Nuclear Medicine Investigation of Transmission of Acupuncture Information

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate the pathways of acupuncture meridians in the human body through the injection of radioactive tracers at acupuncture points. Technetium 99m ( 99m Tc) as sodium pertechnetate, the most common radioactive tracer in nuclear medicine, has been used. The migration patterns were recorded with a scintillation camera associated with computer imaging capabilities. Our findings show that the preferential pathways taken by the radiotracer coincide with acupuncture meridians as described in Chinese traditional medicine. More, it has been established that these pathways are distinguishable from either lymphatic or vascular routes.