Change Temperature of Skin Surface at the Acupuncture Site, the Neck and the Face When Using Tonifying Acupuncture Manipulations or Dispersing Acupuncture Manipulations at Dazhui in Healthy Volunteers

Survey on Change Temperature of Skin Surface at the Acupuncture Site, the Neck and the Face When Using Tonifying Acupuncture Manipulations or Dispersing Acupuncture Manipulations at Dazhui in Healthy Volunteers: a Pilot Study

Acupuncture is a treatment method since ancient times and it has been recognized as an international treatment method by the World Health Organization. Although the structure and physiological effects of acupoints have been extensively studied, they have not been fully elucidated. A lot of studies on physiological effects of acupoints on the 12 main merdians have been published, but acupoints outside the meridians or acupoints on the eight extraordinary vessels have not been noticed. In particular, the Dazhui is one of the acupoints on the Du Merdian that is often used clinically. In the other side, several researches have shown that using different acupuncture manipulations can achieve different therapeutic effects. In our study, we want to determinate and compare the change temperature of skin surface at the acupuncture site, the neck and the face when using tonifying acupuncture manipulations or dispersing acupuncture manipulations at Dazhui in healthy volunteers.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Healthy Volunteers
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: Acupuncture

Detailed Description

Participants and Methods: A pilot study is conducted by comparing the change in skin surface temperature before and after using sham or tonifying or dispersing acupuncture manipulations at EX-B2 T3 in right side and Dazhui in heatlhy volunteers. A total of 57 participants will be randomly divided into 3 groups (group STD, group TDS and group DST). Each group has 19 participants and undergo 3 trial phases, corresponding to 3 times of acupuncture in 14 days, each time is 7 days apart. For group STD, the first trial phase: participants received acupuncture at EX-B2 T3 point in right side as sham acupuncture; the second trial phase: participants received acupuncture with tonifying manipulations at Dazhui point and tonifying manipulations was replaced by dispersing ones in the third trial phase. For group TDS, the first trial phase: participants received acupuncture with tonifying manipulations at Dazhui point; the second trial phase: participants received acupuncture with dispersing manipulations at Dazhui point and participants received acupuncture at EX-B2 T3 point in right side as sham acupuncture in the third trial phase. Similarly, for group DST, the first trial phase: participants received acupuncture with dispersing manipulations at Dazhui point; the second trial phase: participants received acupuncture at EX-B2 T3 point in right side as sham acupuncture and sham acupuncture was replaced byacupuncture with tonifying manipulations at Dazhui in the third trial phase. The primary outcome was the change temperature of skin surface at the acupuncture site, the neck and the face when using tonifying or dispersing acupuncture manipulations at Dazhui point. This trial will be performed as a pilot study.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 57
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Vietnam
  • Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
    • Faculty of Traditional medicine - University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Ho Chi Minh City

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 30 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Healthy volunteers, regardless of gender or profession
• Age between enough 18 and 30 years old.
• BMI: 18.5 - 23 kg/m2
• Mental alertness, good contact, cooperation with researchers.
• DASS 21 score within normal limits.
• Have no disease which change the body temperature, like hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism.

• Vital sign within normal limits:

