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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

[Experimental acupuncturology and its role in acupuncture education--suggestion offering the course of experimental acupuncture in acupuncture education].

Experimental Acupuncturology is a new subject which probes the channel and principle of acupuncture with the help of modern scientific technique and experimental method. In channel research, the basic responsibility of Experimental Acupuncturology is to expand the essence of the channel. For nearly half a century, the research has been concentrated mainly on the channel detection, the phenomena of channels and the relationship between channel-point and viscera, etc. In the research on the principle of acupuncture, Experimental Acupuncturology has accumulated a lot of information to prove that therapeutic effect of acupuncture is credible. The effect of acupuncture is influenced by many factors. Thus, it is also one of the basic tasks for Experimental Acupuncturology to programme the experimental procedure according to the principles of diagnosis and treatment based on an overall analysis of symptoms and signs, so that the best wiring scheme can be chosen out. Summarily, Experimental Acupuncturology has, at beast, three important significances in training modern specialists of acupuncture medicine. Firstly, it can make it possible for students to get deeper understanding on the thought of traditional acupuncture and realize the advantage of acupuncture, thus, encourage their faith on this medical means. Secondly, it can enrich the contents of acupuncture medicine and broaden the outlook of students, because it introduces modern science, technology and experimental method into traditional theory. Finally, it can train students' ability in scientific researches through strengthening the practicability of acupuncture. Therefore, its active significance in acupuncture education has been granted by acupuncture specialists in our country. Nowadays, more and more colleges of TCM has offered this subject which were welcome widely.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Acupuncture Therapy↗
PubMed1990

Hypalgesic efficacy of acupuncture on experimental pain in man. Comparison of laser acupuncture and needle acupuncture.

The analgesic effect of acupuncture on cutaneous heat stimuli of 43 degrees C has been evaluated in a controlled experimental study with healthy, informed volunteers. Laser acupuncture was administered to 39 probationers using a helium-neon laser under double-blind conditions. The point Hegu (L.I.4) and Jianqian (Extra.) on both sides were each irradiated for 1 min. Forty probationers were needled with stainless steel needles in the point Hegu (L.I.4) on both sides under single-blind conditions. Pain threshold was measured in terms of the time (in msec) that the probationers needed to perceive the cutaneous heat stimulus of 43 degrees C. The painful stimulus was generated by a computer-controlled standardized procedure. The Wilcoxon test was used for the statistical evaluation. Laser acupuncture did not change the pain threshold. Needle acupuncture did, however, increase the pain threshold compared with the initial value (alpha = 0.1%). The difference compared with the control group, where a placebo point was needled, was also significant (alpha = 5%). This controlled experimental study proves the analgesic effect of needle acupuncture on painful heat stimuli. Laser acupuncture had no effect on pain threshold in this study.

Acupuncture Points↗
PubMed2000

Acupuncture for smoking cessation.

BACKGROUND: Acupuncture is promoted as a treatment for smoking cessation, and is believed to reduce withdrawal symptoms. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this review is to determine the effectiveness of acupuncture in smoking cessation in comparison with: a) sham acupuncture b) other interventions c) no intervention. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched the Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group trials register, Medline, PsycLit, Dissertation Abstracts, Health Planning and Administration, Social SciSearch, Smoking & Health, Embase, Biological Abstracts and DRUG. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised trials comparing a form of acupuncture with either sham acupuncture, another intervention or no intervention for smoking cessation. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: We extracted data in duplicate on the type of subjects, the nature of the acupuncture and control procedures, the outcome measures, method of randomisation, and completeness of follow-up. We assessed abstinence from smoking at the earliest time-point (before 6 weeks), at six months and at one year follow-up in patients smoking at baseline. We used the most rigorous definition of abstinence for each trial, and biochemically validated rates if available. Those lost to follow-up were counted as continuing to smoke. Where appropriate, we performed meta-analysis using a fixed effects model. MAIN RESULTS: We identified 18 publications involving 20 comparisons. Acupuncture was not superior to sham acupuncture in smoking cessation at any time point. The odds ratio (OR) for early outcomes was 1.22 (95% confidence interval 0.99 to 1.49); the OR after 6 months was 1.38 (95% confidence interval 0.90 to 2.11) and after 12 months 1.02 (95% confidence interval 0.72 to 1.43). Similarly, when acupuncture was compared with other anti-smoking interventions, there were no differences in outcome at any time point. Acupuncture appeared to be superior to no intervention in the early results, but this difference was not sustained. The results with different acupuncture techniques do not show any one particular method (i.e. auricular acupuncture or non-auricular acupuncture) to be superior to control intervention. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS: There is no clear evidence that acupuncture is effective for smoking cessation.

