THE ABC'S OF TFT ALGORITHM

WELCOME , you'll become a acquainted with the components of the Thought Field Therapy algorithms that you'll be using to manage your own emotional problems. 

 Algorithm is a term and a concept rooted in mathematics. In the context of math, it refers to a common solution to a problem ( for example, a solution for finding the highest common divisor). One authority defines the more general notion of an algorithm this way: " A sequence of instructions to be followed with the intention of finding a solution to a problem. Each step must specify what steps are to be taken, and although there may be many alternate routes through the algorithm, there is only one start point and one end point." 

  In medicine, algorithms are treatment formula or guidelines to be followed for diagnosing and/or managing specific diseases. they are sets of proven steps that, when followed diligently by doctors, can produce more accurate diagnoses and more efficient and successful patient care. 

  In Thought Field Therapy (TFT), algorithms are used for treatment. I developed them over time, using the Causal Diagnosis procedure unique to TFT. While it's not necessary to understand this complex process, keep in mind that each component of every algorithm was tested on hundreds of clients and shown to have a very high success rate before becoming part of this program. Only when the common efficacy of the treatment sequences could be shown did I grant them algorithm status. All of the algorithms in this blog have a proven rate of success of 75% to 80 percent, and they are a way to enter the healing world of TFT with extraordinary ease. 

  Over the years, I developed a particular treatment patterns that works best for a given disorder. As a result, this blog-site provides a different "recipe" for each psychological problem. For example, the precise elements and their sequence in the formula used for the fear of flying differ from those in the formula used for coping with a traumatic event like sexual abuse. If you follow the simple instructions of each algorithm, you can ease a variety of problems whenever necessary. 

  TFT as a whole has a unique architecture, so while the algorithms may differ in their specifics, they have common elements. Here, you will see in the algorithms that you eventually try. The following sections are meant as an introduction to and explanation of these common elements ; DO NOT ACTUALLY TRY THEM OUT OR PRACTICE THEM UNTIL YOU GET TO THE LAST POST. At that time, you'll learn the precise sequence of steps created for your particular problem. These next few pages should not be used as a "trial run," but rather as an orientation to what you'll be doing in the following post.

  TUNING IS KEY 

Every algorithm begins the same way. The first step is to intentionally think about or concentrate on the Thought Field associated with your emotional distress or problem. Here we are not being negative thinking but we are processing the emotions. In essence, you'll bringing thoughts associated with the problem into your awareness. You'll be asked to consciously think about your own particular fear, anxiety,  or trauma.

  Again, in other therapies it really doesn't matter what you're thinking about while you're being treated. But with TFT, it makes all the difference in the world. To be treated successfully, you need to tune the perturbed Thought Field -- in other words, think about the problem that you're trying to resolve. This will bring to the fore the specific perturbations and related information that are active in the problem and need to be addressed in the treatment. In the early years of TFT, I compared this process to tuning a specific radio station. If you turn the dial to another station instead, you will get completely different information. Or imagine asking your tailor to alter your trousers without bringing the trousers to him; the job just wouldn't get done. 

  Psychologists have known for many years that particular thoughts have definite and profound effects on an individual. This concept is fundamental to clinical psychology . As you turn your attention to the event, circumstance, or person that is the focus of your psychological problem, it's understandable that you'll have an emotional reaction to those thoughts. But even though the process of tuning a Thought Field may make you feel distressed and upset, it's an important  element in healing. This is real processing the true emotional problem and not denying the reality of the existence of the emotion or suppressing it deep within the subconscious mind. Hence the success rate of TFT application. 

  When you tune a Thought Field and it produces intense emotions, this will be clear indication that perturbations exist. These perturbations will appear immediately upon tuning the Thought Field. When I was developing TFT, I would give patients plenty if time to tune the Thought Field. I'd watch their eyes and their facial expression to make sure they really had it. I later learned that the tuning tales place instantly. If you don't become upset, there are probably no perturbations present, although there are exceptions. Most notably, a person repressing his psychological problem may not become distressed merely thinking about it; however, if he were to be exposed to the actual situation -- foe example, speaking in public -- then his anxiety would surface. The Causal Diagnosis procedure if TFT can identify precisely what perturbations ate present, allowing even a repressed person to be treated successfully. 

