NEURAL MECHANISM OF THE EFFECT OF ACUPUNCTURE ON MYOCARDIAL ISCHEMIA

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Coronary artery disease is the greatest cause of death in middle aged and elderly individuals in North America. Treatment for this disease is far from perfect and is often associated with side effects. In recent years there is increasing interest in alternative medicine and therapy for coronary artery disease including acupuncture. Acupuncture and its more potent alternative, electroacupuncture (EA), are therapies that have been recognized for centuries by physicians in Eastern countries to be effective in treating a number of diseases. The World Health Organization (WHO) lists more than 40 conditions for which acupuncture may be effective. With regard to the cardiovascular system, the management of cardiac pain, arrhythmias, and hypertension all fall into the latter category for which some clinical and basic science reports suggest efficiency. However, most Western physicians have been reluctant to accept acupuncture because the physiological mechanisms determining its actions have not been well described.