Changes in Esophageal Motility after Acupuncture.

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Complementary and Alternative Medicine
• Physiology

Background:

• Chinese medicine, including acupuncture, is widely used in Eastern countries.
• Acupuncture is recognized as a complementary medical treatment.
• Research on acupuncture's effect on esophageal motility is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effect of acupuncture on esophageal motility.
• To investigate acupuncture's impact on lower esophageal sphincter (LES) pressure and esophageal contractility.

Main Methods:

• 16 healthy volunteers underwent high-resolution manometry.
• Measurements included basal, ST36 acupuncture, and sham acupuncture stimulation.
• Lower esophageal sphincter (LES) resting pressure, distal latency (DL), and distal contractility integral (DCI) were recorded.

Main Results:

• Acupuncture significantly reduced LES resting pressure (p=0.015).
• Distal latency (DL) significantly increased after acupuncture compared to basal measurements.

Conclusions:

• Acupuncture on digestive points decreases LES basal pressure.
• Acupuncture may serve as an alternative therapeutic option for spastic disorders of the LES.