Hypothesis, Modern Researches and Clinical Applications of Cutaneous Regions in Traditional Chinese Medicine

• Published in: Journal of acupuncture and tuina science Vol. 12; no. 2; pp. 125 - 130
• Main Authors: Fan, Lei, Yin, Lei-miao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Heidelberg Shanghai Research Institute of Acupuncture and Meridian 01.04.2014; Springer Nature B.V; Shanghai Research Institute of Acupuncture and Meridian, Shanghai 200030, China
• Subjects: Acupuncture; Critical Review; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Subcutaneous Needling; Body Surface-viscera Correlation; R245.2; Wrist-ankle Acupuncture; Superficial Acupuncture; Massage; Cutaneous Regions; Tuina; Moxibustion Therapy
• ISSN: 1672-3597; 1993-0399
• DOI: 10.1007/s11726-014-0759-9

As one of the most important concepts in traditional Chinese medicine, cutaneous regions have a close relationship with skin in modern medicine. According to the doctrine of traditional Chinese medicine, the cutaneous regions are the corresponding projections of twelve meridians in the superficial layer of the body and play an important role in body surface-viscera correlation. The symptoms of visceral disorders will reflect on cutaneous regions and one of the major patterns of manifestation is referred visceral pain accompanied by tenderness and hyperalgesia on the body surface. On the contrary, cutaneous regions participate in the treatment of visceral disorders. As major clinical applications of the cutaneous regions hypothesis, superficial acupuncture, subcutaneous needling, massage （tuina）, moxibustion, and wrist-ankle acupuncture have achieved favorable therapeutic outcomes in clinical practice. Modern researches have gained insights into the biological background of cutaneous regions, however, further studies are needed to clarify the mechanisms.