Acupuncture is quite interesting. One form of acupuncture that I have decided to write about is electroacupuncture. Electroacupuncture is an acupuncture technique. It is thought of as to have been first used in the 1800s in Europe. Others also claim the 1940s as the starting point of electroacupuncture by the Japanese. A third claim of electroacupuncture not being developed until 1958 by the Chinese is also involved in the story of electroacupuncture.
One case study that I discovered discusses the use of electroacupuncture in treating a poisonous spider bite from the Brown Recluse Spider. Here is the history and treatment of this case:
“A 43-year-old woman sustained an insect bite on the lower left leg. It appeared as a 0.8-in (2-cm) red raised area with a fluid-filled center approximately 0.4 in (1 cm) in size. After 3 days, the wound opened and drained. The red area enlarged to 2 in (5 cm) in size, and the pain increased at the wound site and also spread to cover the leg area from the knee to the ankle. The wound was treated with normal saline rinse and a dry dressing twice a day. The necrotic center gradually enlarged.
On day 5, the patient was prescribed amoxicillin-clavulanate and dapsone orally. Nevertheless, the pain intensified and ambulation was increasingly difficult.
On day 8, the patient was referred to another physician (infectious disease/internal medicine specialist). Intravenous vancomycin was prescribed for 12 days. During this period, the patient experienced cellulitis, which resolved within a month. Unfortunately, the wound remained open and did not heal.
Several weeks after the bite, the patient presented with a nonhealing wound on her left lower leg. The wound was about 0.08 in (2 mm) deep, and its diameter was approximately 1 to 1.2 in (2.5-3 cm), about the size of a quarter. The patient requested acupuncture, hoping to enhance healing.
Several needles were placed around the wound periphery. The positive and negative leads of an electroacupuncture stimulator2 were connected to metal needles in an alternate fashion, and adjusted to a frequency of 5 Hz and to a comfortable intensity level.1 The 20-minute treatment was repeated again 3 days later. The patient remarked that when she awoke on the morning of treatment 2, she was sleeping on her left side for the first time in 2 months because 90% of the pain was gone. Examination confirmed that the cyanotic rim around the wound was now pink, and granulation tissue was forming at the bottom edge of the wound. 1 40 Medical Acupuncture – SpringlSummer 1999 – Volume 11 /Number I Acupuncture was repeated in the same manner 2 days later (treatment 3). At that time, the patient reported the cessation of pain. The wound continued to till with granulation tissue. Acupuncture treatment was performed for the last time 2 days later (treatment 4). The whole crater of the wound was filling in with granulation tissue, and the wound diameter decreased by 0.08 in (2 mm). The patient reported that 4 to 5 days after the fourth acupuncture treatment, a scab formed over the wound. The scab remained over the wound for another 4 or 5 days and then came off.”
This was interesting to me because electroacupuncture seems to be able to stimulate and heal poisonous wounds. The electroacupuncture also seemed to stop the pain emanating from the wound area. This ability to dramatically reduce pain in areas of the body is crucial for physicians interested in pain management. I would not have thought of that before reading this case study.
There are also a case study that describes how electroacupuncture was useful in Spasmodic dysphonia (SD), a rare neurologic spasm of the vocal folds, which results in a chronic voice disorder that can affect patients’ quality of life.
Figure 1. Diagram of the Lung-Large Intestine Distinct Meridian Acupuncture Points
Point 1 (LI 18) is located on the middle belly of the sternocleidomastoid muscle, lateral to point 2. Point 2 (ST 9, slightly displaced) is located at the anterior border of the sternocleidomastoid at the level of the thyroid cartilage. Point 3 (LI 15) is on the upper deltoid, just in front of the acromion. Point 4 (LU 1) is 2 in below the acromial end of the clavicle, in the depression. For electrical stimulation during sessions 2-8, needles at 3 and 4 were crossed and clipped by the negative pole stimulator (black); needles at 1 and 2 were crossed and clipped by the positive pole stimulator.
“There was no value in the LU-LI treatment without electrical stimulation. Seven of the 10 participants reported vocal improve-ment, and 2 others noted improvement during specific times of the investigation. Seven rated satisfaction as 3 or higher on a 5-point scale. Seven individuals reported that others noted vocal improvement.”
This seems to be another successful application of electroacupuncture. With a majority of the participants reporting improvement in their vocal, electroacupuncture, in this case, definitely seems to have a positive purpose.