Acupuncture, HRV and Neuropathy: Example #2 (Ri.Ar.)

This data is from a patient in his 70’s who has had bilateral neuropathy in his legs and feet for 12 years.  A patient of mine gave him my name and he came to see me as a last resort.  He had significant improvement in 4 visits.  This kind of result CAN happen, though I never set up expectations for this.

So as a dramatic clinical responder, he should show a decrease in his stress(LF/HF) levels after needling.  But in addition, what I’d LIKE to see in a decrease over the course of his treatment.  I use my protocol to try to identify best treatments. In this case I didn’t vary the treatment since he was having positive results from the very first treatment.  In his case,  I also used electrical stim from the beginning.

Another aspect I’m thinking may be crucial is this wide swing between baseline, needling and then recovery.  But furthermore, I’m wondering if any abrupt spikes are indicative of the “healing shift.”

1.The first graph in green combines complexity measures and parasympathetic measures.  In this measure, higher is healthier.  So we see an increase on the table after needling each time.  The high initial treatment is quite common, I see that a lot.  My theory is that the body responds strongly to the first and second treatments because of the “novelty.”

2. The second graph in blue is parasympathetic only.  Remember that parasympathetic activity is correlated with vagal activity.   Higher vagal activity is good inflammation, immunity, mood, and pain. Here we might be seeing a relative increase over time.

3.  The third orange graph is overall autonomic balance or stress levels.  The lower these values are the better.  We often see a spike with needling here, but again, a nice decrease on the table.  Baseline and needling are missing from the 6.6.16 treatment.