RATING THE DISTRESS LEVEL

TAPPING

THE GAMUT SERIES

FLOOR-TO-CEILING EYE ROLL

PSYCHOLOGICAL REVERSAL (PR)

MINI PR

THE COLLARBONE / BREATHING EXERCISE
Breathing Techniques
The Touching Steps

TFT Algorithm for Most Phobias

MOST PHOBIAS ALGORITHM 

1. Tune the Thought Field -- that is, intentionally think about the addictive urge you want to treat.

2. Using the Subjective Units of Distress (SUD) scale. determine how upset you feel at this moment when thinking about the phobia. On this scale, 10 is the most intense it could possibly be, and 1 indicates absolutely no trace of it. Write down the SUD rating before you continue to the next step.

3. Using two fingers of one hand, tap five times under the eye, about an inch below the bottom of the center of the bony orbit, high on the cheek. Tap firmly, but not hard enough to cause pain.

4. Tap solidly five times under the arm, about four inches directly below the armpit, using rigid fingers. In men, this spot is under the arm about even with the nipple. Women can locate this spot by tapping at about the center of the bra under the arm.

5. Tap the "collarbone point." To locate it, take two fingers of either hand and run them down the center of the throat to the top of the center collarbone notch. This is approximately even with the spot where a man would knot his tie. From there, move straight down an additional inch. Then move to the right one inch. Tap this point five times. 

6. Take a second SUD rating and write it down. If the SUD has decreased 2 or more points (which will be the case for most people), then continue with step 7 below. If there was no change, however, or if the change in the SUD was only 1 point, perform the correction for a psychological reversal, using the technique described in this post (CLICK HERE). Then repeat steps 1 through 6.

7. Perform the nine-gamut treatments. Locate the gamut spot on the back of the hand, about an inch below the raised knuckles of the ring finger and little finger when making a fist. Begin tapping the gamut spot with two fingers of the opposite hand, about three to five times per second, and continue tapping while performing all nine steps below ( tap five or six times for each of the nine-gamut positions). It is very important to tap the gamut spot throughout all nine of these gamut treatments:

G1~ Open the eyes.

G2~ Close the eyes.

G3~ Open the eyes and point eyeball down and to the left.

G4~ Point the eyeballs down and to the right.

G5~ Whirl the eyeballs around in a circle in one direction (clockwise).

G6~ Whirl the eyeballs around in the opposite direction (counter clockwise).

G7~ Hum a few bars of any tune aloud (more than a single note; 
rest the eyes).

G8~ Count aloud from one to five.

G9~ Hum the tune again.

8. Tap five times under the eyes again.

9. Tap five times under the arm again.


10. Tap the collarbone point five times again.

11. Take still another SUD rating and write it down. If it has declined to 1 (which will happen with most people), move to step 12 below. But if it has decreased significantly yet is still not a 1, perform the MINI PR correction as described below, and then repeat the treatment steps above.

12. To ensure that the improvements you've made are complete, perform the floor-to-ceiling eye roll (when the SUD is 2 or lower): Hold the head level and move your eyes down. Then begin tapping the gamut point as you move your eyes upward.

MINI PR

 A related procedure, called a mini psychological reversal correction, can be used when you decrease your SUD to a 3 or 4 but can't seem to get it any lower.  In other words, you've achieved substantial improvement, but you can't get to the finish line.  A block exists that is keeping you from reducing the SUD any further
  
In the algorithm for your particular emotional problem, you'll be instructed on whether and when to use this technique. here is the  procedure to follow:
~ Find the PR spot mentioned above,  located on the outside edge of the  hand, between the wrist and the  base of the little finger.

 ~ Tap about fifteen (15) times with two fingers of the opposite hand.

 Image result for tapping PR spot
   
As long as a psychological reversal persists, TFT ( or any other treatment) won't be able to get the SUD to a 1.  The PR or mini PR correction will open the door that allows TFT to eradicate your problem.

PHOBIAS

A phobia is a persistent fear without a rational basis, typically related to a harmless object or situation. Ironically, most people who have these phobias understand quite well how unrealistic their fear is, which makes them feel even more foolish and ashamed, and contributes further to their emotional distress. They know they shouldn't be afraid, but they simply can't rid themselves of it. 

