Nasal Airway Resistance Measured by Rhinomanometry： a Novel Tool to Measure Acupuncture Effects

Objective： Side effects of decongestants and antihistamines are frequently seen in patients with chronic nasal congestion. This leads to an increasing demand of alternative treatments like acupuncture. Future studies on acupuncture should aim at objectifying possible effects by both physical measuring and double-blind method. Methods： The author were therefore interested whether these effects can potentially be measured as decrease in NAR in ventus （wind） disease of TCM along with VAS and under the Heidelberg Acupuncture double blinding array. Patients were diagnosed according to the Heidelberg model of TCM; one group obtained treatment with specific verum acupuncture points Yingxiang （LI 20）, Hegu （LI 4） and Yintang （Ex-HN3）, while the other group obtained acupuncture at non-specific control points Baihui （GV 20）, Shaohai （HT 3）, and Xiguan （LR 7） that had no relation to the Chinese diagnosis of the patient. Results： First results show that NAR （rhinomanometry） is a routine lab parameter able to show acupuncture effects in vivo.