Acupuncture Therapy↗
PubMed1985

Differentiation between acupuncture and non-acupuncture points by association with analgesia inhibitory system.

Acupuncture and non-acupuncture points were differentiated by their connection to different pathways in the central nervous system. We have found that the pathway connected to the acupuncture point is different from the pathway connected to the non-acupuncture point. In addition, pathway connected to the non-acupuncture point is inhibited within the lateral periaqueductal gray when the analgesia inhibitory system (AIS) is activated. We have explored these pathways by means of selective lesioning of discrete brain regions, selective stimulation of brain regions, as well as by recording evoked potentials arising from stimulation of acupuncture and non-acupuncture points. It was found that the lateral centromedian nucleus of the thalamus and the posterior hypothalamus are parts of the AIS. The acupuncture (tibialis muscle) and non-acupuncture (abdominal muscle) points are both connected to the AIS. Analgesia caused by stimulation of the acupuncture point is naloxone reversible, while that caused by stimulation of the non-acupuncture point after lesion of AIS is dexamethasone reversible. Stress-induced analgesia caused by low frequency electrical shock is naloxone as well as dexamethasone reversible. All three kinds of analgesia were abolished by hypophysectomy. The features and the degree of analgesia caused by intraperitoneal 0.5 mg/kg morphine were similar to analgesia caused by acupuncture point stimulation. D-phenylalanine acts like a lesion of AIS in analgesia caused by stimulation of acupuncture and non-acupuncture points, and enhances naloxone reversible analgesia. The descending pain inhibitory system plays a role as the common pathway to produce these three kinds of analgesia. This pathway is found in the arcuate nucleus (dopaminergic), ventromedian nucleus of the hypothalamus, raphe nucleus (serotonergic), reticular gigantocellular nucleus (noradrenergic) and reticular paragigantocellular nucleus.

Acupuncture Therapy↗
PubMed2002

Acupuncture and sham acupuncture reduce muscle pain in myofascial pain patients.

AIMS: To compare the effectiveness of dry needling in classically recognized acupuncture points ("acupuncture") with dry needling in skin areas not recognized as acupuncture points ("sham acupuncture") in reducing masseter muscle pain in a group of patients with myofascial pain of the jaw muscles. METHODS: Eighteen patients were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 experimental groups: Ten patients received acupuncture and 8 received sham acupuncture. A visual analog scale (VAS) was used to measure changes in masseter muscle pain evoked by mechanical stimulation of the masseter muscle before and after the experiment. RESULTS: Both groups showed a statistically significant reduction in VAS pain scores (P = .001). Seven out of 10 acupuncture subjects had a 10 mm or greater VAS reduction in pain, while 4 out of 8 of the sham acupuncture subjects had that great a pain reduction. There was no significant difference between the 2 groups. CONCLUSION: Both acupuncture and sham acupuncture reduced pain evoked by mechanical stimulation of the masseter muscles in myofascial pain patients. However, this reduction in pain was not dependent on whether the needling was performed in standard acupuncture points or in other areas of the skin. These results suggest that pain reduction resulting from a noxious stimulus (i.e., needling) may not be specific to the location of the stimulus as predicted by the classical acupuncture literature.

Acupuncture Analgesia↗
PubMed2002

Acupuncture and bronchial asthma: a long-term randomized study of the effects of real versus sham acupuncture compared to controls in patients with bronchial asthma.

