As AOM practitioners, we are continually facing the choice between traditional practices and modern technology. What are actual improvements versus the next new marketing wave intended to sell us on the irrelevant? What do we consider to be true advances in our field, especially when TCM comes to us as a complete system intended to treat every aspect of the body, mind and spirit?
What is Nitric Oxide?
Nitric oxide was named "Molecule of the Year" in 1992 by the journal Science. However, it was another six years before those responsible for the major discoveries surrounding it won the Nobel Prize. Three U.S. scientists – Robert F. Furchgott, PhD, Louis J. Ignarro, PhD, and Ferid Murad, MD, PhD – received the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine on Dec. 10, 1998, in Stockholm, Sweden. NO's importance in sustaining life and health has increasingly been recognized in the past several decades.1
Nitric oxide is produced by virtually every cell of the body, but most of it comes from the cells lining the inner surface of blood vessels (endothelial cells), as well as from red blood cells. Qi, as we know, is inseparable from the blood, which is home to NO.
NO acts as a biological messenger, and induces and regulates the various functions of cells throughout the body.
What Is Qi?
Qi is definitively one of the most elusive and complex terms in all of the traditional Chinese medical lexicon. It is one of the few words that is rarely translated into English; and when it is, the translation rarely expresses the true and full meaning.
To translate it as energy is doing this vital substance a disservice. So how, then, can it be explained to the curious scientific Western mind? Understanding the etymology will help.
The Chinese character for qi is fundamentally translated as a vapor, gas and moist emanation. In TCM literature, qi is often used in a term called xue qi, blood qi, which is the relationship to NO found within the blood.
Alternatively, we can consider what happens to create de qi. When a needle response is felt during acupuncture, we can say there is a transduction cascade, which is defined as mechanotransduction along the connective tissue to the sensory neuron ,as well as to intrinsic sensory afferents directly innervating connective tissue.2 (Is this an effect of NO? The cause of de qi is needle stimulation; one cause of NO increase is photobiomodulation.) Therefore, we can suppose that qi is related to signal transduction molecules which can be transmitted via blood vessels. Thus, although we cannot say NO is exactly qi, we also cannot say it is not.
How is Nitric Oxide Influenced by LED Light?
When a blood slide is viewed under a microscope before and after an LED light therapy session, it is evident that a blood stasis pattern is immediately improved when light is applied. This is why the FDA has cleared many LED light devices for improving circulation and consequently, pain relief.
NO is released from the hemoglobin into the target tissues, where it exerts its effects. At a cellular level, NO is also released from mitochondria. Although the effect of NO lasts for a few seconds, it is presumed that the therapeutic impact continues long after the light is applied. This is because there is uninterrupted blood flow to the target area, which results in a continuous influx of RBCs and a regular production of NO.
NO released by this process has several benefits. It improves blood circulation at the area of LED light application by dilating the blood vessels. It also stimulates the production of the energy compound ATP, as well as collagen, a key tissue component, which promotes formation of new blood vessels. This stimulates healing of injured tissues and can even reverse the inflammatory response.
How is Qi Influenced by LED Light?
Studies conducted in the past decade have shown that meridians are nothing more than channels of light that tend to interact dynamically with sources of light energy.3-4 It has been demonstrated that the optical property of the meridian tissue differs significantly from that of surrounding tissues, and that meridians propagate light at higher rates.5
If qi is deficient or blocked in the body, it is reflected in a deficiency or stasis pattern in the meridians, which can cause diseases in the regions or organs through which those meridians pass. When we think of meridians as light channels, it is easy to picture energy-deficient meridians as those that lack sufficient light. Therefore, we can hypothesize that it is possible to restore and move qi energy along the meridians by applying light directly to them, and perhaps this is the most effective treatment.
The Inseparability of Qi and Nitric Oxide
Relying on modern research into signal transduction in biological systems, as well as the etymology of qi, we can define qi as a group of small, gaseous signaling molecules, including NO, known as gasotransmitters, that are major regulators in the nervous, immune and cardiovascular systems. LED light stimulates gasotransmitters in the body, including NO.
Seen in this way, we can say that the miraculous gas molecule NO is inseparable from the definition and functions of qi. Modern research has tried to find evidence that would prove the existence of qi. It has been suggested that qi can be defined as a gasotransmitter; that is, a gas that functions as a signaling and transport molecule that can course throughout the body.2 This definition shares itself with that of NO.
The Chinese character for qi means "vapor" or "gas," which could very well be a reference to the gaseous nature of nitric oxide. Both qi and NO are present throughout the body and can diffuse through it.
Both qi and NO are closely associated with blood and blood vessels, which is the primary way they exert their effects on bodily functions. Qi and NO have several other common characteristics:
Energy: Qi is generally defined as energy. NO, while not itself "energy," plays an important role in energy production within the body. It is believed to interact closely with mitochondria (the powerhouses of the cell) and to regulate the production of energy through them. The main effect of LED light therapy is an increase of energy.
