Acupoint Zusanli
(ST36), located on the stomach meridian, is one of the most frequently used
acupoints. It is believed to be one of the most important acupoints to tonify
qi and blood and promote well-being according to the traditional Chinese medicine
theory. Acupoint ST36 is used, in combination with other acupoints, to treat
visceral conditions such as vomiting, abdominal distension and visceral pain, constipation,
and hypertension, fatigue, depression, generalized pain, anxiety, palpitation,
infection and many other things.
The interesting
in the mechanisms underlying the versatile functions of acupoint ST36 has attracted
many scientific studies. It has been reported that stimulation at acupoint ST36
induces vagus nerve activity, on the one hand, leading to production of
dopamine in the adrenal medullar, suppress the systemic inflammation resulting
in controlling of sepsis; on the other hand, elevated vagus nerve activity increased
superior mesenteric artery blood flow volume. Further brain imaging studies
reported that stimulation ST36 acupoint can specifically induce the neural
responses in pain-inhibiting areas in the brain. Those studies suggest
stimulation acupoint ST36 rebalanced sympathetic and parasympathetic systems
and explains in partial how stimulation the ST36 acupoint exerts its
therapeutic effects on the conditions mentioned above.
The studies
also showed that effects elicited by stimulation ST36 are acupoint specific as stimulation
the non-specific points or other acupoints do not produce the same results.
Reference:
Kaneko S et al., Heart Rate Variability and Hemodynamic
Change in the Superior Mesenteric Artery by Acupuncture Stimulation of Lower
Limb Points: A Randomized Crossover Trial. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, Volume
2013, Article ID 315982. http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2013/315982/
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