Reflexo-Therapy With Mechanical Skin Stimulation: Pilot
Study
Tanya Zilberter, Ph.D., Jim
Roman.
Community Wholistic Health Center, Carrboro, North
Carolina 103 Weaver St., Carrboro NC 27710
The paper was presented at the International
Symposium on Integrative Medicine, May 26-28,
1999, Omega Institute, NY.
Abstract
A medical device to deliver skin stimulation was developed in Russia in
the early 1980s and
several studies were done on the device. These studies indicated a high
degree of success in the
treatment of a variety of disorders. The device and method of use were
based loosely on the
practice of acupuncture. These, however, does not help to explain the
phenomenon
within
Western scientific paradigm. Aside from metaphysical explanations about
energy flow through
the channels-meridians, there have been few theories proposed. The
present
paper reviews the
development and the early Russian studies, as well as results of the
pilot
research program
conducted in the Community Wholistic Health Center, Carrboro, NC. The
paper
then
discusses two of the theories applicable to the results.
Introduction
Traditional Eastern healing methods and Western folk remedies include a
number of skin
stimulation techniques, the most common of which is massage and the
most
sophisticated is
acupuncture. The "bed of nails", long favored by certain Hindu mystics,
probably shares an
underlying mechanism with acupuncture. A modern version of the bed of
nails
was invented
about fifteen years ago by a lay Russian person, Ivan Kuznetzov, for
his
own use as a kind of
self-acupuncture device. It turned out to be extremely successful in
relieving
and curing a large
number of common ailments in Russia, in 1982, when it was being tested
at The Institute of
Experimental Surgery [1]. Back then, it was a handmade rubber mat which
had approximately
fifteen hundred stainless steel office pins in it, about 50 mm apart
from
each other with the
sharp ends up. The hope was to eventually affect acupuncture points
with
some of the pins,
like shooting a penny with a large number of pellets. The hope was also
that the many pins not
on target will not harm whatever good the right pins might do.
Russian Research Studies
Based on informal studies, five Moscow clinics gave the device positive
reviews and it was
approved for use by the Department of Health. It was mass produced and
distributed by a
cooperative firm run by Kuznetzov and eventually could be bought in any
drug store. The case
files on the patients who used the device filled up several walls and
the
line for appointments
formed well before opening. A documentary was filmed and aired over
Soviet
national
television. At the time, no one was really interested why the method
worked.
The
documentation covered over 5,000 treatments on over 400 patients. The
studies
showed highly
reproducible pain relief for complicated fractures and concussions,
reduction
in surgical pain,
reduced pain and
stiffness in patients with osteochondrosis, improved respiratory
function
in patients with
broncho-pulminary conditions, and all with no side effects. (Summaries
of these research
studies are included in the Appendix). Although the method achieved
great
success in Russia,
no professional discussions were held, no articles were published, and
no proposed theories
behind the method were ever offered
Recent U.S. Research Studies
Method
In the United States, a new version of Kuznetzov's device is now
available
under the brand
name Panaceaª, it is composed of a flexible polyurethane base (9.5"
x 19") with 1320 pointed
pyramidal "stimulators" which provide intensive tactile stimulation
when
being pressed with
the body weight upon the skin of the back in the supine position.
Distribution
of the body
weight between large number of "stimulators" insures a safe procedure
without
penetrating the
skin.
Subjects.
The study done in 1996 consisted of following up 200 subjects who used
their own devices
for at least two weeks. 126 of them filled out the
questionnaires which were collected and analyzed. Among them, 105
treported
that they used
the device for various specific health problems The five most
frequently
reported conditions
were the following (starting with the most frequent): stress, pain,
muscle
spasms, mood swings
and insomnia.
Results.
One or more positive effects of the device on the conditions specified
by subjects were
reported by 99 of the 105 participants (94%) with the above specific
health
problems.
However, in many cases there were not enough subjects to make
comclusions
regarding effects
of the Panacea on the specific ailments. To obtain significant number
of
cases, we included in
the questionnaire 5 health conditions to be estimated by all the
participants,
including those
with no particular health problems.