  Most mainstream psychologists actually believe that phobias can't be cured. That has been devastating news for phobias whose fears have disrupted their careers, hurt their relationships, and sabotaged  their ability to enjoy life. For many years, that was terrible news for me as well, I grew up in foster homes, where I suffered in silence dealing with fears of heights, tunnel, and speaking in front of others. If only I had known the phobia algorithm back then, it could have saved me from plenty of agony. 

  Some time ago, I met a woman at the base of the aerial tram in Palm Springs, California, which travels thousands of feet to the top of San Jacinto Mountain. Although she wanted to ride on the tram, she was petrified of heights, and so she just stood there, unable to take the few steps necessary to board the gondola. 



With her permission, I treated her with a TFT algorithm on the spot -- and it worked. Within minutes, she said she felt fine. Her SUD, she said, had plummeted to 1. She and I boarded the tram, and I rode next to her to the top of the mountain. 






She clearly enjoyed the ride, free of the fear that had caused trembling, heart palpitations, and a flushed face just minutes earlier. 

  The algorithms that follow can produce the same kind of instantaneous, painless healing of your own fears. These are two phobia algorithms. One is for most phobias and fears. It is effective for fear of heights, bridges, cats, dogs, bugs, snakes, lizards, needles, dentists, mice, horses, water, closed space, public speaking, and all other phobias except the three mentioned below (public speaking, by the way, is the most common fear, but can often be rapidly resolved with this algorithm). 
The other algorithm is for three specific phobias -- spiders, claustrophobia, and air turbulence ( in flight). It is a particular effective treatment for these conditions

  During an appearance I made on a radio talk show, a caller described her intense fear of spiders. Just the sight of a spider,

 

she said, would leave her shaking and feeling faint. On the SUD scale, she said she was a 10 at that moment. Then I guided her through the phobia algorithm. After this brief treatment lasting only two minutes, she reported that her SUD reading had plummeted to a 1. 

  The radio show continued for almost another hour. Just before it ended, the woman called back. There was genuine excitement in her voice. She said that she had phoned in again because while sitting on her couch, she noticed that a spider had begun crawling on her lap. An hour earlier, that might have been one of the most terrifying moments of her life.  but she described feeling no fear at all as she calmly watched the spider make its way across her lap and back onto the couch. her SUD score of 1 clearly correlated with the dramatic elimination of her fear. 

TFT Algorithm For Trauma (SIMPLE TRAUMA ALGORITHM)

TRAUMA
Trauma is different from most of the other  psychological problems for which I've developed algorithms. While most disorders are irrational or unrealistic ( for example, people with phobias generally recognize that their fear doesn't make sense), trauma is perfectly understandable. When a traumatic event or situation occurs -- such as a rape or the death of a loved one in accident -- a psychologically disabled response is not surprising, and is even normal. Why wouldn't you be terribly upset or "traumatized" when life presents you with this kind of shock? 

No matter what the trauma, Thought Field Therapy (TFT) can quiet the storm and allow you to go on with your life in a positive way.

  Even the most difficult cases can be resolved with TFT. 

  Although Marcia's mother was referred to me by a friend, she was initially very skeptical of TFT. But then I was able to help her rapidly eliminate her own fear of public speaking. That broke down her resistance to having me work with her eight-year-old daughter. She was particularly comforted by the fact that, unlike traditional therapy, TFT does not require an individual to talk about and relive difficult experiences. 

I had two TFT sessions with Marci. We began by eliminating the fears she had developed over the years. Then we eliminated the perturbations related to the sexual abuse itself. When we were done, Marcia was visibly much more relaxed. In the ensuing weeks and months, her mother told me that Marcia had become comfortable around people and was no longer afraid to go into certain parts of their home. When I last spoke with her mother, two years later, Marcia was still doing very well. 

  Remember, the following TFT algorithms will NOT extinguish the memories of the trauma you've experienced. You'll still remember everything that happened. But these algorithms will collapse the perturbations that were seared into the Thought Field during the terrible event and that are responsible for the symptoms that have disrupted your life for so long. The memories won't have the emotional power they once did.

It is important for you to eliminate the pain that is making it so difficult to get on with your day-to-day life. Now, TFT can eradicate all traces of that emotional turmoil associated with troubled relationships -- and do it in minutes.