BACKGROUND: Acupuncture has traditionally been used in China in the treatment of bronchial asthma and is being increasingly applied in Western countries. Although there are many published studies on acupuncture and asthma, few meet the scientific criteria necessary to prove the effectiveness of acupuncture. OBJECTIVE: To examine the short- and long-term effects of real versus sham or no acupuncture in patients with bronchial asthma. DESIGN: Randomized partially blinded study with three parallel groups. SUBJECTS: Sixty-six (66) patients of both genders (mean age, 39 years) with mild-to-moderate persistent bronchial asthma. INTERVENTIONS: After 2 weeks of run-in, the patients with asthma were randomized to receive either real (23 patients) or sham acupuncture (23 patients) or no acupuncture (20 patients). Two acupuncture periods (each 4 weeks) within the first 4 months were followed by a 6-month observation. MEASUREMENTS: Primary outcome was the change of peak expiratory flow (PEF) variability at the end of the two treatment periods. Secondary outcomes were changes in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), airway responsiveness, symptoms of asthma, the use of asthma drugs, and patients' well-being. Moreover, the effect of the intervention on eosinophils and eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) in blood and sputum was assessed. RESULTS: PEF variability decreased in all groups. In a subgroup of patients whose asthma medication remained fairly unchanged, PEF variability decreased significantly after needling of real as well as sham points at month 4 and 5 compared to controls (p < or = 0.005). However, there was no difference in the decrease of PEF variability between patients who had the blinded treatment with real or sham acupuncture. Most of the other functional and clinical variables did not differ from those obtained in controls. Eosinophils and ECP in blood and sputum decreased in all groups, but the only significant differences were found in blood eosinophil count at 4 months between sham acupuncture and the control group (p < 0.05) and at 10 months between real and sham acupuncture (p < 0.05) suggesting a possible effect on eosinophilic inflammation. CONCLUSIONS: In view of the fact that the effects after real and sham acupuncture compared to controls who had no needling at all were small, in all likelihood clinically irrelevant, our data do not seem to support the use of acupuncture in the management of pharmacologically well-treated patients with mild-to-moderate persistent asthma.

Acupuncture Therapy↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Randomised trial of acupuncture compared with conventional massage and "sham" laser acupuncture for treatment of chronic neck pain - range of motion analysis].

AIM: The aim of this study was to compare the effects of acupuncture on active motion of the cervical spine in patients with chronic neck pain with those of "sham" laser acupuncture and massage. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 177 patients with chronic neck pain were included in this prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled study. The patients were allocated by external randomization to five treatments over three weeks with acupuncture, massage and "sham" laser acupuncture. The range of active motion was measured by means of a 3D ultrasound real time motion analyzer. RESULTS: The analysis of cervical motion in three directions showed the largest increase in range of motion 14 days after acupuncture. Compared to massage, a significant improvement in total range of motion was seen in those patients treated by acupuncture immediately (p = 0,03) and one week (p = 0,03) weeks after therapy. There was no significant difference in those patients treated by sham laser acupuncture. CONCLUSION: The results of the study indicate that acupuncture is superior to conventional massage for improving active range of motion in patients with chronic neck pain. Because of its positive effects, its acceptance among patients and the lack of severe side effects, acupuncture can be recommended for the treatment of chronic neck pain, although there was no significant difference in results between "sham" laser acupuncture and acupuncture.

Acupuncture Therapy↗
PubMed1996

Can acupuncture have specific effects on health? A systematic review of acupuncture antiemesis trials.

The effects of acupuncture on health are generally hard to assess. Stimulation of the P6 acupuncture point is used to obtain an antiemetic effect and this provides an excellent model to study the efficacy of acupuncture. Thirty-three controlled trials have been published worldwide in which the P6 acupuncture point was stimulated for treatment of nausea and/or vomiting associated with chemotherapy, pregnancy, or surgery. P6 acupuncture was equal or inferior to control in all four trials in which it was administered under anaesthesia; in 27 of the remaining 29 trials acupuncture was statistically superior. A second analysis was restricted to 12 high-quality randomized placebo-controlled trials in which P6 acupuncture point stimulation was not administered under anaesthesia. Eleven of these trials, involving nearly 2000 patients, showed an effect of P6. The reviewed papers showed consistent results across different investigators, different groups of patients, and different forms of acupuncture point stimulation. Except when administered under anaesthesia, P6 acupuncture point stimulation seems to be an effective antiemetic technique. Researchers are faced with a choice between deciding that acupuncture does have specific effects, and changing from 'Does acupuncture work?' to a set of more practical questions; or deciding that the evidence on P6 antiemesis does not provide sufficient proof, and specifying what would constitute acceptable evidence.

