Nouv Presse Med. 1978 Dec; 7(43): 3905-8.

[Clinical basis of acupuncture analgesia (author's transl)]

Xuan NT, Chau HB, Hien BQ, Tam DT.

Based on 249 observations acupuncture analgesia has been studied in its clinical picture and its abilities in surgery. Clinically, whatever may be the acupuncture sites, the first appearance of analgesia is noticed on the hands, the feet, the vertex, the auricles of the ears. Then, from these areas the propagation of analgesia extends towards the trunk where analgesia zones are to meet. A generalized analgesia may be obtained on the whole body with non specific, even arbitary acupuncture sites. It is incomplete, not so efficient as analgesia with novocaine. It involves only superficial layers of the skin, the buccal muquous membrane and that of the pharynx, the cornea, the teeth... Deep layers of tissues, muscles, nerves, deep viscera... are not affected by analgesia. Sixty four operations of all kinds have been performed with the view to test acupuncture analgesia. Progressive and late appearance of analgesia seems to favour the hypothesis of a humoral way in the mechanism of acupuncture analgesia.