The trigeminal nerve
Pricking the surface of the skin of the nose on acupuncture points, and producing a selective stimulation sets off a series of regulations in some organs (the brain, the lungs and the stomach), through the trigeminal nerve via the cortex, the thalamus, the reticular formation (of the brain stem?) and the autonomic motor nucleuses. The impact on the nervous system is so powerful that, given a very specific choice of acupuncture points, a patient suffering from abdomen pain can be operated on without anaesthetics. It is probably through this type of complex neurological mechanism that the stimulation of the Chiapi acupuncture point works; it stops the need to smoke, regulates the physiological processes of the digestive system and prevents or stops bulimia and eating disorders which occur after giving up smoking.
Effects on the brain [back to Contents]
Puncturing the Chiapi point acts on the thalamus and the hypothalamus which house the central autonomic areas that regulate needs (hunger, thirst, and sex) and addiction behaviour (alcohol, tobacco, hashish, heroin and the like…). Understandably their stimulation reduces urges for food and compulsive tobacco consumption.
Activation of the endonasal nerve
Puncturing the skin on the outer side of the nose indirectly stimulates the underlying nose membrane which is richly innervated by the sympathetic nervous system. This innervation puzzled the authors Klotz and Guerard in the 1930s and led to an innovative therapy that consists in stimulating the system through probes introduced into the nostrils (“endonasal symphathetic therapy”). We now know that the Chiapi puncturing, which is based on the chart drawn by these authors and on the works of Prof. Jean Bossy, works by stimulating indirectly but efficiently the endonasal area, and the cardiac, pulmonary and solar plexus. In other words, it is possible to have a positive impact on the lungs and their detoxification, as well as on the heart, its vessels, the pancreas, and the regulation of appetite.
Impact of the Chiapi acupuncture point : Step 3 [back to Contents]
Effect on the olfactory nerve
The stimulation of the Chiapi point by acupuncture sets off the mechanical and indirect stimulation of the olfactory nerve which, it must be remembered, is normally stimulated only by odoriferous molecules since its function is to catch messages from smells and to transfer them to the brain. The olfactory nerve ends at the middle of the brain, the mesencephalon, which is related to emotions and feelings, as well as drug addiction, and in particular nicotine. The inter-relation with feelings and emotions explains why some smells or tastes can recall childhood memories; young animals can become attached to a person carrying their mother’s smell, thus mistaking that person for their own mother. Most probably, the Chiapi puncture acts on that area as a switch in an all-or-nothing way which spontaneously cuts off the addiction to nicotine. The endorphins are the neuromediators of this area called limbic system and mesencephalon. Acupuncture is known to be capable of inducing the body to secrete endorphins (in acupuncture-induced anaesthesia). But the proof of its effectiveness on tobacco is demonstrated by the following experiment :
If Naloxone, an endorphin antagonist, is being injected and if anti-smoking acupuncture is administered, the latter loses its effect. One can therefore conclude that the anti-smoking acupuncture, and in particular that on the Chiapi point, has a direct weaning effect by acting on the secretion of endorphins at the level of the mesencephalon (area of addiction to nicotine). Let’s remember that the Chiapi acupuncture point, discovered by Dr.Yves Réquéna in order to treat tobacco addiction, was already known to Chinese acupuncture practitioners for the treatment of opium detoxification, in other words morphine, which has a similar structure to the morphine that is secreted by the body: the endorphins.
At the local level the Chiapi acupuncture point is also used to treat rhinitis (inflammation of the nasal membrane), sinusitis and to clear the nose (frequently needed by smokers). This clearing of the nose is not as trivial as it seems since it takes part in two essential processes:
1. Arousing the libido
Interestingly, 25% of smokers acknowledge an increase of their sexual desire and pleasure after giving up smoking. This effect may explain the recovery of olfaction and consequently, and unconsciously, being able again to smell the pheromones, - these hormones secreted by males and females - and which, for example, enable a butterfly to locate a female several miles away. So, the decrease of smokers’ libido may be explained by the analgesic effect of the nicotine (which is an anaesthetic) on the nasal membrane. Thus puncturing the Chiapi point will locally contribute to speed up the recovery process of the nasal membrane which has become hyposensitive and irritated by contact with tobacco.
2. Healthy lungs
This treatment is immediately effective in eradicating the tobacco-induced rhinitis. According to acupuncture theory, there is a direct link between the sense of olfaction and the lungs.
According to Chinese thinking, the sense of olfaction and the related areas - the limbic system, mesencephalon, feelings, pheromones - are linked to healthy “lung energy”.
Consequently, in Chinese acupuncture, acting positively on olfaction results in positively acting on the lungs and vice versa.
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