Following are four algorithms for trauma. The first will work for most people and is designed for 1. "simple trauma." Start with this algorithm. It could collapse your perturbations and reduce the SUD to 1. If it doesn't, however, then move on to the most appropriate of three algorithms for "complex trauma" : 2.complex trauma, 3. complex trauma with anger, or 4. complex trauma with guilt.

SIMPLE TRAUMA ALGORITHM

1. Tune the Thought Field -- that is, intentionally think about the traumatic event that produces such emotional distress in your life. 

2. Rate you distress level at this moment, using the Subjective Units of Distress (SUD) scale. On this scale, 10 is the worst you could possibly feel, and 1 indicates absolutely no trace of upset. Write down the SUD rating before you continue to the next step.

3. Using two fingers of one hand, tap a spot at the beginning of the eyebrow, just above the bridge of the nose. tap five times, firmly and gently, not nearly hard enough to bruise or hurt, but solidly enough to stimulate the energy flow in the system. 

4. Tap the "collarbone point." To locate it, take two fingers of either hand and run them down the center of the throat to the top of the center collarbone notch. This is approximately even with the spot where a man would knot his tie. From there, move straight down an additional inch. Then move to the right one inch. Tap this point five times. 

5. Take a second SUD rating and write it down. if the SUD has decreased 2 or more points (which will be the case for most people), then continue with step 6 below. If there was no change, however, or if the change in the SUD was only 1 point, perform the correction for a psychological reversal, using the technique  described in this post(CLICK HERE). Then repeat step 1 through 5.

6. Perform the nine-gamut treatments. Locate the gamut spot on the back of the hand, about an inch below the raised knuckles of the ring finger and little finger when making a fist. begin tapping the gamut spot with two fingers of the opposite hand, about three to five times per second, and continue tapping while performing all nine steps below ( tap five or six times for each of the nine-gamut positions). It is very important to tap the gamut spot throughout all nine of these gamut treatments:

G1~ Open the eyes.
G2~ Close the eyes.
G3~ Open the eyes and point eyeball down and to the left.
G4~ Point the eyeballs down and to the right.
G5~ Whirl the eyeballs around in a circle in one direction (clockwise).
G6~ Whirl the eyeballs around in the opposite direction (counter clockwise).
G7~ Hum a few bars of any tune aloud (more than a single note; rest the eyes).
G8~ Count aloud from one to five.
G9~ Hum the tune again.

7. Tap the spot at the beginning of the eyebrow again. Tap five times, firmly and gently.

8. Tap the collarbone point five times again.

9. Take still another SUD rating and write it down. If it has declined to 1 (which will happen with most people), move to step 10 below. But if it has decreased significantly yet is still not a 1, perform the mini PR correction as described in Chapter 4 (see page 85), and then repeat the treatment steps above.

10. To ensure that the improvements you've made are complete, perform the floor-to-ceiling eye roll (when the SUD is 2 or lower): Hold the head level and move your eyes down. Then begin tapping the gamut point as you move your eyes upward.


Click here for TFT Algorithm for Complex Trauma. 

THE ISOLABLE NATURE OF PERTURBATIONS

One of the most interesting aspects of this process is that the perturbation is isolable. I use that term because the algorithm will collapse the perturbation in the problem. Thought Field, but in doing so, it won't affect the Thought Field in any other way. If you were  in an automobile accident in which a loved one was seriously injured, for example, you'd still recall the incident in detail. Any profound life experience will always be with you. But thanks to TFT, its emotional charge will be defused. it will no longer trigger excruciating, debilitating distress. When you think about the event, the details might even become clearer once the disruptive emotions are eliminated. nevertheless, there will be no discomfort, no pain. 

  Again, it is not the automobile accident itself that causes the emotional upset but the perturbation. Fortunately, the perturbation is automatically isolated from the rest of the Thought Field and can be eliminated. Everything else in that Thought Field will remain just as it was. After the treatment, when you think about the event that had triggered such psychological upset just minutes earlier, it will cause no such emotional response. If you had been having nightmares associated with the emotional problems, they should disappear as well. Since the perturbation is gone, so are all remnants of the psychological turmoil associated with it.

  Of course, most traditional psychotherapists will tell you that when you lose a loved one, for example, you should go through a long grieving process. they may even say that feeling that grief is necessary, even desirable. But I've always thought this was a rationalization. They simply don't know how to get rid of the pain, so they tell patients, " The pain you're feeling is normal and healthy." No, the pain is neither normal nor healthy.
  
