Special Issue

Modernization of Acupuncture Education and Research

Submission Deadline: December 31, 2018 (Closed)

Guest Editor

Gerhard Litscher, MSc, PhD, MDsc

Professor and Head of the Research Unit for Complementary and Integrative Laser Medicine, of the Research Unit of Biomedical Engineering in Anesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, and of the TCM Research Center Graz, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 29, 8036 Graz, Austria

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Research Interests: biomedical engineering; neuromonitoring in anesthesia and intensive care medicine; high-tech acupuncture; laserneedle medicine; complementary and integrative laser medicine; evidence-based complementary medicine

About This Topic

Acupuncture, moxibustion and their related fields like acupressure have been used for medical treatment for thousands of years. A large number of empirical data is available but the technical quantification of effects was not possible up to now. Using different kinds of acupuncture stimulation and modern biomedical techniques, it is now possible to quantify changes in biological activities caused by acupuncture.

This special issue focuses on the modernization of acupuncture education worldwide and also on the latest innovative aspects that underline the further enhancement and development of acupuncture. Special emphasis is given to new methodological and technical investigations, e.g. results obtained from all kinds of acupuncture innovations including needle acupuncture.

ICM welcome all papers dealing with the topic. Studies concerning bioengineering assessment of acupuncture based on modern technology are especially welcome.

Before submission authors should carefully read over the journal's Author Guidelines. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the journal Manuscript Tracking System before December 31, 2018.

Planned Papers

Title: Basic Medical Science for Traditional Chinese Medicine, based on BIOCERAMIC Research
Author: Chi Ming Lee, Yuan Chia Chang, Ting Kai Leung^*

Title: New Paradigm in International Ear Acupuncture
Author: Dr. István Széchenyi
Affiliation: Director, founder, acupuncturist, Széchenyi Health Center, 1550 Budapest, Hungary

Title: Teaching veterinary acupuncture in the modern age- LU channel as prototype
Author: Bonnie Wright, DVM, DACVAA
Affiliation: Colorado Canine Orthopedics and Rehabilitation- 5528 N Nevada Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80918, USA

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted through the LIDSEN Submission System. Detailed information on manuscript preparation and submission is available in the Instructions for Authors. All submitted articles will be thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process and will be processed following the Editorial Process and Quality Control policy. Upon acceptance, the article will be immediately published in a regular issue of the journal and will be listed together on the special issue website, with a label that the article belongs to the Special Issue. LIDSEN distributes articles under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) License in an open-access model. The authors own the copyright to the article, and the article can be free to access, distribute, and reuse provided that the original work is correctly cited.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). Research articles and review articles are highly invited. Authors are encouraged to send the tentative title and abstract of the planned paper to the Editorial Office (icm@lidsen.com) for record. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Editorial Office.

Welcome your submission!

Publication

Open Access Technical Note Efficacy of LED Infrared Warming in the Periphery of the Human Body – First Investigations in a Subject using Thermography by Gerhard Litscher Received: 15 April 2020;  Published: 11 May 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2002030 Abstract In this technical report, we present for the first time a newly developed multimodal light-emitting diode (LED) pad for photobiomodulation (PBM). In order to demonstrate the range of possibilities for its application, we carried out a comparison of measurements with and without infrared (IR) LEDs in a volunteer, and are presenting the results [...]

Open Access Editorial Can Laser Medicine and Laser Acupuncture be used for COVID-19? Selected Areas of the Current Scientific Literature by Gerhard Litscher Received: 03 May 2020;  Published: 07 May 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2002026 Abstract The present moment lacks any reliable vaccine or treatment for the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the resultant disease COVID-19 (Corona Virus Disease-2019). Laser medicine like photobiomodulation (PBM) or photodynamic therapy (PDT), and laser acupuncture may possess some potential to interact and relieve the symptoms of this disease. PubMed lists onl [...]