One of the questions of the questionnaire was the following: "Did you
experience
any positive
effects using the Panacea in the following categories: relaxation, pain
relief, sleep quality,
energy level, allergies?" Out of 126 subjects, 98% reported pain
relief,
96% reported relaxation,
94% reported improvement in the quality of sleep, and 81% reported an
increase
in energy
level. Approximatelly half of the subjects with allergy problems
reported
their symptoms' relief
Out 21 participants who reported no tested the method while having no
particular
health
problems, 13 nevertheless reported one or more positive effects of the
Panacea
The only adverse effect is some initial discomfort which disappears
after
a few treatments. In
fact, one of the questions in our research questionnaire was the
following:
"What was your
comfort level the first time you laid on the Panacea? The fifth time?"
During the first use 46%
felt very uncomfortable and 42% uncomfortable. However, by the fifth
use,
the picture has
reversed: 52.5% felt very comfortable and 36.5% - comfortable (Fig.4).
Discussion
New Theories.
One of the few known Western theories on acupuncture [2, 3] belongs to
a team of theoretical
biologists working under Dr. Dmitri Chernavski, a professor at the
Russian
Academy of
Sciences, Institute of Physics, in Moscow. The group approached the
problem
from the point
of view of concept of neurocomputing [4]
Since mid-century, using a model based on real (live) neural
structures,
a whole new class of
computers, possessing so called "artificial intelligence", has been
developed
-- ones that can
learn, recognize objects, and correct their own mistakes. In somewhat
of
a paradox, the reverse
logic has been used now, in order to explain the mechanisms of a live
brain
using the known
electronic models. Thus the theory of self-diagnostic function of an
organism
was developed.
Many of the processes of recognizing images, including the "image" of a
disease, take place at
as low level of the central nervous system as the spinal cord. In the
gray
matter of the spinal
cord, neurons are organized into what are called "Rexed laminae" and
their
functions are
well-known. The signals from the inner organs, from the skin, muscles,
etc., separately one
from another, first go through the first lamina. Then the signals move
through the second
lamina, third one, and so on, while increasingly interacting with each
other and finally reach the
brain in the form of integrated sets of information about the body's
state
of being.
The computers that recognize objects have basically the same laminar
structure
and similar
function of signal integration. In both cases, an omitted signal from
an
internal organ, or one
that is not strong enough, can be compensated for in the process of
multiple
repetitive passing
back and forth ("back propagation"), as well as by a kind of filtering
through the laminae. The
process is only possible if the total current of the integrated signal
is powerful enough.
According to Dr. Chernavski, skin stimulation at the specific point of
acupuncture,
corresponded to a particular internal organ or it's function,
accomplishes
the goal of
strengthening a weak or deteriorated signal from the organ. The process
of integration in the
Rexed laminae, in this case of information from the skin and the organ,
increases the flow of
"signals of illness" from an organ, or points out a body's mistake in
recognizing
the disorder.
It is as if you wanted to send a message to someone down the stream.
Your
write the message
on a sheet of paper, fold the sheet in a manner of a paper boat and
then
face the fact that there
is little or no water in the stream. Add some water, and the little
boat
will get there. Neither the
way of adding the water nor the water itself has any effect on the
content
of letter sent.
Why the pairs "skin point- organ" converge in the central nervous
system,
is not completely
clear. One of hypotheses is that it is due to rudimental memory of the
process of
embriogenesis, when the cells composing the skin and the organs
originated
from common
maternal cells before the differentiation process diverge them. The
phenomenon
of skin
projection of internal organs doubtlessly occurs and many, for example,
angina sufferers
experience it on practice in form of pain irradiation to the scapular
or
jaw skin areas. The
possibility to use this circumstances has been empirically discovered
by
many healing schools
from ancient to our days.
Once the body has the stronger, clearer information about the injury or
disease, the natural
healing powers of the body take over. What happens when the disease is
recognized, the above
theory does not explain, stating that the body has enough resources to
battle the disease on its
own. Conventional medicine neglects that statement, while holistic
medicine
is based on it.
