Take
a Serious Look at De-qi
Acupuncture stimulation elicits deqi, a composite of unique
sensations. According to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), deqi experienced
by patients is often described as suan (aching or soreness), ma (numbness or
tingling), zhang (fullness, distention, or pressure), and zhong (heaviness) and
is felt by the acupuncturists (needle grasping) as tense, tight, and full. It
is believed that deqi may be an important variable in the studies of the
mechanism and efficacy of acupuncture treatment. In recent years, great efforts
have been made to understand deqi, which include a couple of questionnaires to
qualify and quantify deqi sensations, neuroimaging studies of deqi and acupuncture,
physiological mechanisms of deqi, and the relation between deqi and clinical
efficacy. However, many problems need to be resolved, and more researches are
required to be made in the future.
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