Effect of Acupuncture and Moxibustion Treatment on Exocrin Function of Pancreas

Abstract

This paper covers our recent study of the effect of acupuncture and moxibustion treatments on the exocrine function of the pancreas. The study consisted of pancereatic function diagnos-tant (PFD) tests on healthy adults. Stimulations with acupun-cture and moxibustion have been deeply concerned with “hi-no-zo, ” which is called the pancreas in current terminology, so they were applied to the meridian points in the dermatome referring to the pancreas. Measurements were made before giving a stimulus. after 6 consecutive stimuli were givem, after 12 consecutive stimuli were given, and 7 days atfer ceasing stimulation. No significant change in urinary output was obserued after the treatment. The p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) excretion rate in urine showed conflicting results between acupuncture and moxibustion. Acupuneture increased the excretion rate while moxibustion suppressed it after single stimulus of each was applied. The excretion rate increased after either type of stimuli was applied repeatedly.
Based on these results, we believe that the effect of stimuli to the meridian points which effect “hi-no-zo” in Oriental medicine on the exocrine function has been confirmed, although some fluctuations of vital reactions which depended on the number of stimuli were observed.