Nevertheless, conventional medicine may be missing an opportunity in
dismissing
this
explanation too quickly. Within the limits of the West's strict
paradigm,
there has been
collected a large number of facts on natural ways of fighting diseases
by restoring a proper
balance of physiological functions. We offer to discuss one of the most
universal mechanisms
to restore body's balance.
It is known that a number of physical actions in excess of average
intensity,
can trigger the
release of endorphins (Fig. 5), including but notl imited to: pain [5],
stress [6], bleeding [7],
acupuncture [8, 9], sex [10], positive emotions [11] , highly palatable
foods [12], memorization
process [13].
Pain reduction, in it's turn, is the most common result associated with
the release of endorphins
[14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19]. It has been eventually concluded, that any
intense
skin stimulation will
cause a significant release of endorphins [20].
Another effect is the curious state the body falls into after the
endorphin
concentration has
gone up: a number of other physiological regulators are released into
the
bloodstream such as
growth hormone and insulin [21, 22]. Each one of those regulators
changes
a number of
different body functions
As a result, it is not surprising that many serious diseases are linked
to the abnormalities in the
endorphin system including: schizophrenia [23, 24, 25],
epilepsy [26], Parkinson's disease [27, 28, 29], hypertensia [30, 31],
diabetes [32, 33, 34], PMS
[35, 36, 37, 38], hot flashes [39], weight problems [40,
41, 42].
Thus, skin stimulation, even not necessarily as accurate as in
acupuncture,
but intensive
enough, does at least two things:
1. Provides additional unspecific
sensory input to the body's self-diagnostic
center in the
central nervous system thus amplifying insufficient signals from
diseased internal organs.
2. Coordinates the body's functions
through the cascade of physiological
regulators
triggered by endorphins which in their turn are being released by
reflexes from the skin.
These explanations throw new light on the results of Russian research
in
this area done during
the 1980s and may explain the success of Kuznetzov's device.
Conclusion
We suggest that, since this type of skin stimulation has been
repeatedly
shown to elicit reflexes
causing release of endorphins into the blood stream, most of the
reported
results can be
explained by the mobilization of this particular type of endogenous
stress-
and pain-protective
mechanism. We also consider important the local blood flow increase as
well as the
involvement of dozens of acupoints activated during the procedure. In
the
most used position
of the Panacea upon the upper- to lower back, the acupoints involved
can
be expected to
provide the following effects:
- Strengthening the liver, spleen and
kidney
- Alleviating headaches, fatigue,depression and
insomnia
- Easing spinal problems, sciatica, muscle
spasms and cramps
- Activation the immune system
- Relief of flu, cold and asthma
- Regulation of digestion and elimination
- Improvement of conditions of cystitis,
diarrhea, hemorrhoids, PMS
and complicated
periods
We regard this study as a pilot one however promising. The Community
Wholistic
Health
Center is in process of collecting data on specific health problems
that
can benefit from the
natural and free of adverse effects method of reflexo-therapy with
mechanical
skin stimulation.
Bibliography
1. Roman, J., Mechanical Skin Stimulation for Self-help
Reflexo-therapy,
Healself Network),
July 1997
2. Rubik, B. Can Western science provide a foundation for acupuncture?
Alt. Ther. Health.
Med., Sep. 1995
3. Zilberter, T. Another theory for acupuncture is available. Alt.
Ther.
Health. Med., Apr. 1996
4. Chernavski, D., Karp, V.P., Rotshtdt, M., On Neurophysiological
Mechanism
of
Acupuncture Therapy, Publ. of Physical Instit. of Russian Acad. of
Sci., 1991, No 150, pp. 2-50
5. Millan, M.J., A model of chronic pain in the rat: functional
correlates
of alterationsin the
activity of opioid systems., Journal of Neuroscience. 7(1) :
77-87, 1987
6. Przewlocka, B. Sumova, A. Lason, W., The influence of conditioned
fear-induced
stress on
the opioid system in the rat., Pharmacology, Biochemistry
& Behavior. 37(4) : 661-6, 1990
7. Van Leeuwen, A.F., Evans, R.G., Ludbrook, J. Haemodynamic responses
to acute blood
loss : new roles for the heart, brain and endogenouse opioids.
8. Bjorntorp, P. Effects of physical training on blood pressure in
hypertension.
