Acupuncture attenuates exercise‐induced increases in skin sympathetic nerve activity

To identify the effect of acupuncture on skin sympathetic nerve activity (SSNA), 17 subjects underwent LI4 acupuncture during resting or elevated SSNA conditions. Protocols were #1) 10 min sham followed by 10 min of LI4 acupuncture during resting conditions; #2) 10 min of intermittent handgrip (2:4 sec work to rest interval at 37±3% of maximal voluntary contraction) during sham and LI4 acupuncture. SSNA (peroneal nerve), heart rate, and arterial blood pressure were normalized to baseline. SSNA, heart rate, and mean arterial blood pressure did not change during resting conditions (P>0.05). During handgrip, SSNA increased with the sham treatment (+15.3±8.8, +11.1±5.9, and +24.3±13.0% at minutes 1, 5, and 10, respectively), while LI4 acupuncture attenuated this increase (−1.6±7.6, 0.0±4.3, and +2.2±11.2% at minutes 1, 5, and 10, respectively; P<0.05). Heart rate and mean arterial blood pressure increased during handgrip, but no differences were observed between sham and LI4 acupuncture treatments. These results suggest that acupuncture does not affect basal SSNA in healthy subjects, however if SSNA is acutely elevated above baseline levels, acupuncture has the capacity to reduce SSNA.