Abstract
The objective of this research is to investigate the dynamic changes of human heart rate variability (HRV), pulse wave velocity and pulse pressure before and after manual stimulation of the PC 6 (Neiguan) acupuncture site. Six healthy volunteers with no neurological conditions participated in this study. A total of 18 trials were obtained before, during and after acupuncture stimulation. In order to minimize artifacts, all data were collected with the subjects alert but eyes closed. Acupuncture needle was inserted perpendicularly into the PC 6 acupuncture site and manually stimulated about 15 seconds to achieve De Qi sensation. Needles were left in place for 30 min and then removed. This point was chosen because it is associated with circulatory system and has been used in the treatment of coronary heart problem. Analysis of the data due to acupuncture was compared with the baseline data to show any significant changes over the human heart rate variability, pulse wave velocity, pulse pressure and fractal dimension of pulse.In this thesis, the following results using the electrocardiogram (ECG) and pulse data are obtained. First, significant increase or decrease both in pulse wave velocity and pulse pressure is observed. Secondly, significant changes in the spectra of HRV during and after acupuncture have been detected. Thirdly, decrease in fractal dimension of pulse pressure is also prominent. Fourthly, the frequency shifts of the heart rate are also obvious. We hypothesize that these effects will be beneficial for physiological homeostasis. Further studies on the meanings of these physiological conditions will be studied in the future.