European
Heart Journal. 8 Suppl B :71-6, 1987
9. Han, J.S., Zhang, R.L. Suppression of morphine abstinence syndrome
by
body
electroacupuncture of different frequencies in rats. Drug &
Alcohol
Dependence. 31 (2): 169-75, 1993
10. Agmo, A., Berebfeld, R. Reinforcing properties of ejaculation in
the
male rat : role of
opioids and dopamine. Behavioral Neuroscience. 104(1)
:177-82, 1990
11. Grossman, A. Endorphins : " opiates for the masses ". Medicine
&
Science in Sports &
Exercise. 17(1) :101-5, 1985 12. Shide, D.J., Blass, E.M.
Opioid mediation of odor preferences induced by sugar and fat in
6-day-old
rats. Physiology
& behavior. 50(5) :961-6, 1991
13. Introini-Collison, I.B., Baratti, C.M. Opioid peptidergic system
modulate
the activity of
beta-adrenergic mechanisms during memory consolidation
processes. Behavioral & Neural Biology. 46(2) :227-41, 1986
14. Yenehara, N., Imai, Y., Chen, J.Q., Takiuchi, S., Inoki, R.
Influence
of opioids on substance
P release evoked by antidromic stimulation of primary
afferent fibers in the hind instep of rats. Regulatory Peptides. 38(1)
; 13-22, 1992
15. Kehoe, P., Blass, E.M. Behaviorally functional opioid system in
infant
rats: 11. Evidence
for pharmacological, physiological, and psychological
mediation of pain and stress. Behavioral Neuroscience. 100 (5) :
624-30,
1986
16. Bergmann, F. The role of andogenous opioid peptides in
physiological
and
pharmacological reward responses--a survey of present-day knowledge.
Israel Journal of Medical Sciences. 23(I-2) : 8-11, 1987
17. Thompson, M.L., Miczek, K.A., Noda, K., Shuster, L., Kumar, N.S.
Analgesia
in defeated
mice: evidence for mediation via central rather than
pituitary or adrenal endogenous opioid peptides. Pharmacology,
Biochemistry
& Behavior.
29(3); 451-6, 1988
18. Duggan, A.W. Pharmacology of descending control systems.
Philosophical
Transactions
of the Royal Sotiety of London- Series B: Biologycal
Sciences. 308(1136) :375-91, 1985
19. Sforzo, G.A. Opioids and exercise. An update. Sports Medicine. 7(2)
:109-24, 1989
20. Luu, M., Boureau, F. Acupuncture in pain therapy : current
concepts.
Therapeutishe
Umschau. 46(8) : 518-25, 1989
21. Locatelli, A., Spotti, D., Caviezel, F. The regulation of insulin
and
glucogon secretion by
opiates: a study with naloxone in healthy humans. Acta
Diabetologica Latina. 22(1): 25-31, 1985
22. Thompson, D.L., Weltman, J.Y., Rogol, A.D., Metzger, D.L.,
Veldhuis,
J.D., Weltman, A.
Cholinergic and opioid involvement in release of growth
hormone during exercise and recovery. Journal of Applied Physiology.
75(2)
: 870-8, 1993
23. Schmauss, C., Emrich, H.M. Dopamine and the action of opiates: a
reevaluation
of the
dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia. Biological Psychiatry.
20 (11) ;1211-31, 1985
24. Verhoeven, W.M., van Ree, J.M., Westenberg, H.G., Krul, J.M.,
Brouwer,
G.J., Thijssen,
J.H., de Praag, H.M., Ceulemans, D.L., Kahn, R.S.
Clinical, biochemical, and hormonal aspects of treatment with
Des-tyrl-gamma-endorphin
in
schizophrenia. Psych. Res. 11(4) :329-46, 1984
25. Gil-Ad, I., Dickerman, Z., Amdursky, S., Laron, Z. Diurnal rhythm
of
plasma beta
endorphin, cortisol and growth hormone in schizophrenics as
compared to control subjects. Psychopharmacology. 88(4):496-9, 1986 26.
