Torao Ishida, Gui-feng Wang, Ken Takagi, Yoshinori Sunami, Nobuyuki Tanahashi¹, Kaito Mizuno, Jun Kawanokuchi, Hisayo Takagi, Ko Nishimura¹, Yi Guo²

(1 Suzuka University of Medical Science, 1001-1 Kishioka, Suzuka, Mie 510-0293, Japan. 2 Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 300193, China)

Abstract:  Background:  Under  conventional  statistical  analysis,  acupuncture  at  the  points  of GV20  and  Ex-HN3  did not  improve  mild  depression  of  healthy  human  subjects  but  improved mildly depressed rats.  Objective:  Our objective is revealing cause  of the difference between  above results  of  clinical  tests  and  animal  experiments.  Materials  and  Methods:  Clinical  data  of acupuncture treatment described in our  two published papers were analyzed with the  regression line between the  physiological  values before treatment (PVBT) and the increased values of the physiological  values  after  treatment  (PVAT)  of  healthy  human  subjects.  Results:  The  analysis showed  that  the  conventional analysis  misled for the treatment to be ineffective with offset between increased values of PVAT at the low level of PVBT and decreased values of PVAT at the high level of PVBT.  Conclusion:  There is a need for a new  statistical analysis, because the  conventional analysis  misled  for  the  homeostatic  treatment  to  be  ineffective  with  offset  between  increasingeffect and decreasing effect.

Key words: Depression,  Acupuncture, NIRS, Ex-HN3, GV20, ST36, SP6, LU6, Regression line, Homeostatic