The past, present and future of meridian system research

Acupuncture points and meridians have been discovered to have high electric conductance which is related to high density of gap junctions. Neurohumoral approach in acupuncture research was instrumental in establishing the scientific validity of acupuncture. Recent advances in the morphogenetic singularity theory suggest that acupuncture points originate from the organizing centers in morphogenesis. This theory explains many puzzles in both developmental biology and acupuncture research, including the distribution and non-specific activation of organizing centers and acupuncture points, the high electric conductance of acupuncture points, the polarity effect of electroacupuncture and side-effect profile of acupuncture, as well as the ontogeny, phylogeny and physiological function of the meridian system and chakra system. Most of these have not been explained by any neurohumoral theory. In several ‘prospective blind trials’, research results have supported its corollary on the role of singularity and separatrix in morphogenesis, the predictions on the high electric conductance and the high density of gap junction at the organizing centers. These advances have implications in multiple disciplines of biomedicine beyond acupuncture.