon for the Heart and Lung meridians by using infrared thermography. Thus, the biological characteristics of meridian phenomenon could be presented objectively in a scientific methodology.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Meridians
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: Moxibustion

Detailed Description

80 eligible subjects were finally included. Among them, 40 participants were assigned to the lung meridian intervention group, and 40 participants were assigned to the heart meridian intervention group. All 80 participants completed the trial.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 80
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• China
  • Zhejiang
    • Hanzhou, Zhejiang, China, 310000
      • The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 20 years to 40 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Had recent medical examination records confirming the absence of cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, urinary, hematological, endocrine and neurological diseases
• 20 ≤ age ≤ 40 years, male or female
• Had the ability to communicate with others normally
• An understanding of the entire study protocol
• Signed written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Had mental illnesses, severe depression, alcohol dependence or a history of drug abuse
• Pregnant or lactating
• Were participating in other trials

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: the lung meridian intervention group; moxibustion intervention was performed over Site 1 (LU5) of the lung meridian	Procedure: Moxibustion; In this study, suspended moxibustion was performed by holding an ignited moxa stick at a certain distance (about 3-4 cm) over the skin surface, keeping the moxibustion Site warm without burning the skin. In the heart meridian intervention group, moxibustion was applied over Site 4 (HT3) of the heart meridian. In the lung meridian intervention group, moxibustion was performed over Site 1 (LU5) of the lung meridian.
Experimental: the heart meridian intervention group; moxibustion intervention was applied over Site 4 (HT3) of the heart meridian	Procedure: Moxibustion; In this study, suspended moxibustion was performed by holding an ignited moxa stick at a certain distance (about 3-4 cm) over the skin surface, keeping the moxibustion Site warm without burning the skin. In the heart meridian intervention group, moxibustion was applied over Site 4 (HT3) of the heart meridian. In the lung meridian intervention group, moxibustion was performed over Site 1 (LU5) of the lung meridian.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Temperature change of relevant sites	Infrared thermal imaging was used to record baseline temperature and the temperature change of corresponding sites along the Heart and Lung meridians.	Baseline, Moxibustion 5 min, Moxibustion 10 min, Moxibustion 15 min, 5 minutes after stopping moxibustion

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Zhejiang Chinese Medical University
• Collaborators: The Third Affiliated hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Li X, Jiang Y, Hu H, Lou J, Zhang Y, He X, Wu Y, Fang J, Shao X, Fang J. The Moxibustion-Induced Thermal Transport Effect Between the Heart and Lung Meridians With Infrared Thermography. Front Cardiovasc Med. 2022 May 13;9:817901. doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2022.817901. eCollection 2022.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 30, 2019
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 30, 2021
• Study Completion (Actual): December 30, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 8, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 8, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): April 15, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 18, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 14, 2022
• Last Verified: April 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: moxibustion; infrared thermography; heart and lung meridians; site specificity; thermal transport
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2019ZY010-MERIDIAN

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No