Minerva Med. 1980 Dec; 71(51): 3735-41.

[The importance of the metamere in the interpretation of the therapeutic results obtained with acupuncture. Elaboration of the dermatoneuromeric theory and critical comment]

Milani L, Roccia L.

The Authors after personal experimental studies and bibliographic researches, propose, through the formulation of the dermatoneuromeric theory, an explanatory model for the understanding of the reflexotherapeutic results in the visceral pathology treatment. The fact that different authors propose many different points for the functional balance of the internal organs and consequent diseases, that these points are located in many cases on the same dermatomes and that these are connected with the starting neuromes of autonomic fibres (Ortho and Parasympathetic) to the organ to be cured, indicates that Acupuncture is a spinal metameric reflexotherapy with scanty modulation of the supraxial centres, in opposition to Acupuncture analgesia. The Alarm (Mo) and Concurring (Yu) points of each channel are the most distant and nearest to the spinal cord and their stimulation establishes the upper and lower limit of the part of cord that we want to stimulate. Anesthetic blocks outside the "firing tract" do not influence the output, while the selective blocks can limit or abolish the Acupuncture effect. Ancient and modern therapeutic methods utilize these reflexes, giving an unique interpretation to alla reflexotherapies.