Open Access Original Research Heart Rate Variability during Acupuncture Treatment of Lumbosacral Pain by Yan Yang  , Gerhard Litscher  , Zemin Sheng  and Lu Wang Received: 12 February 2020;  Published: 20 March 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2001015 Abstract Pain could be directly related to autonomous imbalance. To date, only one scientific work examining heart rate variability (HRV) and heart rate (HR) as the important parameters of autonomous nervous system (ANS) in the context of clinical routine acupuncture treatments for lumbosacral pain conditions is available in the listed [...]

Open Access Editorial COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease-19): Traditional Chinese Medicine including Acupuncture for Alleviation – A Report from Wuhan, Hubei Province in China by Fengxia Liang  and Gerhard Litscher Received: 25 February 2020;  Published: 26 February 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2001009 Abstract Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been used to prevent and alleviate epidemic diseases for hundreds of years. The combination of TCM and Western medicine can effectively reduce fever; alleviate cough, fatigue, diarrhoea and other symptoms of patients with mild COVID-19 (Coronavirus disease-19). For the treatment of moderate and severe [...]

Open Access Editorial Gender Differences in Manual, Electro, and Laser Acupuncture by Yan Yang  and Gerhard Litscher Received: 08 January 2020;  Published: 14 January 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2001003 Abstract Acupuncture, being a unique method, is a millennia-old tradition in the field of Chinese medicine. However, it is surprising that there are very few scientific publications on acupuncture and its gender-specific effects. This article summarizes the previous work from the perspective of both Western and Eastern medicine, involving manual acupun [...]

Open Access Case Report Increase in Electrodermal Activity on Acupuncture Points of Lymphatic, Lung, Nervous, Endocrine and Heart Meridians after Running Exercise, a Single Case Study by Harry G. Hong Received: 10 December 2018;  Published: 25 March 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1901019 Abstract Background: Electrodermal measurement of acupuncture points has been correlated to physiologic and pathologic conditions with clinical and laboratory studies. Emerging evidence indicates that in addition to therapeutic effect, acupuncture points may also have diagnostic properties. However, physiologic basis of this phenomenon is still unknown [...]

Open Access Concept Paper New Paradigm in International Ear Acupuncture by Istvan Széchenyi Received: 16 October 2018;  Published: 26 February 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1901013 Abstract (1) Background: In the international auriculotherapy practice there are relatively big differences in the exact localization of one and the same ear acupuncture point. On one hand, there are specialists who devote their efforts to find the active points. In that case it becomes intriguing that near of the point to be treated there may be [...]

Open Access Editorial Auricular Medicine by Gerhard Litscher Received: 07 November 2017;  Published: 10 November 2017;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1704004 Abstract The treatment by auricular therapy has a long history. Ear acupoint research has been advancing step by step worldwide [1-17] . The introduction of lasers into medicine brought besides the already existing stimulation with needles, electricity, pressure and liquids an additional technique to auricular acupuncture.

Open Access Original Research Modulation of Excitability of Spinal Neural Functions by Acupoint Stimulation Physical Therapy at LU5 (Chize) in Three Hemiplegic Patients with Cerebrovascular Disease by Toshiaki Suzuki  , Makiko Tani  , Kaito Takamori  and Maki Yamada Received: 21 January 2017;  Published: 20 February 2017;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1701001 Abstract (1) Background: Acupoint stimulation physical therapy (ASPT) is a novel method of physical therapy that combines physical and acupuncture methods. This study aimed to examine the effect of ASPT in three hemiplegic patients with cerebrovascular disease using F-wave as a measure of the excitability of spinal neural function. (2) Methods: Subjec [...]

Open Access Original Research Modernization of Acupuncture Education in Europe and China: A Report from Austria by Daniela Litscher  and Gerhard Litscher Received: 24 May 2016;  Published: 17 August 2016;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.1601002 Abstract The present report deals with some current important aspects of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) education and practice in Europe and China. The data and facts are based on a lecture of one of the authors (G.L.) prepared for a conference in Wuhan about acupuncture education in Europe, and lectures of two high-ranking representatives of renow [...]