Laser acupuncture anaesthesia and therapy in People's Republic of China

Laser acupuncture anaesthesia has been utilized for operations on thyroid and stomach, and Caesarean sections since 1978 in China. Recently, satisfactory results were reported in stomatology for the extraction of teeth. Laser beams directed at predetermined acupoints produce insensibility in a few minutes without any side effects such as allergy, intoxication, haemorrhage, or infection. This method has been used successfully on more than 5,000 patients for tooth extractions and minor oral and facial operations. Until now, the mechanism of classical acupuncture anaesthesia has been more or less elucidated by the neural or neuro-humoral hypothesis, which states that deep receptors or minute nerve fibres are stimulated mechanically by the needle. But laser irradiation as a stimulant is something different, since it has only low power and short penetration depth, and arouses almost no sensation compared with the acupuncture needle. The mechanism of anaesthesia due to laser irradiation of acupoints on superficial parts of the body should be investigated in further detail. The methods of laser acupuncture anaesthesia, the selection of laser irradiation acupuncture points, the distance and duration of irradiation, and the results of clinical application will be introduced.