Despite the seemingly established clinical success of electrical osteogenesis, important questions
remain unanswered. One of the most important is that of the mechanism of action of the applied
electromagnetic energy. The idea which initially led to the electrical bone-growth studies in animals
involved the idea of simulating the natural piezoelectric currents. We now know that these currents are
in the order of 10-13 amp, which is approximately 6-8 orders of magnitude below typical clinical
osteogenetic currents. It seems clear, therefore, that the present clinical use of electrical treatments to
stimulate bone growth do not involve the piezoelectric effect (14).
Acupuncture
Acupuncture therapy developed in China over several thousand years (15). It is based on a
philosophy in which "life energy" called ch'i is viewed as composed of two fundamentally opposing
aspects: yin, the passive, negative principle and yang, the active, positive principle. Good health, which
in the holistic Chinese view includes both physical and mental health, depends on the maintenance of a
harmonious equilibrium between yin and yang, together with unimpeded circulation of ch'i throughout
the body via 14 channels known as meridians: Imbalance or obstruction in the flow of the ch'i is
manifested as illness. Health can be restored by rectifying the imbalance via stimulation applied at one
or more specific locations on the meridians called acupuncture points. The particular points to be
treated are chosen after an examination of the patient and an evaluation of his symptoms. Originally,
treatment was by manual rotation of fine gold or silver needles inserted at the points. More recently, a
variety of electrical signals (electroacupuncture) have been used instead of manual stimulation (16, 17).
At present acupuncture and electroacupuncture are used in China, primarily to treat pain and
neurological disorders (16).
The earliest known Chinese treatise on acupuncture therapy dates back to about 500 B.C., and
the system it describes has remained essentially unchanged since then (15). Acupuncture was
introduced in the West in the seventeenth century, and interest in it was rekindled by the new contacts
with mainland China in the early 1970's. This resurgence of interest has led to numerous studies of the
clinical efficacy of acupuncture as well as basic laboratory studies of its physiological basis and mode
of action. Acupuncture has been reported to be effective in providing pain relief (18), and many
hypotheses have been proposed to explain the effects resulting from acupuncture treatment (18, 19).
The most basic question concerning acupuncture is whether there is a physical basis for the
system of points and meridians. Such a foundation would provide a potential explanation for the
reported effects as well as a logical framework for further studies. Otherwise, one would be left only
with theories based on hypothesis or suggestion. Attempts to correlate the acupuncture meridians and
points with the human nervous system have been inconclusive: some investigators have claimed that
many acupuncture points correspond to known concentrations of sensory receptors (20), while others
see no relationship to the anatomy of the peripheral nervous system (21). There have been suggestions
that acupuncture points are distinguishable by their lower DC electrical resistance (22), but others have
said that this phenomenon is largely due to experimental artifact caused by exertion of greater pressure
on the measuring instrument over the sites of supposed acupuncture points (23).
Our interest in acupuncture arose out of the concept of the electrical control system regulating
growth and healing (chapter 2). Such a system would receive and transmit signals that indicated the
occurrence of injury. Injury signals are usually equated with the perception of pain, but pain may be
merely the consciously perceived portion: the major portion may be addressed to the integration areas
ELECTROMAGNETISM & LIFE - 150