  As a family physician who was mourning the death of a loved one said, "The most compassionate advice I get from friends and professional colleagues who are unfamiliar with TFT is to go into my pain, feel it, and that it will take a year. Well, I found that it doesn't take a year. It can take only minutes, in fact."

   If people want to suffer, well, that's their choice. But I can help them eradicate those negative emotions for good!

  One of my earliest patients was a woman named Julia. She was in her thirties and had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Of course, her grim prognosis was a devastating blow to her and her family. She traveled to California from her home in Chicago to get a second opinion, which turned out to be no more encouraging than the original one: she was given less than a year to live. 
  
  Julia was referred to me by her physician in hopes that I could help her deal with the emotional devastating she was feeling.  She had been crying uncontrollably during most of her waking hours. She experienced panic attacks throughout the day. Julia's reaction to her uncertain future was completely understandable and even appropriate. I never considered her to have a psychological problem; after all, who wouldn't react to a situation like hers with fear and distress? So treating her was completely different than treating someone with, say, a fear of spiders, which is an inappropriate response to a harmless bug. Still, the emotional devastating that kept Julia on the brink of hysteria was making it impossible for her to function and enjoy the remaining time she had with her husband and young children.
  
I treated Julia with Thought Field Therapy (TFT). There was no real need to ask her to tune the Thought Field; she could think of nothing else. Nevertheless, I asked her to focus upon the terrible disease that threatened her life. The I guided her through the rest of the therapy.
  
  Within minutes, Julia said she felt like a different person. Her cancer had not been affected by Thought Field Therapy. But after the treatment, when I asked her to think about her illness and how it might end her life prematurely, she did not become upset. She began talking about the disease matter-of-factly, free of the emotional charge that had been there minutes earlier. To confirm in my own mind that I hadn't merely distracted Julia from her illness, i asked her to explain what she was feeling about the ominous reality of her life circumstances. "Well," she said, "I don't like it at all, that's for sure. But my upset and fear seem to be gone. I feel surprisingly strong right now in the face of this terrible diagnosis." Almost instantly, her outlook on life was dramatically altered. Of course, she would have preferred that her circumstances were very different. But the emotional anguish that had overwhelmed her was gone. 

  What had happened to Julia? by now, you should know the answer. Thanks to TFT, the perturbation in the treated Thought Field had been eliminated; the powerful emotions that had so incapacitated her had collapsed.

  Consider this fact: when the Thought Field is tuned before therapy, it creates enormous distress; after treatment, the same attuned Thought Field produces no upset. I take this as clear evidence that something in the Thought Field has changed as a result of the treatment. Now, thanks to the technology of Heart Rate Variability, we are able to concretely measure the transformation that is occurring in the autonomic nervous system as a result of TFT. Real, verifiable, physiological and emotional changes take place. We are addressing the fundamental cause of an individual's upset -- the perturbation -- and eliminating or removing it during therapy. There is no trace of the distress left. It is a predictable process, occurring in patient after patient.

  When I have followed up with patients like Julia, in some cases over many years, the benefits of the treatment typically persist. In fact, the troubling thoughts have completely lost their ability to trigger psychological turmoil. Even if you try to get back in touch with all that emotional upset, you won't be able to.

  Remember, TFT won't change the reality of the event that might be causing your distress. For example, it won't bring back the spouse who abandoned you and make everything right again. Or if your child has died, you will have to live with that reality for the rest of your life; there is no way to erase that tragedy. But TFT will eliminate the hurt and the pain that have surrounded that terrible event for so long. It will allow you to begin leading and even enjoying your life again. 

TAPPING INTO THE BODY'S ENERGY

I have already mentioned the role of the human body's energy system in Thought Field Therapy (TFT). This program draws  upon Eastern tradition and its understanding of the presence and importance of energy in the human body. Let's look at the science behind it a little more closely.

  The Chinese use the term qi ( pronounced "chee") to describe the vital life energy. When the flow of this qi energy becomes blocked or imbalanced, according to the Chinese belief, it can trigger physical illnesses. Just as acupuncturists have developed ways to eliminate pain and promote physical healing by manipulating energy flow along a network of so-called meridians, or pathways, throughout the human body, It has been shown that these energy pathways can be accessed in order to heal emotional distress. 

