Is Acupuncture Meridians a Novel System for Superoxide Disposition

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory, acupuncture meridian is recognized as the most important network responsible for transporting Qi, the energy flow and therefore determining surviving status of human body.Qi (also Chi or Ki) in traditional Chinese culture is an active principle forming part of any living thing.Qi is frequently translated as "energy flow", but some researchers stand in different attitudes.Energy flow is the most used phrase to explain Qi in traditional Chinese culture.Before Scientific Revolution, ancient Chinese philosophers believed that Qi was the invisible and basic unit of all life and matter, endowed things with specific characteristics.In other words, Qi as basic unit was combined to create distinctive matters, providing matters various functions.The concept of Qi in Chinese philosophy divides into two opposite basic characteristic as Yin and Yang, which is used to describe how polar or seemingly contrary forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, and how they give rise to each other in turn.Opposites thus only exist in relation to each other.Yin aspect of the Qi was described as cold, stationary, negative, objective; Yang aspect of the Qi was described as hot, active, positive and virtual.Taking blood circulation for example, the TCM physicians believe that blood consists of the tangible Qi of Yin characteristic and the circulation motion was powered by the other invisible Qi of Yang characteristic.To expand the notion of Yin or Yang aspect of the Qi, the negative portion of Qi composes the objects such as human body and the positive portion performs the particular function like breath and thinking.What the ancient Chinese philosophers perceive as Qi is similar to the concept of energy in modern science.Energy is the capacity of a system to do work.In other words, energy like the Yang aspect of the Qi imparted the ability of function to matters.On the other hand, matter like the Yin aspect of the Qi has mass and occupies volume.According to Einstein's the theory of relativity, however, mass and energy are two names for the same thing, neither one appears without the other, just like Qi has two opposite and interconvertible characteristic.But in Traditional Chinese Medicine, energy concept of Qi is difficult to be understood how human body functions in different conditions, such as in health or in disease.For example, human inner organs in TCM called Zang-fu possess respective Qi.The particular Qi flows out of respective inner organ along an acupuncture meridian intitled as the organ name circulate in the body, and somehow absorb or release Qi from or to environment via acupoints.Meridians are channels along with Qi circulates, balances energy throughout the www.intechopen.comAcupuncture -Concepts and Physiology 94 body.Once Qi was blocked, stagnated or weakened, it could result in physical, mental or emotional ill health.Rather, when Qi flowed freely through the meridians, the body was balanced and healthy.Maintaining meridian's proper functions constitutes the key principles for traditional Chinese medical modalities.Energy have been defined several forms as thermal energy, chemical energy, electrical energy, radiant energy, nuclear energy, magnetic energy, elastic energy, sound energy, mechanical energy, luminous energy, etc.What the Qi concept belong to is indistinct yet.Wu & Jong (C. C. Wu & Jong, 1990) used radionuclide to inject into acupoints on a subject, in order to find the acupuncture meridian's relationship with the veins and to understand the physiological function of acupoint.They took a photo of those radionuclide flew along a meridian in subject body.Yang et al. (H. Q. Yang, et al., 2007) investigated the meridians and acupoints of human bodies at natural condition are among 30 healthy volunteers by infrared thermal imaging technique, which give clear evidence of the existence of infrared radiant tracks along human meridian courses.They believed that the infrared radiant track along human meridian courses is a normal vital and physiological phenomenon appearing in human beings, which indicated that Qi has strong connection with the thermal energy.van Wijk et al. (van Wijk, et al., 2010) discussed the relationship between connective tissue and meridian function in terms of energy transmission.The network of hydrogen-bonded water molecules interspersed within the collagen fibrillar matrix in connective tissue has properties of ultraweak photon emission and human photon was considered as Qi in Traditional Chinese Medicine.Brătilă & Moldovan (Brătilă & Moldovan, 2007) used harmonic sounds to stimulate acupoints, testing the theory that the body rhythms synchronize to an outer rhythm applied for therapeutic purpose, can restores the energy balance in acupuncture meridians and organs and the condition of well-being.Lee et al. (Lee, et al., 2010) measured the electrical potential along the stomach meridian to investigate the bioenergy consensus between the operator and subject during acupuncture stimulation, which might indicate the transfer of bioenergy between operator and subject by the meridian electrical potentials.They believed that Qi was some kind of electrical potential.Other researchers tried to found the certain molecule to define what the Qi is.Ma et al. (Ma, et al., 2007) quantified total nitrate and nitrite (NOx-) collected from the skin surface along acupoints in meridian and determined whether non-enzymatic reduction of nitrate by bacteria is involved in chemical generation of nitric oxide (NO) on acupoints.They conclude that NO is physiologically released from the skin surface with a higher level at acupoints, and the chemical generation of NO on skin acupoints has significantly relate to Qi in meridian.Zhang et al. (W. B. Zhang, et al., 2009) used a highly sensitive CO 2 instrument to measure the transcutaneous CO 2 emission at 13 points along the pericardium meridian line, found that the distribution of transcutaneous CO 2 emission is highly related to acupoints on the body.They concluded that there is a strong correlativity of energy metabolism activity between the body surfaces along the meridian, and an even stronger correlativity between the acupoints on the meridian.Zhai et al. (Zhai, et al., 1995) used nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrum analysis to measure the state of energetic metabolism of hepatic cells at the organic level.They found that moxibustion on acupoint Guanyuan (CV4) could remarkably increase the ATP molecules in the hepatic cells, significantly raise the thermodynamic reserve and phosphate potential of the hepatic cells, so as to enhance the functional activities of liver.Chris Kresser (Kresser, 2010) defined Qi as air or the essence of air as oxygen.He believed that Qi can also refer to the function of something (i.e. the Qi of www.intechopen.com