MERIDIAN DIALECTICS IN PATIENTS WITH ENDOGENOUS TYPE OF HEADACHE 

Kuang Peigen, Dai Fulin, Xu Bo

(Neurotransmitter Research Laboratory, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Bering)

Bian Yurong

(Department of Acupuncture. Chinese PLA General Hospital, BeiJing)

30 patients with endogenous type of headache (21 males and 9 females, aged 17-45) were divided into three groups, 12 patients with insufficient Yin headache, 8 patients with excess of liver Yang headache and 10 patients with disturbance of Phlegm headache. At 4-5 points of back shu, each patient was injected 6.0-7.5 ml solution of Radix Angelicae Sinensis, 20% in concentration. The needle was inserted perpendicularly into back shu points and the drug (1.5 ml for each point) was Injected until the feeling of acupuncture with soreness, heaviness, numbness was felt by the patient. The plasma D(3H was measured before and 15 minutes after point injections.

Only 5 of 8 patients with excess of liver Yang headache and 3 of 10 patients with disturbance of Phlegm headache had favorable therapeutic results as compared to all of the patients with insufficiency of Yin headache. The difference between patients with insufficiency of Yin and excess of liver Yang headache was at 5% level and between patients with insufficiency of Yin and disturbance of Phlegm headache at the 1% level. There was no significant difference between patients with excess of liver Yang and disturbance of Phlegm headache.

Before point injections the plasma D0H activity levels in patients with insufficiency of Yin and excess of liver Yang and disturbance of Phlegm headache were 31.4±4.81 units (mean±SEM), 21.92±5.50 units 46.38±7.82 units respectively. The mean D|3H activity level in patients with excess of liver Yang headache was significantly less than that in controls (36.86±1.44 units), whereas no statistically significant differences were noted among the normal controls and patients with insufficiency of Yin and disturbance of Phlegm headache, The mean D0H activity level was significantly higher in patients with disturbance of Phlegm than Excess of liver Yang headache. No statistically significant differences in D(3H activity levels were observed between patients with disturbance of Phlegm and insufficiency of Yin headache and between patients with excess of liver Yang and insufficiency of YJn headache.

After point injections, the mean DpH activity level of patients with insufficiency of Yin headache was 27.88±3.60 units, of patients with excess of liver Yang headache 25.61 ±5.80 units, of patients with disturbance of Phlegm headache 42.29±6.12 units. The D^H activity after point injections in patients with insufficiency Yin headache was significantly decreased compared with the activity before point injections, whereas the plasma DPH activity of the patients with excess of liver Yang and disturbance of Phegm headache showed no significant variations.

The present study clearly shows that the point injections based on meridian differentiation may change the plasma DpH level in patients with insufficiency of Yin headache. It is known that D^H is derived mainly from the sympathetic nerves and, thus, at least a part of the therapeutic effect of meridians may be mediated through the sympathetic nervous system,