%0 Journal Article
%T Perception of Deqi by Chinese and American acupuncturists: a pilot survey
%A Kathleen KKS Hui
%A Tara N Sporko
%A Mark G Vangel
%A Ming Li
%A Jiliang Fang
%A Lixing Lao
%J Chinese Medicine
%D 2011
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1749-8546-6-2
%X Questionnaires were distributed to acupuncturists of TCM (traditional Chinese medicine)hospitals and acupuncturists attending workshops and seminars in the United States and China. Questions covered clinical significance of deqi, patient attitude and the nature of some pain-related sensations elicited by manual needling.47 out of a total of 86 acupuncturists agreed that dull pain was deqi and over half regarded it beneficial, while sharp pain was non-deqi and harmful instead. The patients' attitude toward deqi sensation showed a difference between US and China. There was no other dimension showing a difference.Results of this pilot survey indicate that the acupuncturists' perception is consistent with our previous fMRI findings. Results showed almost complete agreement that dull pain is considered deqi and beneficial to treatment, while sharp pain is not deqi and harmful. Particularly, dull pain was deqi and was beneficial to treatment whereas sharp pain was not. Patients in China liked the deqi experience whereas those in the US did not.Acupuncture stimulation elicits a sensory response termed deqi which literally means "the arrival of vital energy" in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Multiple unique sensations experienced by the patient around the site of needle manipulation are often described as suan (aching or soreness), ma (numbness or tingling), zhang (fullness/distention or pressure) and zhong (heaviness) [1]. While pain is also experienced occasionally, the type of pain has not been well characterized. The increased resistance of the needle is felt by the acupuncturist (needle grasping) as tense, tight and full like "a fish biting onto the bait." as described in the literature [1-3]. Needle grasping is believed to be related to clinical efficacy [1-4] although little data are available [5-7]. The acupuncturist's skills, competence and understanding of the TCM theory also play an important role in the therapeutic outcome [8].Randomized, placebo-controlled
%U http://www.cmjournal.org/content/6/1/2