The study of effects of acupuncture at SJ9 (Sidu) point on heart rate variability

The aim of this study is to observe the effects of acupuncture at SJ9 (Sidu) point on heart rate variability and autonomic nerve activities. 13 healthy male subjects (mean±SD age, 22.7±1.8 years) joined this experiment. A randomized, single-blinded, placebo-controlled experiment was conducted in these healthy subjects, so that sympathetic and parasympathetic nerve activities indicated by power spectrum analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) are used to assess the effects of acupuncture applied at SJ9 (Sidu) point. For the control group, the vagal nerve activity and the sympathetic nerve activity exhibited significant decreases and increases in all periods comparing with the pre-stimulation period, respectively. In acupuncture group, the vagal tone and the sympathetic activity during the post-stimulation period were almost the same, but had differences after the stimulation.