EFFEKTE DER SKALP-AKUPUNKTUR AUF DIE HERZRATENVARIABILITÄt BEI PATIENTEN MIT SCHLAFSTÖRUNGEN: Ein Projektbericht (Studiendesign) zur Teleakupunktur mit Harbin in COVID-19-Pandemie-Zeiten

This project within a successful Sino-Austrian cooperation on high-tech acupuncture deals with clinical transcontinental scalp acupuncture related to heart rate variability measurements in volunteers and patients with insomnia. Heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) registrations should be performed under standardized conditions in Harbin, China. The data analyses should be performed in Graz, Austria. The project is designed as a randomized clinical trial, with two groups of patients; each group consists of 20 patients. In the treatment group we will use scalp acupuncture points DU 20 (Baihui), DU 24 (Shenting), and GB 13 (Benshen; bilateral) and also some general body points for insomnia treatment including EX 1 (Yintang), EX 8 (Anmian I), PC 6 (Neiguan; bilateral), HT 7 (Shenmen; bilateral), UB 62 (Shenmai; bilateral), and KI 6 (Zhaohai; bilateral). The control group will only receive general body acupuncture. Similar to previous preliminary measurements, the electrocardiograms should be recorded in China by instruments from China and also by an HRV Medilog AR12 system (from TCM Research Center, Graz, Austria) during scalp acupuncture and also during scalp and body acupuncture respectively. Together with the results of previous tele-acupuncture studies, the present results can serve as a basis for further development of scalp-acupuncture stimulation procedures for complementary use in treating and/or reducing insomnia. Both institutions have good experts for this kind of experiments.