Effect of Acupuncture Manipulations at LI4 or LI11 on Blood Flow and Skin Temperature

Acupuncture induces physiological changes, and patients have reported warm or cool sensations with “Burning Fire” (BF) or “Penetrating Cool” (PC) manipulations. This study aimed to evaluate whether these techniques had distinct effects on skin temperature and blood flow and to examine whether skin temperature correlated with blood flow. The participants were 25 healthy volunteers, each receiving acupuncture manipulations on points LI4 and LI11 bilaterally. Skin temperatures and blood flow were recorded continuously on both arms. The study found that acupuncture significantly increased skin temperature on the needling arm by 0.3514°C on average, but decreased it on the contralateral arm by 0.2201°C on average. Blood flow decreased significantly in both arms during needling (−3.4% and −5.97% for the ipsilateral and the contralateral sides, respectively), but the changes in skin temperature did not correlate with the changes in blood flow. Furthermore, these changes were not significantly different between acupuncture techniques and acupuncture points. In conclusion, acupuncture changes local skin temperature and blood flow independent of the manipulation technique. Moreover, blood flow may not be affected by the increased temperature on the needling arm. These results help to verify traditional Chinese medicine concepts and may help in establishing standards for acupuncture treatments.