Acupuncture and Infrared Imaging: Essays by theoretical physicist & professor of oriental medicine in research

By Shui Yin Lo

The Chinese acupuncturists use needles to treat at least one hundred fifty kind diseases with successes for thousands of years on more than one billion people with remarkable success.

But it has not been accepted by the main stream Western medicine, and taught in main stream medical school. Probably it is due to two factors: th

• Language: English
• Publisher: EHGBooks
• Release date: Mar 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9781647849627

Book preview

ACUPUNCTURE

and

INFRARED IMAGING

Essays by theoretical physicist

and professor of oriental

medicine in research

Shui Yin Lo PhD.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. How Does Infrared Imaging Help Acupuncture?

2. Diabetes and Acupuncture

3. Old Pain, New Pain, Hot Pain and Cold Pain

4. What Are Meridians? Can We See Them?

5. What Are Acupoints? Can We See Them?

6. What Is Qi? Can We See Qi?

7. How Does Moxibustion Work Scientifically?

8. Cancer, Acupuncture, and Infrared Imaging

9. Infrared Evidence for External Qi

10. Breast Cancer, Breast Abnormalities, and Infrared Imaging

11. How Soon Does Acupuncture Begin to Work?

12. Are You Ready for the Bird Flu Yourself?

13. How Many Different Kinds of Lower Back Pain Are There?

14. Improve Your Brain With Qi

15. Predictive Power of Meridian Theory

16. Oscillating Nature of Recovery From Serious Sickness

17. A Sign of Serious Disease: Heating Up the Body With External Qi

18. Warming Up and Cooling Down Simultaneously by External Qi

19. Perfect Symmetry, Perfect Health

20. Customized Diagnosis, Instant Verification and Personalized Modality

21. Acupoints for Thyroid Disorders

22. Evidence of Instant Effect of External Qi

23. Molecular Basis of Meridians

24. Can Emotion Be Quantified?

25. Is the Meridian System the Most Senior?

26. How to Deal With Long-Term Drug Side Effects

27. SWC Water For Migraine, Diabetes and Brain Tumor

28. Brain Issues and SWC Water

29. Diagnosis and Treatment of Autism

1. How Does Infrared Imaging Help Acupuncture?

It has been said that infrared cameras take interesting pictures of the effects of acupuncture. I know this is true, because I have an infrared camera (a Meditherm 2000) that can show the temperature of any spot on the skin.

When a patient with a fever visits the doctor's office, the first thing the nurse does is measure the patient's body temperature. Temperature can tell a lot about a person's state of health. With the ability of showing the temperature of more than 10,000 points on the skin instantaneously by infrared imaging, we can know a lot more about the health of a person. For example, by taking infrared pictures before and after acupuncture, its curing effect can be demonstrated to anyone, including those who are most skeptical of acupuncture.

I will give an example of this by telling the story of my wife's left foot. A very good friend of mine, who was the head of the research department of a major acupuncture university in Los Angeles, came to see me. He heard that I was using infrared images to conduct research in meridians and acupuncture, and wanted to know more about it. He saw how dramatically the temperature pattern of a patient changed after receiving acupuncture and was eager to try it himself. He needed a patient. My wife volunteered immediately, and said she felt pain all over her left foot. She moved her finger to point a large area of her foot. I took an infrared picture of her feet.

The differences in temperature on the surface of the skin are represented by color, using black, blue, green, yellow, orange, red and white in increasing temperature from coldest to hottest. Each change in color represents a change in temperature of one-half a degree Centigrade. The deep red region on the left foot indicates the hottest spot.

My friend took a look at the image and saw the most serious area was on the lower left foot. He quickly decided it was the Liver meridian that passed closest to the area of pain. He inserted a single needle at Liv2 (xingjian) on the Liver meridian, situated between the first and second toe. We had discussed previously that the point of insertion should be away from the area of pain so that the relevance of the meridian could be shown. Ten minutes after the needle was inserted at Liv2, the high temperature area on the left foot decreased, and the low temperature area of the right foot increased, resulting in symmetry in temperature between the feet.

Before after

The deep red region on the lower part of my wife's left foot, where the pain originated, was gone. My wife felt better, and the pain never returned.