  The human body's energy system has not been ignored by Western researchers, who have applied hard science to this ancient knowledge. As far back as the 1940s, Harold Saxon Burr of Yale University hypothesized that an internal energy system was key to human and all living things. Robert o. Becker, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon, used electromagnetic energy fields to stimulate the natural healing of broken bones and found that electromagnetic fields could be use to help regenerate amputated limbs in frogs. 

  Some of the most intriguing research was conducted by Dr. Bjorn Nordenstrom, a prominent Swedish scientist and radiologist and former president of the Nobel prize nominating committee. [ About Dr. Nordenstrom work, click here and here to watch youtube video]
In studies spanning two decades, he actually documented the existence of these electrical circuits in the human body. Dr. Bjorn Nordenstrom's interest in this area started when he observed a halo around malignant lung tumors and began looking for an explanation for this phenomenon. He identified a circulatory energy system in the human body, which he felt was just as significant to physical well-being as the blood circulation system. He demonstrated that electric circuits are carried by the interstitial spaces (the spaces between cells)and the blood vessels, and he believed that disruptions in the human energy system may play a role in the development of diseases as serious as cancer. He began cutting-edge research in which patients with metastatic cancer who were believed to be terminal were treated with applications of electrical currents -- with promising results. Another researcher, French biochemist Jacques Hauton, wrote that  Dr. Nordenstrom's findings led him to conclude that the electrical system"is not only as complex as the circulation of blood, but it also ....... intervenes in all physiology activity."

  In 1995, Pierre de Vernejoul provided concrete evidence that the meridian network does exist. He and his team of investigators injected non-harmful radioactive technetium 99m into the arms and legs of human volunteers at the sits of commonly used acupuncuture points along the meridian system. Then they used gamma-camera imaging to track the flow of this injected material. They found that the radioactive isotope traveled specifically along the meridian pathways that the Chinese had identified thousands of years ago. By contrast, when the substance was injected randomly elsewhere in the human body, it did not move along any specific internal pathway. The bottom line: The meridian system is an actual, clearly defined network -- the same one the Chinese have been using for millennia. 

  Thus, the energy system used in Thought Field Therapy is genuine, not some mystical notion. Every perturbation in the Thought Field is associated with a specific energy meridian. My own research has shown that the meridian system is a governing force in controlling and healing the disturbing emotions. Best of all, this system can be accessed by TFT. This is true whether the psychological problem is anxiety, trauma, addictions, panic attacks, phobias, anxiety, anger, jealousy, or depression. More recently, we've learned that TFT seems capable of producing physical healing as well. By tapping on specific points along the human body's energy meridians, re-balancing and healing can take place at the most fundamental level, weakening and eliminating the underlying negative emotion or physical ailment. AS the stimulation from this tapping influences the internal electromagnetic energy, it has a direct effect on the Thought Field and the perturbation associated with the problem being treated. 

  As you learnt he self-administered algorithms that are key to Thought Field Therapy, you will tap on points along these energy meridian that have been chosen specifically for the particular emotional (or physical) distress you're having, and sequenced in a specific way, like the order of a combination lock. If the sequence is wrong or the points are inappropriate, the lock won't open; but if they are correct sequenced and tapped, healing will occur, rapidly and usually permanently. The "recipe" for each problem has been initially validated on hundreds and, in some cases, even thousands of people and is now widely accepted and used as an algorithm. Each can achieve predictable results in patient after patient. 

THE ANATOMICAL REALITY OF ACUPUNCTURE CHANNELS: CONNECTIVE TISSUE? 

Posted on January 13, 2013 by Boyd Bailey, L.Ac.

Way back in 1992, 3 French guys submitted a paper to a prominent acupuncture journal detailing a unique experiment.  They injected 250 healthy folks and 80 with kidney disease with a radioactive tracer at a common acupuncture point on the inner ankle associated with kidney function (Kidney-7) and used a gamma camera to track its migration.

Low and behold the techetium-99m (99mTc) flowed exactly along the traditionally known Kidney Channel in both groups. Apparently they ruled out the possibility that this migration, this flow of the radioactive isotope was either vascular or lymphatic, but rather along connective tissue planes.

This would seem a groundbreaking discovery, and so my question for you, dear reader- especially y’all in the field – is WHY we’ve not heard more about this, why similar studies have not been performed, why the lack of follow-up? Or perhaps there has been… In which case please enlighten me!

