Am J Chin Med. 1989 ; 17(1-2): 85-7.

Psychosomatic correlations in chronic pain patients using electroacupuncture.

Berlin J, Erdman W, David E.

Institute of Anesthesiology, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, Germany.

Different reports on the efficacy of electroacupuncture in pain led to a randomized prospective study on 120 patients suffering from long-term chronic pain syndromes of different aetiology taking into account the psychological situation. The collected data included measuring the pulse amplitude difference of the arteria radialis dextra and sinistra oscillographically, pain evaluation by visual analogue scales, blood pressure and heart frequency and psychometrie. Results show that neurotic patients have a higher level of anxiety and that reduction of pain and the equalization of the amplitudes of both arterial curves is higher in anxious patients. The results are highly significant with an alpha value of 0.001.