Acupuncture Therapy↗
PubMed1989

Connections found between each meridian (heart, stomach, triple burner, etc.) & organ representation area of corresponding internal organs in each side of the cerebral cortex; release of common neurotransmitters and hormones unique to each meridian and corresponding acupuncture point & internal organ after acupuncture, electrical stimulation, mechanical stimulation (including shiatsu), soft laser stimulation or QI Gong.

Using the "Bi-Digital O-Ring Test Imaging Technique", the author has been able to accurately localize meridians and acupuncture points that correspond to specific internal organs and has found that most general patterns of meridians and the number of acupuncture points on each of the meridians of specific internal organs of the 12 main internal organs described in the literature of ancient Chinese medicine, are more or less correct, with the exception of some variations and inaccuracies. Each meridian of specific internal organs was found to be connected to the organ representation area in the cerebral cortex of specific internal organs. The acupuncture point has an area and occupies 3-dimensional space. It has a circular or slightly oval boundary with diameter in the range of 3 mm to 2.7 cm, although 6-12 mm are the most common diameters in human adults, with the exception of the area outside the corners of the nailbeds of the fingers and toes. Using the "Bi-Digital O-Ring Test Molecular Identification Method", the author also found that within the boundary of most acupuncture points and meridian lines (including Heart, Stomach, and Triple Burner) were high concentrations of neurotransmitters and hormones, including Acetylcholine, Methionine-Enkephalin, Beta-Endorphin, ACTH, Secretin, Cholecystokinin, Norepinephrine, Serotonin, and GABA. On all these meridian lines, in addition to the above neurotransmitters and hormones, Dopamine, Dynorphin 1-13, Prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) and VIP were found, but the latter do not usually exist within the boundary of the acupuncture point with the exception of the center midline of the acupuncture point where the meridian line is situated. Serotonin, Norepinephrine, and Cholecystokinin appeared in either one of the above 2 patterns, depending on the individual. Usually, no significant amounts of these neurotransmitters and hormones were found at the surrounding area outside of meridian and acupuncture points. However, the essential amino acid L-Tryptophan (which is a precursor of Serotonin), was usually found outside of the boundary of the acupuncture point and the meridian but not within the boundary of the acupuncture point and the meridian. Wherever Serotonin appeared, L-Tryptophan disappeared significantly and when the Serotonin disappeared, L-Tryptophan reappeared. In addition to the above common neurotransmitters and hormones, the Heart meridian had additional Atrial Natriuretic Peptide in both the meridian and its acupuncture points. Similarly, the Stomach meridian had additional Gastrin in both the meridian and its acupuncture points. Likewise,the Triple Burner meridian had additional Testosterone (in the male) and Estrogen (especially Estriol and Estradiol in the female.

Acupuncture Points↗
PubMed2002

[Variations of pain in the treatment of one classical acupuncture-point versus one point of Yamamoto's new scalp acupuncture].

INTRODUCTION: In an experimental design the pain reduction effect of acupuncture is studied and compared to the treatment of a classical acupuncture point and a point of the Yamamoto New Scalp Acupuncture (YNSA). METHODS: Experimental pain stimuli (32 per test person) were set in 42 test persons at the upper calcaneus edge and pain reduction was checked intra-individually by using the following variations of treatment: Acupuncture YNSA basis-point D, Acupuncture at the classical point Xiao Chang Shu = Bl 27, Acupuncture at a placebo point of the head, Acupuncture at a placebo point of the gluteal region. RESULTS: Evaluation of the data as well as a statistical investigation using a bi-factoral variance analysis with repeated measurements of 2 respectively 1 factor yielded following results: There are highly significant differences concerning pain reduction through the stimulation of the YNSA basis-point D and the acupuncture at the classical point Bl 27 (p < 0,0007). There are also highly significant differences concerning the verum and the placebo treatment (p < 0,00006). Further hypothesis of controlling the experimental design were tested. CONCLUSIONS: On the whole, the investigation shows that there is a marked difference between the verum and placebo treatment as well as a difference between the acupuncture of the YNSA basis-point D and the classical acupuncture point Xiao Chang Shu (Bl 27) with regard to pain reduction induced by experimental stimuli at the calcaneus. These differences are significant.

