A possible physiological basis for effectiveness of acupuncture against psychosomatic disorders

Acupuncture and Oriental meditation, particularly of Zen Buddhists have essential features in common. The physiological correlates of these features are discussed as they apply to therapy of psychosomatic disorders. Both acupuncture and meditation are characterized by alpha rhythms of the encephalograms, by relaxed wakefulness, by analgesia, by their pervasion of virtually the entire body. This set of correspondences is taken as sufficient to postulate that acupuncture induces a stillness with properties similar to those of the "quiet" of meditation. This induced deep relaxation may account for the vasolidation and increased vascular-capillary flow, intrinsic in acupuncture. Among the shared properties are the presence of low physiological noise-level and unresponsiveness to the aversive components of conditioned stimuli.