RESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: Traditional moxibustion might be not safe due to the excessive heat stimulation or toxic chemical components involved. Electric moxibustion (EM), which has been recently developed as an alternative, offers adjustable and constant heat stimulation. This study aimed to investigate the psychophysical and psychophysiological responses to EM heat stimulation. METHODS: Twenty-seven healthy volunteers received two different levels of heat stimulation using EM. High-temperature (HT) and medium-temperature (MT) heat stimulations were randomly delivered at the TE5 acupoint on the left or right arm. Participants rated the intensity and the spatial information of the heat sensations immediately after each EM stimulation. Local blood flow around the acupoint was measured with Laser Doppler perfusion imaging before and after heat stimulation. RESULTS: Both HT-EM and MT-EM induced considerable heat sensations and enhanced local blood flow around the acupoints. HT-EM resulted in greater heat sensation compared to MT-EM. HT-EM induced a higher increase in local blood flow around the stimulation site compared to MT-EM. No remarkable adverse effects were noted. CONCLUSION: Two different levels of EM heat stimulation induced two different levels of heat sensations and enhanced local blood flow. This preliminary study suggests that the newly developed EM can be further applied to examine the effectiveness of moxibustion in clinical trials.