Abstract
Although skin temperature on a normal nose is lower than that on the forehead, this difference is indistinct among patients with nasal obstruction, and their nasal skin temperature is high. Based on this relationship, the relationship between acupuncture applied to one-hand and nasal symptoms were determined, and the following results were obtained.
1 Effect on Nasal Obstruction.
Nasal obstruction was abated by acupuncture, and nasal skin temperature tended toward decreases as obstruction was improved. These changes were more markedly observed in the sitting position than in the lying position. Since acupuncture applied to one hand improved nasal obstruction on the contralateral side, suggesting the presence of bilateral reaction system.
Since the improvement of nasal obstruction with acupuncture was also determined based on changes in nasal cavity resistance, these results were suggested that nasal obstruction is related to nasal skin temterature as well as nasal cavity resistance.
2 Effect on Rhinorrhea.
When a nasal mucosa provocation test was performed on patients with nasal allergy, nasal skin temperature simultaneously increased as allergic symptoms appeared. Although allergic symptoms were inhibited and nasal skin temperature tended toward a decrease when acupuncture was applied during the test, these symptoms reappeared and nasal skin temperature again increased when acupuncture was discontinued. This phenomenon was inhibited by pretreatment with acupuncture applied; namely, allergic symptoms hardly appeared, and nasal skin temperature showed no increases.
When the nasal cavity is sprayed with pilocalpine in a person with normal nasal function, rhinorrhea occurs as well as an increase in nasal skin temperature. In this study, pirocarpine-induced nasal discharge was not inhibited by acupuncture in normal persons, but was it inhibited in patients with nasal allergy to a normal level.
As so far mentioned, the state of the nasal cavity could be estimated based on nasal skin temperature measured by thermography. Based on the relationship between nasal skin temperature and the state of the nasal cavity, between nasal cavity resistance and nasal obstruction and between the parasympathetic stimulant used in the study and nasal discharge, it was thought that peripheral acupuncture stimulus possibly adjusts distortion in the body as it simultaneously induces sympathetic stimulation to the vascular system of the nasal mucosa and parasympathetic inhibition of nasal discharge.