Acupuncture Analgesia↗
PubMed1995

A critical analysis of acupuncture in pulmonary disease: efficacy and safety of the acupuncture needle.

Criteria for therapeutic efficacy and safety include significant amelioration of symptoms and, ideally, cure (i.e., patients' belief in effective improvement of symptoms and quality of life, durable impact on symptoms, verifiable subjective and objective changes); improved patient management (e.g., diminishing, or ceasing medication, physiotherapy, and other interventions); safety for patient and practitioner and an acceptable side effect profile; cost-effectiveness of the therapy in practice and to teach to others. There is evidence that in bronchial asthma, chronic bronchitis, and chronic disabling breathlessness the use of acupuncture fulfills these to varying degrees. It can facilitate reducing pharmacologic medication and is safe, suggesting that acupuncture as an adjuvant in the treatment of respiratory disease might be safer than prolonged pharmaceutical maintenance therapy alone. Its cost-effectiveness has yet to be adequately researched. Twenty-one papers in English were obtained and 16 were further evaluated; eight were double-blind, five single-blind, and three unblinded. The remaining five, and most of the Chinese literature, were excluded on account of their poor quality. Acupuncture was effective in four of eight of the double-blind, three of five single-blind, and three of three unblinded studies (i.e., 10 of 16 [62.5%] overall). A previously unreported confounding variable was identified and concerned the designation of sham points. Most sham points were believed to be inactive but, according to traditional Chinese principles, many are active in pulmonary disease. Reappraised accordingly, the unequivocally positive studies were summed with those in which "real" and "sham" acupuncture were not significantly different but in which the combined effect of all acupuncture (i.e., real + sham) on breathlessness was significantly different from baseline. This yielded 13 of 16 (81%) [corrected] studies in which acupuncture led to significant improvement. In most studies, current pharmacologic treatment had a greater effect than acupuncture alone. However, in the 11 studies in which it was evaluated, medication could be significantly reduced by acupuncture in 10 (91%). Twenty-three of the 320 patients in the 16 studies (7%) reported minimal side effects, none requiring intervention. Current published evidence reveals no reason to withhold acupuncture as a safe and potentially effective treatment in patients with bronchial asthma and chronic obstructive lung disease. Further, more appropriately designed studies are urgently required. This would be facilitated in the United States by licensing the acupuncture needle as a therapeutic agent and might lead to important new insights and therapeutic opportunities.

Acupuncture Therapy↗
PubMed1988

Studies on the enhanced effect of acupuncture analgesia and acupuncture anesthesia by D-phenylalanine (first report)--effect on pain threshold and inhibition by naloxone.

It has been claimed that the mechanism of acupuncture analgesia can be explained in part by endogenous opioids. If so, it might be possible to enhance the analgesic effect of acupuncture by the administration of endorphins. If D-phenylalanine (DPA), an inhibitor of the endorphin degrading enzyme, is administered, the analgesic effect of acupuncture should be prolonged due to the increased level of endorphins. From the changes of the pain threshold (PT), we investigated whether or not the pre-administration of DPA can enhance the analgesic effect of acupuncture in humans. In addition, we examined the inhibitory effect of naloxone. 1) In all five subjects whose PT was raised after acupuncture anesthesia (respondents), the rise in PT was significantly prolonged by DPA. 2) Out of 10 subjects whose PT remained almost unchanged after acupuncture anesthesia (non-respondents), the PT was increased by DPA in 5 cases. 3) The rise in PT was most prominent when DPA was administered 30 minutes before the start of acupuncture anesthesia. 4) In all 4 respondents in whom the rise in PT persisted after DPA and acupuncture anesthesia, their raised PT dropped after the intravenous injection of naloxone (10 mg). 5) These findings show that DPA enhances the analgesic effect of acupuncture by the "endorphin mechanism."

