Comparative study of neurohormonal effects of low-energy laser acupuncture and traditional reflex therapy in the treatment of male hypofertility

摘要

Reflex therapy is one of numerous applications of low-energy laser radiation in medical treatment. The advantages of this therapy in comparison with traditional acupuncture include technical simplicity, absence of pain, and, as a consequence of the complete noninvasiveness of the procedure, the absence of risk of contracting AIDS or other infectious diseases. However, no definitive results have been published regarding the comparative effectiveness of the two approaches to reflex therapy. In view of the neurohumoral role in the curative effects of reflex therapy, we compared laser acupuncture and the traditional needle technique in relation to changes in the serum concentrations of the principal sexual and gonadotropic hormones in hypofertile men.