There are several lessons to be drawn from these pictures, and several general features that show the inherent effects of acupuncture:

The effect of acupuncture is immediate. Within one minute, the temperature of the skin's surface starts to change. The infrared pictures displays instantly on the monitor for all to see. The objective result of treatment is demonstrated in a colorful picture within minutes for the patient and practitioner to examine.

The function of acupuncture meridians is demonstrated. The effect of acupuncture follows the path of the meridians, just as ancient texts claim. It is not necessary to insert a needle at the point of illness; oftentimes, it is better to insert needles far away from the problem area. The choice of insertion point is governed by meridian theory.

Before treatment, there is asymmetry between the left and right feet. After treatment, the feet have the same temperature distribution and become symmetric again. Meridian theory always says that the effect of acupuncture is to balance yin and yang, or in this case the left and right feet. Here is the proof.

We have taken many pictures on many cases for many kinds of problems. Their interpretations are in general agreement with the traditional theory of meridians. Furthermore, we have developed a quantum theory of meridians and acupuncture that can provide modern scientific explanations to puzzles that naturally arise in the mind of a critic or skeptic. We hope the combination of infrared pictures and quantum theory will open up the miracles of acupuncture to many more millions of skeptical people.

2. Diabetes and Acupuncture

U.S. newspapers continuously report the increase in the number of individuals among all age groups who suffer from diabetes.

One research group suggests that in the not-too-distant future, half of the Hispanic population may have diabetes. It seems that diabetes becomes more prevalent as society becomes more affluent, as there is more food available.

Diabetes is caused primarily by dysfunction of the pancreas. How can acupuncture help diabetic patients? Scientific studies and clinical tests in international research centers in the past 10 years have shown that acupuncture can help diabetic patients in the following ways:

- lower blood glucose content;

- lower the release of pancreatic glucagons;

- attenuate symptoms of polyphagia (the urge to eat too much), polydipsia (excessive thirst) and polyuria (excessive passage of urine);

- prevent slowing of motor nerve conduction;

- improve microcirculation and myocardial contractility;

- enhance blood outflow and regulate vascular peripheral resistance;

- exert antiatherogenic, antioxidant and immunomodulating effects;

- obliterate antheroscelerosis of the legs;

- induce secretion of endogenous beta-endorphin;

- elevate a lowered pain threshold; and

- increase cell proliferation and neuropeptide Y levels.

Patient before acupuncture treatment.

As discussed in my first article, the effects of acupuncture are immediate after each session. Pictured below are infrared images (before and after acupuncture treatment) of a diabetic patient who had laser surgery on the eyes (without much success). The effect of acupuncture is dramatically illustrated by the change in the patient's color pattern. The color code is as follows: White is the highest temperature, followed by red; orange; yellow; green; blue; and black. The hottest area in white color of the forehead, eyes, and mouth area completely change  to less hot red color.

Patient after first acupuncture treatment.

The maximum temperatures around the eyes, forehead and the mouth were reduced by 1.32 C, 1.26 C and 1.0 C after the first treatment, respectively. Maximum temperatures around the eyes, forehead and the mouth were reduced by 0.65 C, 0.26 C and 0.46 C after the second treatment. The reduction in maximum temperatures was less for the second treatment than for the first treatment.

Before the first treatment, the differences between maximum and minimum temperature around the eyes, mouth and forehead were 2.65 C, -0.07 C and 1.49 C. Before the second treatment, the differences between maximum and minimum temperatures were 1.81 C, 0.06 C and 0.27 C.

We detected improvement on the eyes and the forehead based on the reductions of their difference in maximum and minimum temperature. We attributed the improvement of 0.64 C around the eyes and 1.22 C around the forehead to the first treatment with acupuncture and massage. There was hardly any change to the difference of maximum and minimum temperature around the mouth.

The high temperature around the forehead probably was due to high blood pressure. Since the improvement was rapid, one expects the high blood pressure can be controlled much easier.

The high temperature around the eyes was due to damage from diabetes and the surgical operations on the eyes. Nevertheless, there was an improvement of 0.64 C. This is a very good indication that the patient responded positively to acupuncture treatment. The patient was treated twice. The second treatment occurred about one week after the first.

For another serious diabetic patient who had acupuncture continuously twice a week for a year, there was continuous improvement of eyesight and bodily function.

3. Old Pain, New Pain, Hot Pain and Cold Pain

When patients come to the clinic and complain about pain, they generally know the location of their pain.

This