Frequently Asked Questions
What health problems can benefit from using HANS?
Why is acupuncture able to treat different disorders?
What are the HANS default settings?
Why is HANS effective in treating narcotic addiction?
Is it better to use HANS more frequently?
Would HANS treatment cause any side effect or addiction?
What is the science behind the applications of HANS?
What is the difference between HANS and TENS for treating pain?
What health problems can benefit from using HANS?
Generally speaking, health problems that respond to acupuncture treatment are likely to respond to HANS treatment. From extensive clinical practices, HANS is shown to be effective in treating acute and chronic pain, opioid addiction, insomnia and depression. A growing number of other health problems are found to respond to HANS treatment, such as autism, obesity, infertility, and addiction to smoking.
Why is acupuncture able to treat different disorders?
Homeostasis is one of the most important physiological principles where sophisticated regulatory mechanisms keep the body in a biological balance in an ever-changing environment. Severe or prolonged deviation of the system beyond the set points may lead the body into a pathological state. Although the manifestations of diseases are different, they often share similar pathological pathways resulted from functional distortions, such as an imbalanced nervous system and/or confused immune system. Since acupuncture facilitates the body's natural tendency to restore homeostasis, it may treat different disorders through the self-healing processes. This explains the common observation that the effects of acupuncture tend to be more pronounced in the unhealthy individuals (imbalanced systems) than in the healthy ones.
What are the HANS default settings?
By default, HANS is set to deliver electric pulses for 30 minutes duration with alternating 2/100Hz (dense-disburse) wave forms. Acupoint stimulation with this wave form induces the release and production of all 4 kinds of opioid peptides: enkephalin, endorphin, endomorphin, and dynorphin. The default wave form (2/100Hz) is the choice of treatment for pain and withdrawal symptoms. The 30 minutes stimulation time is set based on the finding that, after 30 minutes stimulation, the analgesic effect is plateaued. Prolonged stimulation for several hours induces the release and production of anti-opioid peptides which diminishes the endorphin effect.
Why is HANS effective in treating narcotic addiction?
In drug users, overwhelming doses of narcotics severely suppress the body's own ability to produce endogenous opioid peptides. This is the main cause for withdrawal syndromes when the drug supply is interrupted. HANS is able to increase the production of opioid peptides by stimulating gene expression. The endogenous opioid peptides released into the body are able to relieve withdrawal syndromes, suppress craving, and restore homeostasis.
Is it better to use HANS more frequently?
No. Multiple sessions or prolonged HANS treatment per day may cause the development of tolerance. One of the reasons is that a high level of endogenous opioid peptides will cause the production and release of anti-opioid peptides as a natural negative control mechanism. Unfortunately, anti-opioids reduce acupuncture effects. For acute pain or withdrawal symptoms, the recommended maximum total stimulation time is no more than 2 hours (4 standard 30 min sessions) per day for the first 3 days, and then reduce to 30-60 min of total stimulation time per day. A once every other day maintenance treatment is beneficial.
Would HANS treatment cause any side effect or addiction?
In years of clinical practice with HANS, minimal side effects have been observed, and there has not been any report of "HANS-addiction". It is true that the use of HANS often generates a sense of well being due to its ability to induce the release of endorphins in the brain. However, the endogenously released endorphins induced by nerve stimulation is within the physiological range. It is enough to produce healing effects, but not enough to trigger a "high", so it does not lead to addiction and dependence.
What is the science behind the applications of HANS?
Professor JS Han and his colleagues discovered that neurotransmitters such as serotonin and opioid peptides (endorphins) are the main chemical substances causing the analgesic effect of acupuncture. They also discovered that one of the most important determinant of the analgesic effect is the frequency of impulses applied to the acupoints. Signals of different frequencies transmitted to the central nervous system can induce the production and release of different kinds of chemical mediators. In addition, they found that the functional balance between opioid peptides and the anti-opioid peptides in the central nervous system plays an important role in determining the effectiveness of acupuncture analgesia in different individuals. Scientific findings such as these form the basis for the design and applications of HANS.
What is the difference between HANS and TENS for treating pain?
The HANS and the TENS units are similar when applied on the painful spots with high frequency stimulation. It works though the "Gate control theory" of the pain therapy. HANS on the other hand, also applies on major acupuncture points with low frequency or High-Low (dense-disburse) modes of stimulation. It works by inducing the release of neuropeptides, such as endorphins, from the brain. The combination of local effect and systemic neurochemical effect should provide a better treatment for pain.