Acupuncture Therapy↗
PubMed2002

[The effect of acupuncture or electro-acupuncture on circulatory parameters].

We examined the effect of acupuncture or electro-acupuncture on circulatory parameters by use of a non-invasive procedure in 10 healthy male adult volunteers. Circulatory parameters measured were systolic blood pressure, pulse rate, total peripheral resistance and cardiac output. Acupuncture and electro-acupuncture significantly increased total peripheral resistance, and electro-acupuncture increased systolic blood pressure further. There was no difference in cardiac output compared with the control. The results suggest that acupuncture or electro-acupuncture has an action of alpha-stimulation but not of beta-stimulation, and that electro-acupuncture has a stronger effect than acupuncture alone.

Acupuncture↗
PubMed2003

Effect of acupuncture compared with placebo-acupuncture at P6 as additional antiemetic prophylaxis in high-dose chemotherapy and autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation: a randomized controlled single-blind trial.

PURPOSE: The purpose is to investigate an additional antiemetic effect to ondansetron with needle acupuncture at P6 compared with nonskin-penetrating placebo acupuncture in patients undergoing high-dose chemotherapy and autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Eighty patients who were admitted to hospital for high-dose chemotherapy and autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation were included into a randomized placebo-controlled single-blind trial. The patients were randomized to receive acupuncture (n = 41) or noninvasive placebo acupuncture (n = 39) at the acupuncture point P6 30 min before first application of high-dose chemotherapy and the day after. All patients received 8 mg ondansetron/day i.v. as basic antiemetic prophylaxis. The main outcome measure was the rate of patients who either had at least one episode of vomiting or required any additional antiemetic drugs on the first 2 days of chemotherapy. RESULTS: The main outcome measure showed no significant difference (P = 0.82): 61% failure in the acupuncture group and 64% in the placebo acupuncture group (95% confidence interval of 3% difference: -18.1 and 24.3%). Comparing nausea, episodes of vomiting or retching and number of additionally required antiemetic drugs did not provide any discrepancy with the main result. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that in combination with ondansetron i.v., invasive needle acupuncture at P6 compared with nonskin-penetrating placebo acupuncture has no additional effect for the prevention of acute nausea and vomiting in high-dose chemotherapy.

Acupuncture↗
PubMed1997

[Acupuncture for pain in locomotive disorders. Critical analysis of clinical studies with respect to the quality of acupuncture in particular].

88 clinical acupuncture studies concerning the treatment of locomotive disorders are compared. The studies are evaluated according to treatment quality and categorised into 6 categories. For the assessment of acupuncture treatment quality minimal criteria are defined: reporting the duration of one acupuncture treatment (at least 15 min.), reporting the frequency of acupuncture treatments (at least 10 sessions before cancelling the therapy), exact description of used acupuncture points. Without respect to biostatistical and therapeutical qualities, 75 of 88 studies (85.2%) showed positive results for the acupuncture treatment. None of the 16 studies, that met the minimal criteria we defined, could prove that acupuncture is non-effective. Only two of the 16 studies are controlled trials. Our results were compared with those of meta-analytical reviews, which discussed acupuncture studies solely on the basis of the biometrical aspects. In comparison to conventional orthopedic therapies, certain locomotive disorders are recommended for acupuncture therapy.

English Abstract↗
PubMed1995

Acupuncture--from empiricism to science: functional background to acupuncture effects in pain and disease.