Bajorek, J.G., Lee,
R.J., Lomax, P. Neuropeptides: anticonvulsant and
convulsant mechanisms in epileptic model system and in humans. Advances
in Neurology.
44:489-500, 1986
27. Garris, P.A., Ben-Jonathan, N. Regulation of dopamine in vitro from
the posterior pituitary
by opioid peptides. Neuroendocrinology. 52(4) :
399-404, 1990
28. Dmitriev, A.D., Kizim, E.A., Smirnova, M.B., Shcheglova, I.D.,
Ugolev,
A.M. The
endorphins and the evolutionary hypotheses of the formation of
the mechanisms of the negative regulation of their synthesis. Zh. Evol.
Bioch. Fiziol.. 27(6)
:701-11, 1991.
29. Morel, G., Pelletier, G. Endorphinic neurons are contacting the
tuberoinfundibular
dopaminergic neurons in the rat brain. Peptides. 7(6) : 1197-9,
1986
30. Rosella-Dampman, L.M., Emmert, S.E., Keil, L.C., Summy-Long, J.Y.
Differential
effects
of naloxone on the release of neurohypophysial hormones
in normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive rats. Brain Research.
325(1-2)
:205-14, 1985
31. Mosqueda-Garcia, R., Eskay, R., Zamir, N., Palkovits, M., Kunos, G.
Opioid-mediated
cardiovascular effects of clonidine in spontaneously
hypertensive rats: elimination by neonatal treatment with monosodium
glutamate.
Endocrinology. 118(5) :1814-22, 1986
32. el-Tayeb, K.M., Brubaker, P.L., Cook, E., Vranic, M. Effect of
opiate-receptor
blockade on
normoglycemic and hypoglycemic glucoregulation.
American Journal of Physiology. 250 (3) Pt 1: E236-42, 1986
33. Chiodera, P., Coiro, V. Endogenous opioid mediation of somatostatin
inhibition of arginine
vasopressin release evoked by insulin-induced
hypoglykemia in man. Journal of Neural Transmission-General Section.
83(1-2)
: 121-6, 1991
34. Dooley, C.P., Saad, C., Valenzuela, J.E. Studies of the role of
opioids
in control of human
pancreatic secretion. Digestive Diseases & Sciences.
33(5) :598-604, 1988
35. Facchinetti, F., Martignoni, E., Sola, D., Petraglia, F., Nappi,
G.,
Genazzani, A.R. Transient
failure of central opioid tonus and premenstrual
symptoms. J. Repr. Med., 33(7): 633-8, 1988
36. Facchinetti, F., Genazzani, A.D., Martignoni, E., Fiorini, L.,
Sances,
G., Genazzani, A.R.
Neuroendocrine correlates of premenstrual syndrom:
changes in the pulsatile pattern of plasma LH.
Psychoneuroendocrinology,
15(4):269-77, 1990
37. Kapas, L., Benedek, G., Penke, B. Cholecystokinin interferes with
the
thermoregulatory
effect of exogenous and endogenous opioids.
Neuropeptides 14(2): 85-92, 1989
38. Tepper, R., Neri, A., Kaufman, H., Schoenfeld, A., Ovadia, J.
Menopausal
hot flushes and
plasma beta-endorphin. Obst. Gynecol. 70(2): 150-2,
1987
39. Rebar, R.W., Spitzer, I/B. The physiology and measurement of hot
flushes.
American
Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. 156(5) : 1284-8, 1987
40. Baranowska, B. Are disturbances in opioid and adrenergic system
involved
in the
hormonal dysfunction of anorexia nervosa?
Psychoneuroendocrinology. 15 (5-6): 371-9, 1990
41. Zilberter, T., Loukianova, L.L. Physiological properties of
regulatory
peptides, Ed.
Kamenski M.A., Moscow, VINITY, 1989.
42. Zilberter ,T., Titov, S.A., Loukianova, L.L Cascade effects of
regulatory
peptides, Ed.
Kamenski M.A., Moscow, VINITI, 1991
43. Punin, V.N. Summaries of reports on clinical testing of Kuznetzov's
"Applicator." personal
communication, Moscow, Russia, 1991. Courtesy of
Private Clinic "TERAPEVT".)