  • Heart rates from from 60 to 100 beats/minute.
  • Systolic blood pressure between 90 and 139 mmHg.
  • Diastolic blood pressure between 60 and 89 mmHg.
  • Body temperature: 36.59 ± 0.43 0C.
  • SpO2 from 95 to 99%.
• Volunteers who agree to participate and sign the Informed Consent Form, following a detailed explanation of clinical trials.
• Not currently participating in other intervention studies.
• Have no acupuncture experience yet.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Having an inflammatory injury in the site of the skin to be investigated.
• Using heat therapy, for example massage, cupping therapy, acupuncture in the site of the skin to be investigated within 24h.
• Applying chemical or pharmaceutical products to the site of the skin to be survey before conducting the study.
• Other diseases that could affect or interfere with outcomes, including common cold or flu.
• Curently having neck-pain or having skin diseases, for example: tinea versicolor, eczema in the site of the skin to be investigated.
• Taking stimulant (alcohol, beer, coffee, tobacco) within 24h.
• Staying up at night or having insomnia before the day of the study.
• Playing sport within 2h.
• Pregnant woman or breastfeeding woman or woman in period.
• Currently using certain drugs which dilate blood vessels and drop in blood pressure.
• Anxiety, depression, stress before conducting the study with DASS 21 score < 15.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Group STD; 19 participant received sham acupuncture at EX-B2 T3 point in right side or acupuncture with tonyfying or dispersing manipulations at Dazhui point, corresponding to 3 times of acupuncture in 14 days, each time is 7 days aparts. In each time, temperature of skin surface at the acupuncture site, the neck and the face will be recorded. Procedure/Surgery: Acupuncture with disposable acupuncture needles (the size of 0.30 x 25 mm) at EX-B2 T3 point in right side as sham acupoint in the first trial phase. We used the same type of acupuncture needles as aboved to acupuncture at Dazhui with tonifying manipulations in the second trial phase and with dispersing manipulatiuons in the third trial phase.	Procedure: Acupuncture; To conduct this intervention, we used disposable acupuncture needles with the size of 0.30 x 25 mm to acupuncture the sham acupoint (EX-B2 T3 point) or Dazhui point.
Experimental: Group TDS; 19 participant received acupuncture with tonyfying or dispersing manipulations at Dazhui or sham acupuncture at EX-B2 T3 point in right side, corresponding to 3 times of acupuncture in 14 days, each time is 7 days aparts. In each time, temperature of skin surface at the acupuncture site, the neck and the face will be recorded. Procedure/Surgery: Acupuncture with disposable acupuncture needles (the size of 0.30 x 25 mm) at Dazhui with tonifying manipulations in the first trial phase and with dispersing manipulatiuons in the second trial phase. We used the same type of acupuncture needles as aboved to acupuncture at EX-B2 T3 point in right side as sham acupoint in the third trial phase.	Procedure: Acupuncture; To conduct this intervention, we used disposable acupuncture needles with the size of 0.30 x 25 mm to acupuncture the sham acupoint (EX-B2 T3 point) or Dazhui point.
Experimental: Group DST; 19 participant received acupuncture with tonyfying or dispersing manipulations at Dazhui or sham acupuncture at EX-B2 T3 point in right side, corresponding to 3 times of acupuncture in 14 days, each time is 7 days aparts. In each time, temperature of skin surface at the acupuncture site, the neck and the face will be recorded. Procedure/Surgery: Acupuncture with disposable acupuncture needles (the size of 0.30 x 25 mm) at Dazhui with tonifying manipulations in the first trial phase and with dispersing manipulatiuons in the second trial phase. We used the same type of acupuncture needles as aboved to acupuncture at EX-B2 T3 point in right side as sham acupoint in the third trial phase.	Procedure: Acupuncture; To conduct this intervention, we used disposable acupuncture needles with the size of 0.30 x 25 mm to acupuncture the sham acupoint (EX-B2 T3 point) or Dazhui point.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Change temperature of skin surface at at the acupuncture site, the neck and the face when using tonifying acupuncture manipulations at Dazhui	During procedure
Change temperature of skin surface at at the acupuncture site, the neck and the face when using dispersing acupuncture manipulations at Dazhui	During procedure

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Bui Pham Minh Man

Publications and helpful links

Helpful Links

• Tao Huang, Xin Huang, Weibo Zhang, et al. The Influence of Different Acupuncture Manipulations on the Skin Temperature of an Acupoint. Evidence-Based - Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2013:905852.doi: 10.1155/2013/905852
• World Health Organization. Acupuncture : review and analysis of reports on controlled clinical trials. World Health Organization; 2014.May 16, 2022.
• Z. Lu, H. Dong, Q. Wang, et al. Perioperative acupuncture modulation: more than anaesthesia. doi:10.1093/bja/aev227British Journal of Anaesthesia.2015;115(2):183-193.
• Jia-Min Yang, Xiao-Yu Shen, Ling Zhang, et al. The Effect of Acupuncture to SP6 on Skin Temperature Changes of SP6 and SP10: An Observation of "Deqi". Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2014;2014: 595963. Doi: 10.1155/2014/595963
• Ali Mohammadi, Liang-Xiao Ma, Yang Yang, et al. Immediate Analgesic Effect of Perpendicular Needling or Transverse Needling at SP6 in Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Pilot Study. Medical Acupuncture. 2019;31(4): 207-217. Doi:10.1089/acu.2019.1362
• Weihui Li, Andrew Ahn. Effect of Acupuncture Manipulations at LI4 or LI11 on Blood Flow and Skin Temperature. Journal of Acupuncture & Meridian Studies. 2016;9(3):128-133. doi:10.1016/j.jams.2015.08.005

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 1, 2022
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 30, 2023
• Study Completion (Actual): June 30, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: October 10, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 10, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): October 13, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): October 23, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 18, 2023
• Last Verified: October 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Acupuncture Manipulations; Tonifying Acupuncture Manipulations; Dispersing Acupuncture Manipulations
• Other Study ID Numbers: 678/HDDD-DHYD

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: Demographic characteristic and outcome data will be shared
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; ICF; CSR

Drug and device information, study documents

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