Acupuncture is part of Traditional Chinese Medicine, a system with an empirical basis which has been used in the treatment and prevention of disease for centuries. A lack of scientific studies to prove or disprove its claimed effects led to rejection by many of the western scientific community. Now that the mechanisms can be partly explained in terms of endogenous pain inhibitory systems, the integration of acupuncture with conventional medicine may be possible. Its use for pain relief has been supported by clinical trials and this has facilitated its acceptance in pain clinics in most countries. Acupuncture effects must devolve from physiological and/or psychological mechanisms with biological foundations, and needle stimulation could represent the artificial activation of systems obtained by natural biological effects in functional situations. Acupuncture and some other forms of sensory stimulation elicit similar effects in man and other mammals, suggesting that they bring about fundamental physiological changes. Acupuncture excites receptors or nerve fibres in the stimulated tissue which are also physiologically activated by strong muscle contractions and the effects on certain organ functions are similar to those obtained by protracted exercise. Both exercise and acupuncture produce rhythmic discharges in nerve fibres, and cause the release of endogenous opioids and oxytocin essential to the induction of functional changes in different organ systems. Beta-endorphin levels, important in pain control as well as in the regulation of blood pressure and body temperature, have been observed to rise in the brain tissue of animals after both acupuncture and strong exercise. Experimental and clinical evidence suggest that acupuncture may affect the sympathetic system via mechanisms at the hypothalamic and brainstem levels, and that the hypothalamic beta-endorphinergic system has inhibitory effects on the vasomotorcenter, VMC. Post-stimulatory sympathetic inhibition which proceeds to a maximum after a few hours and can be sustained for more than 12 hours, has been demonstrated in both man and animals. Experimental and clinical studies suggest that afferent input in somatic nerve fibres has a significant effect on autonomic functions. Hypothetically, the physiological counterpart lies in physical exercise, and the effect can be artificially reproduced via various types of electrical or manual stimulation of certain nerve fibres.

Acupuncture Therapy↗
PubMed1987

Role of calcium in electron-acupuncture analgesia and the developments of analgesic tolerance to electro-acupuncture and morphine.

Role of brain Ca2+ in electro-acupuncture analgesia and the development of analgesic tolerance to electro-acupuncture and morphine were studied. At the same time, the inhibition by protein synthesis inhibitors of the development of analgesic tolerance to electro-acupuncture was observed. The results showed that like morphine tolerance, the brain Ca2+ and cAMP levels in mice were enhanced with the development of analgesic tolerance to electro-acupuncture. After treatment with protein synthesis inhibitors anisomycin, actinomycin or cycloheximide the development of analgesic tolerance to electro-acupuncture was inhibited, and concurrently, the brain Ca2+ and cAMP levels in the animals greatly reduced. From the changes of brain Ca2+ and cAMP levels, the analgesic effects by electro-acupuncture, morphine and lanthanides seem to be very similar and share a mutual ion basis and the mechanism of action. So does the development of analgesic tolerance to electro-acupuncture and morphine. These findings also suggest that the inhibition induced by the inhibitors of the analgesic tolerance to electro-acupuncture and morphine may be related to synthesis of new peptides or RNA in brain.

Acupuncture Therapy↗
PubMed1996

Innovations in acumoxa: acupuncture analgesia, scalp and ear acupuncture in the People's Republic of China.

This paper examines three 'innovations in acumoxa' (zhenjiu) that were promulgated by the Chinese government during the Maoist periods of the Great Leap Forward (1958-61) and the Cultural Revolution (1966-76): acupuncture analgesia (zhenjiu mazui), scalp acupuncture (touzhen) and ear acupuncture (erzhen). They all bear features of Chinese and Western medical practice, a characteristic which has been exploited in Chinese politics of health. On the one hand, the innovations have been promoted for the nationalistic reason in virtue of their being inherently Chinese. On the other hand, by equating Western medical practice with science, they signify modernity and progressiveness. In the late eighties, all still enjoyed official backing. Although they were no longer exclusively practised in government hospitals, they still stood for what they had originally been promulgated. Acupuncture analgesia, while no more practised in the clinic, is still the prototype of a Chinese scientific therapy, now subject to biomedical research in laboratories. Scalp acupuncture, which never became widely known as a modern Chinese-Western innovation, is still being practised exclusively by skilled doctors. Ear acupuncture is now practised also outside government institutions, for the same reasons of being easily applied, easily learnt and extremely economical as it had originally been promulgated. Paradoxically, ear acupuncture, the most popular of the three, was 'discovered' outside China, by a French doctor, and is founded on the principles of reflexology, a therapy that the biomedical establishment does not consider scientific.

Acupuncture Analgesia↗