A Study on the Migration of Radioactive Tracers after Injection at Acupoints

Objective: This paper reports on the authors’ investigation of the pathways of acupuncture meridians in the human body through the injection of radioactive tracers (isotopes) at acupuncture points.

Design: The radioactive tracer used was the most common radioactive tracer, techetium-99m (99mTc), as sodium pertechnetate. The experiment was conducted with a gamma camera, a Siemens SAM (small-area mobile) digital scintillation camera. Image analysis was conducted by a computer system built into the camera. Morphological studies and quantitative dynamic studies were conducted.

The morphological studies consisted of analytical and differential studies. For the analytical studies, the radioactive tracer is injected at a control point located outside any acupoint. Then, another injection is given at an acupoint.

The differential analysis was conducted in order to establish the specific and unique characteristics of the pathways observed in the analytical studies and thus eliminate a vascular or lymphatic explanation. To investigate the vascular pathways, two radiotracers of different energies and therefore discernible by spectrometry were utilised: Technetium-99m was injected as an acupoint and Thallium (201TI) was injected in a small vein situated next to that acupoint. To study the possible relationship between the lymphatic pathways and those demonstrated by the radiotracer, the same dose (20 MBq) and volume (0.05ml) of pertechnetate was simultaneously injected at an acupoint and the first interdigital space of the foot. A quantitative study of the previous data was conducted after selecting two mirror regions of identical shape and size on the leg along the Liver meridian (an acupuncture meridian) and similar “background noise regions” outside the pathways.

Sequential study and stimulation studies were conducted as part of quantitative dynamic studies. The goal of the sequential study was to evaluate the speed of radiotracer migration along preferential pathways. In healthy control subjects and patients with unilateral renal pathology, two sodium pertechnetate injections of identical volume and activity were given simultaneously at the left and fight acupoints K-7. In the stimulation study, mechanical, electrical, and thermal stimulation were performed on certain acupoints after the injection of radiotracers to study the migration of the radiotracers.

Laboratory experiments conducted in collaboration with the Cytology Laboratory of the Military Hospital of Percy in Paris tested modifications of granulocyte membrane potentials during stimulation of an acupoint using either a needle or a laser beam. The cell membrane potential was measured with a fluorometric method on blood sampled one minute after the end of injections or stimulation’s, and compared with control blood from the same subject.

Setting: The work was conducted on patients from the Department of Urology and from the Acupuncture Department of Biophysics and Nuclear Medicine from the Necker Hospital in Paris. Each experiment was repeated several times.

Patients and Other Participants: The work was conducted on over 250 healthy control subjects and on 80 patients with renal pathology.

Main Outcome Measures: The authors expected to find that the preferential pathways taken by the radiotracers coincide with the acupuncture meridians as described in Chinese traditional medicine and that these pathways are distinguishable from either lymphatic or vascular mutes.

Results: Morphological studies found those tracer migrations from acupoints in both healthy and sick patients followed the same identical pathways with those described as “meridians” in Chinese traditional medicine. The results suggest that these pathways are different from vascular and lymphatic pathways.

The quantitative dynamic studies found that in injections at bilateral K-7, there was a faster diffusion on the healthy side, and slower diffusion on the diseased side. In inflammatory organ disease, there was increased migration speed of the radiotracer in the meridian of the related organ. A reduced tracer migration speed is indicative of a degenerative disease, such as cancer. Such findings could be used as the basis of a therapeutic evaluation or diagnosis. The laboratory experiments with cell membranes suggests that acupoint stimulation could be used to provoke constant and reproducible change in cellular physiology.

Conclusion: The migration speed and patterns of a radioactive tracer along pathways which coincide with the Chinese acupuncture meridians show that these routes have neither a vascular nor a LYMPHATIC origin. These pathways are very likely related to the connective tissue diffusion following the neurovascular bundles along the extremities. Findings suggest the hypothesis of the intervention of a neurochemical mechanism in information transmission.”

American Journal of Acupuncture, Vol. 20, No. 3, 1992

Writers: Jean-Claude Darras, Pierre de Vernejoul, and Pierre Albarhde; C.H.U. Necker – Enfants Malades, F-75 743 Paris Cedex 15, France.