The efficacy of a traditional Japanese acupuncture method, contact needle therapy (CNT), on peripheral blood flow of the skin

To improve skin condition, it is considered to be important to make good blood circulation in the epidermis and papillary dermis. In Japan, acupuncture becomes more and more popular to improve facial skin condition. We have been used to one of the traditional Japanese acupuncture methods, Tohokai method, especially Contact Needle Therapy (CNT), for various diseases. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of CNT by evaluating changes in blood flow. The skin of four healthy males who have no scratches or disease on the skin of the measurement part (inner forearm) were measured with Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) before CNT, during CNT, immediately after CNT, and one minute after CNT. OCT is an imaging technique that uses low-coherence light to capture micrometer-resolution, two- and three-dimensional images from within optical scattering media (e.g., biological tissue). CNT consists of a root intervention according to the meridian theory and branch intervention for local effects. Statistical analyses were performed using two-sample paired t test and Wilcoxon Signed-rank test. OCT blood flow signal (150–500 μm) was gradually increased during CNT, and significantly increased immediately after CNT compared with that before treatment (P < 0.05). When comparing the time course of OCT blood flow signal by depth, blood flow increased significantly at 300–350 μm compared to that before treatment (P < 0.05). This is the first study to evaluate the effect of acupuncture on bloodstream increase with OCT. In this research, the blood flow of skin significantly increased after CNT, especially in the depth of 300–350 μm from the surface of the skin. It may lead to increased skin moisture and improvement of the appearance of the skin. We suppose that the skin condition can be influenced and improved by CNT.