Am J Chin Med. 1979 Summer; 7(2): 157-70.

Clinical observations on several meridian loci in chronic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis in comparison with those in female neurovegetative disorder, pregnancy, and the steroid side-effects syndrome.

Arichi S, Arichi H, Toda S, Ihara N.

Patients with chronic hepatitis showed various grades of the pinch-pressure pain (P-p pain) at the right Ch'ü-Ch'üan (Li-8) locus. Sometimes the P-p pain also appeared at the left locus (Li-8) as well, but in such cases the tendency is towards a stronger reactivity at the right side than at the left, and the P-p pain does not appear at the left side alone. These findings offer a noticeable contrast to those seen in pregnant women and in steroid-treated patients affected with an obvious side effect where the stronger reactivity is to be seen at the left rather than at the right. The P-p pain grades were inclined to decrease in severe cases, especially in liver cirrhosis. In general, the variability of the P-p pain of grades correlated well with the process of the findings of the liver function test and of the chief subjective complaints. Therefore, the P-p pain test is useful for the diagnosis of chronic hepatitis. Regarding the grade distribution patterns of P-p pain at the Li-8, LI-4, LI-11, and SI-11 loci, patients with chronic hepatitis showed a pattern of higher grades of P-p pain reactivity at the right Li-8 and SI-11 loci, and at the left LI-4 and LI-11 loci, while patients with the so-called female neurovegetative disorder, pregnant women, and patients affected with steroid side-effects showed a perfectly reversed reactivity pattern. These findings can be useful for the differentiation between chronic hepatitis and those groups of diseases showing subjective signs deceptively similar to those of chronic hepatitis and those groups of diseases showing subjective signs deceptively similar to those of chronic hepatitis. The comparison of the skin temperature between the right and the left loci showed lower levels at the right than at the left, and the comparison of the skin pH between the both sides showed a more elevated level at the right than at the left. The mechanisms of these phenomena are discussed and what seems to be the most appropriate explanation at present is offered.