The Human Body Is a Miracle

Many generations of scientists after us will still be investigating the extraordinary biological complexity of our existence. We are like engineers investigating the workings of a machine that we did not design. We are able to observe, inspect, and interrogate. Our measurements have become so sophisticated that we are able to measure an impressive spectrum of physical, biological, and chemical processes. We are even able to understand and predict some of our psychological behaviors. Once we seem to understand the morphology of the constituents of the body with our measurements, then the function appears logical and no more a fantasy. For example, a patient describes a clinical situation that may be difficult for the physician to validate. Our biological dysfunction is more complicated than a squeaky wheel, which is easy to validate, understand, repair, and even to replace. Unlike many of our man-made inventions that come with a manual of operation, there is no manual for the human body. We are not certain of our fuel and the basic maintenance we need to perform for increased longevity.

Acupuncture has a rich history of development. If we exclude the administering of herbs, we are still able to treat/cure without chemical medicines. We observe the results, but the mechanism seems to elude us almost entirely. It is amazing enough that the body has acupuncture points that exist and have electrical, histological, and physiological parameters. Acupuncture microsystems exist. Among the most studied are the ear and the hand. Is the central nervous system (CNS) the common mediator of these systems? Does a very rapid cascade of cellular signalization perhaps occur through different neurotransmitters with the efferent pathway to the brain? What do the points on the hand and ear have in common in relation to the CNS, and what are the dissimilarities? We know that the points have diode and tunneling electrical properties. The more we investigate, the puzzle somewhat unfolds.

fMRI studies have been very helpful to elucidate the CNS activity when an acupuncture point is stimulated. And the literature is beginning to augment in this area. In an article by Cho et al, the authors state, “Ongoing neuroscience-based studies in other areas of clinical medicine suggest that it is time to launch a major systematic study of the neural bases of acupuncture utilizing fMRI and PET technologies. Such neurobiologic evidence may provide the sort of scientific evidence that will encourage more physicians to incorporate acupuncture into standard practice, whether or not they concur with the energetic concepts used in Oriental medicine.” ¹

My travels to Korea in December 2009 permitted me to accept the invitation of Professor Z.H. Cho to visit his Neuroscience Research Institute at Gachon University of Medicine and Science (Incheon, Korea). He demonstrated to me his human brain imaging with magnetic resonance at 7.0 Tesla (T). This technique reveals the brain's architecture with resolution equal to that obtained from slices in vitro. In vivo images provide better clarity than that available in vitro without special stains. ²

I was honored to travel again in February to the Neuroscience Research Institute to join my colleagues in Korea while they used fMRI and PET scan techniques in healthy participants with provoked pain to investigate the CNS activity. This was a very exciting attempt to perhaps demonstrate mechanisms at the CNS levels. We already know that the cingulate gyrus and the thalamus areas of the brain are very active during pain episodes and less active when acupuncture needles are placed for pain control. This research promises to be exciting and even more so if we can scan at 7 T.