Which Way Does a Generation of Acupuncture Researchers Influenced by Computers and Robots Go?
2023; Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.; Volume: 35; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1089/acu.2023.29232.editorial
ISSN1933-6594
Autores Tópico(s)Acupuncture Treatment Research Studies
ResumoMedical AcupunctureVol. 35, No. 3 Guest EditorialFree AccessWhich Way Does a Generation of Acupuncture Researchers Influenced by Computers and Robots Go?Gerhard LitscherGerhard LitscherAddress correspondence to: Gerhard Litscher, MSc, PhD, MDsc, Graz, Austria, Europe E-mail Address: [email protected]International Society for Medical Laser Applications (ISLA transcontinental).German-Chinese Research Foundation (DCFG) for TCM.*Editor-in-Chief's note: Professor Gerhard Litscher recently received the honor of Honorary President of the European Federation of Acupuncture and Moxibustion Societies for the contribution to international propagation of Chinese Medicine.Search for more papers by this authorPublished Online:15 Jun 2023https://doi.org/10.1089/acu.2023.29232.editorialAboutSectionsPDF/EPUB Permissions & CitationsPermissionsDownload CitationsTrack CitationsAdd to favorites Back To Publication ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail I would like to start by saying that my long-time friend, Richard Niemtzow, MD, PhD, MPH, Editor-in-Chief of Medical Acupuncture, asked me to outline my personal advice briefly to young researchers embarking on their acupuncture-research careers. Originally, I immediately agreed to do this with great pleasure and enthusiasm. I thought that nothing could be easier as I had much experience with publishing articles and a great deal of material for referencing. However, the more I thought about it, the more I concluded that young acupuncture researchers truly did not need any well-intentioned advice from me. All of you are capable of acting independently, have an incredible potential for creativity, and possess a desire to lead acupuncture in the right direction. There is nothing worse than receiving well-intentioned advice, from an "old" gray-haired colleague, that cannot be incorporated into practice. In this context, I shudder when I think back to when I was a young assistant. Fortunately, I often had the opportunity, to do what I felt was important with my research. This is certainly even true to this very day.But how did it all start? Were there key events? Certainly, for sure! Here is what I mean: In the late 1980s, I remember exactly that it was 4 am on a Sunday morning in the Graz University Intensive Care facility—a four-bed ward fully occupied by patients suffering from traumatic brain injuries after motorcycle or car accidents. There was also 1 patient who had fallen from a bar stool and sustained a severe head injury. During this time, as a young researcher, I was there busy performing electroencephalogram (EEG) and evoked-potential patient recordings for assessing the prognosis. Would this patient survive or not? Suddenly, a young nurse came to me and said: "It's good that you're doing EEG therapy again; some patients will feel better after that!" I was a bit surprised; didn't this friendly nurse know that the EEG was a diagnostic—and not a therapeutic—procedure? Well, we also used certain stimuli (acoustic, optical, somatosensory, etc.) for the evoked-potentials recordings. But, could such a small, repetitively set of stimuli truly have so much influence that a patient would feel a little better afterward?1In 1997, that same memory came back to me. For the very first time, I was intensively involved in acupuncture research, and the team I was on not only used needle pricks, but also optical, electrical, and other tactile stimuli, on our patients and research subjects. We quantified these effects of acupuncture stimulation on the brain for the first time with a specially developed helmet construction and modern monitoring techniques borrowed from anesthesia and intensive medicine.2,3 Now, when I saw the results of acupuncture stimulation on the monitors, it was clear to me how true was what this young nurse had said!The topic of acupuncture still fascinates me to this day, as we first created the term computer-controlled acupuncture ∼ 25 years ago.2 At that time, we did not think that it would be possible for a robot, controlled by a computer, to perform acupuncture independently. Rather, we created the term based on the fact that it was possible, for the first time, to quantify the effects of acupuncture on the brain and periphery by using modern measurement methods and then, depending on the response, to optimize the stimulus intensity (e.g., in laser acupuncture), using a computer. Today, innovative robots in the field of traditional acupuncture have become a reality in research.4,5 It is fascinating how young researchers devote themselves to this topic and also how helpful the results can be for evidence-based research in the field of complementary medicine—including acupuncture.Why do young researchers choose the field of acupuncture? During my many years of international research work, I hear the following statement, repeated in various nuances, from so-called top practicing acupuncture doctors in Europe: "When I buy or use a refrigerator, I don't want to—and don't have to—know how it works; the main thing is it's cooling."That's very "narrow" thinking from my point of view, and it's a very limiting worldview that I do not want to share. Of course, we want to know how acupuncture works. Yet, contributions to research should always be made by others, these fundamentalists think. There are acupuncture textbooks and journals written and compiled by individuals who believe that these things can be published without research. There are examples of this in Europe and elsewhere. If, as a simple researcher, you then try to offer very-gentle criticism, for example, your Foreword is either censored—and you almost believe you are in the wrong reality and not in Europe—or you are severely insulted on social media. For example, I experienced this myself a few months ago in a so-called renowned European society journal. Seen in this light, herewith a little tip for all young researchers: Do not let yourself be misled by self-appointed experts, go your own way, do not let yourself be crushed, and speak your mind. There are always people who will stand by you, even if you are not welcomed immediately.I wish you all the best. Do not let apparent defeats discourage you from continuing your research. Acupuncture research is not everything, but without research, acupuncture (from my personal perspective) is nothing. So, where is a generation of acupuncture researchers influenced by computers and robots taking us? In any case, I am sure that we are in an evidence-based and important period of good acupuncture. Thank you and best wishes for your future endeavors.REFERENCES1. Pfurtscheller G, Schwarz G, Schroettner O, et al. Continuous and simultaneous monitoring of EEG spectra and brainstem auditory and somatosensory evoked potentials in the intensive care unit and the operating room. J Clin Neurophysiol. 1987;4(4):389–396. Crossref, Medline, Google Scholar2. Litscher G, Wang L, Yang NH et al. Computer-controlled acupuncture: Quantification and separation of specific effects. Neurol Res. 1999;21(6):530–534. Crossref, Medline, Google Scholar3. Litscher G, Schwarz G, Sandner-Kiesling A, et al. Robotic transcranial Doppler sonography probes and acupuncture. Int J Neurosci. 1998;95(1–2):1–15. Crossref, Medline, Google Scholar4. Lan KC, Litscher G. Robot-controlled acupuncture—an innovative step towards modernization of the ancient traditional medical treatment method. Medicines (Basel) 2019;6(3):87. Crossref, Medline, Google Scholar5. Litscher G. The future of laser acupuncture–robot-assisted laser stimulation and evaluation. Life (Basel). 2022;29,13(1):96. Google ScholarFiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 35Issue 3Jun 2023 InformationCopyright 2023, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishersTo cite this article:Gerhard Litscher.Which Way Does a Generation of Acupuncture Researchers Influenced by Computers and Robots Go?.Medical Acupuncture.Jun 2023.105-106.http://doi.org/10.1089/acu.2023.29232.editorialPublished in Volume: 35 Issue 3: June 15, 2023Online Ahead of Print:May 27, 2023PDF download
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