Take-Home Points
Since we can propose that meridians are conductors of light,4 applying photobiomodulation in the form of LED light therapy can both increase the overall meridian qi and strengthen the organs these meridians supply.
In 1992, there was a study done that measured the intensity of light emission of the du and ren channels after acupuncture. It was stated in this study, although measuring the light increase was not the point of the study, that the there was not a significant increase in the amount of light emitted.6 If this same study were done using light, rather than a needle, I personally believe the outcome would have been much different.
Using technology, we can see that light immediately increases qi in the meridian. This restorative process not only increases qi, but also moves the blood, which is how the body heals.
We are brilliantly designed to self- heal given the right circumstances. Creating the circumstance for healing is the goal for all modalities. Light may be the perfect modality to create this circumstance for healing.
Finally, to answer the question posed in th title of this article, "Does NO = qi?" Based on the information presented, yes, it seems it does!
References
- Amaroli A. Photobiomodulation with 808-nm diode laser light promotes wound healing of human endothelial cells through increased reactive oxygen species production stimulating mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. Lasers Med Sci, 2018 Aug 25.
- Beinfield H, Korngold E. Between Heaven and Earth: A Guide to Chinese Medicine. Ballantine Books, 2013.
- Chen KY. "Possible Molecular Basis of Qi in Traditional Chinese Medicine." Rutgers University, 2017.
- Choi CH, Soh KS, Lee SM, Yoon GW. Study of propagation of light along an acupuncture meridian. J Opt Soc Korea 2003;7:245-248.
- Chow R, et al. Efficacy of low-level laser therapy in the management of neck pain - a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised placebo or active-treatment controlled trials. Lancet, 2009;374:1897-1908.
- Dweik RA, Laskowski D, Abu-Soud HM, et al. Nitric oxide synthesis in the lung. Regulation by oxygen through a kinetic mechanism. J Clin Investig, 1998 Feb 1;101(3):660-6.
Additional Resources
- Hamblin MR. "Mechanisms of LLLT 3.3." Harvard Medical School, 2013 Feb. 23.
- Han L. Activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling is involved in hair growth-promoting effect of 655-nm red light and LED in in vitro culture model. Lasers Med Sci, 2018 Apr;33(3):637-645.
- KAIST,The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 2015 Nov. 12.
- Kuo PC, Schroeder RA. The emerging multifaceted roles of nitric oxide. Ann Surg, 1995;221(3):220-235.
- Li K, et al, Efficacy and safety of far infrared radiation in lymphedema treatment: clinical evaluation and laboratory analysis. Lasers Med Sci, 2017 Apr;32(3):485-494.
- Liu F, Liu YM. Chinese Medical Terminology. The Commercial Press Ltd., 1980.
- Ma SX. Enhanced nitric oxide concentrations and expression of nitric oxide synthase in acupuncture points/meridians. J Altern Compl Med, 2003;9:207-15.
- McGee C. The Healing Energies of Heat and Light. MediPress, 2000.
- Naeser MA. Improved cognitive function after transcranial, light-emitting diode treatments in chronic, traumatic brain injury: two case reports. Photomed Laser Surg, 2011 May;29(5):351-8.
- Ralt D. Intercellular communication, NO and the biology of Chinese medicine. Cell Communic Signaling, 2005;3(1):8.
- Rohringer S, Holnthoner W, Chaudary S, et al. The impact of wavelengths of LED light-therapy on endothelial cells. Scientific Rep, 2017;7:10700.
- Schlebusch KP, Maric-Oehler W, Popp FA. Biophotonics in the infrared spectral range reveal acupuncture meridian structure of the body. J Alt Compl Med, 2005;11(1):171-173.
- SoRelle R. Nobel prize awarded to scientists for nitric oxide discoveries. Circulation, 1998;98(22).
- Tsuchiya M, Sato EF, Inoue M, Asada A. Acupuncture enhances generation of nitric oxide and increases local circulation. Anesth Analg, 2007;104(2):301-307.
- William A. Medical Medium: Secrets Behind Chronic and Mystery Illness and How to Finally Heal. Hay House, 2015.
- Wiseman N, Ye F. A Practical Dictionary of Chinese Medicine. Paradigm Publications, June 1, 1998.
- Yang HQ, Xie SS, Liu SH, Li H, Guo ZY. Differences in optical transport properties between human meridian and non-meridian. Am J Chin Med, 2007;35(5):743-52.
Jennifer Waters is an acupuncturist, certified light therapist and certified Arvigo Mayo abdominal therapist. She is a former Acupuncture Today columnist who authored our "Talking With the Masters" column. To learn more about Jennifer, visit JenniferWaters.net; previous articles from her column are available via her online columnist page.