Acupuncture treatment helps patients with knee osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis, also called degenerative joint disease, is the most common form of arthritis. It affects several joints but is more frequently found in the knees, hips, neck and back, big toes and hands. Patients with osteoarthritis often feel pain, stiffness with affected joints and discomfort when doing certain activities. This is caused by the tissue inflammation surrounding the joint, injury of the joint or slow bony growth around the edge of the joint. The osteoarthritis development is associated with aging, joint injury and body overweight in many cases. There are no disease-modifying treatments for osteoarthritis. Exercise, changes in life style and loss of weight in some cases are recommended.

Knee osteoarthritis is one of the most common forms of osteoarthritis. The most commonly prescribed medication for knee osteoarthritis is non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Those drugs only relieve pain temporarily but have serious side effects. Acupuncture is effective in treating knee osteoarthritis. It is believed that acupuncture stimulation triggers release natural chemicals in the body that exert pain-relieving and anti-inflammation effects, without inducing side effects. A recent clinical trial with 116 patients with knee osteoarthritis in Germany reported that acupuncture treatment not only significantly reduced pain but markedly improved knee flexibility in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Reference:

Karner M et al., Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013;2013:427265. doi: 10.1155/2013/427265.   http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=karner+m%2C+acupuncture

Acupuncture improves dyspepsia

“Opps, sorry”, you said it to your family and/or friends on the dining table, because you belched in front of them just after finishing your meal. You probably felt a little bit of embarrassed but you shouldn’t if it occurs often and for a while. It could be a symptom of dyspepsia.  

Dyspepsia is a common problem affecting approximately a quarter of population worldwide. Dyspepsia is characterised by chronic or recurrent pain in upper abdomen and/or postprandial discomforts such as belching, bloated, nausea and heartburn. Functional dyspepsia is dyspepsia without obvious disease that is likely to explain the symptoms. Although dyspepsia is not a life-threatening disorder it has profound impact on the quality of life if it is persistent and gets worse. Dyspepsia is commonly caused by acid reflex, meaning acid in your stomach is forced back up into your oesophagus. Other causes may include medication, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease and stomach diseases. If dyspepsia gets worse you need to see your doctor to get advice.

If you have functional dyspepsia alternative medicine such as acupuncture is a better approach. Acupuncture is very effective in treating functional dyspepsia. Many studies reported the super efficacy of acupuncture in treating functional dyspepsia compared to other treatment in China and other countries. In particular if you are distressed and feel anxiety while having chronic dyspepsia which is not uncommon acupuncture treatment should relieve all symptoms after a few sessions.

Reference:

Lima FA et al., Acupuncture effectiveness as a complementary therapy in functional dyspepsia patients. Arq Gastroenterol. 2013 Jul-Sep; 50(3):202-7.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24322192

Acupuncture excels at treating chronic shoulder pain that does not respond well to conventional treatment

Shoulder comprises of several joints combined with tendons and muscles to allow wide range of motion in the arm. Shoulder pain is a common problem and can be caused by many factors including problems with tendons (tendinitis or tendon tear), muscles (rotator cuff disorders), instability, arthritis, bone fracture, nerve damage and frozen shoulder. When shoulder pain occurs you should seek your doctor’s advice and better have X-ray, MRI or blood tests done to find out the causes of pain. Standard treatment of should pain includes rest, ice/heat packs, pain killers, anti-inflammatory medication, physiotherapy and even surgery in some cases.

  

If shoulder pain lasts more than 6 months it is called chronic shoulder pain which is a serious problem and has more impact on the activities of daily living. Although rest and ice/heat provide temporary relief, other standard treatments have their limitations or side-effect after prolonged use.

Acupuncture excels at treating chronic, nagging types of shoulder pain that does not respond well to the standard treatment. Acupuncture stimulation at acupoints improves blood flow, decreases inflammation and reduces pain. Unlike local injection of cortisone, acupoints used in acupuncture therapy are far away from painful area. This approach achieves therapeutic effect without causing any additional discomfort. Many studies of chronic pain including shoulder pain reported acupuncture is very effective in treating chronic shoulder pain condition.

Reference:

Itoh K et al., Randomized trial of trigger point acupuncture treatment for chronic shoulder pain: a preliminary study. J Acupunct Meridian Stud. 2014 Apr; 7(2):59-64. doi: 10.1016/j.jams.2013.02.002.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24745863

Acupuncture as an adjunct therapy improved conditions of patients with eating disorders

Eating disorders are serious and complex emotional and physical conditions and include extreme thoughts, emotions, and behaviours surrounding body weights, food and body shape. Bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa are the most common forms of the disorders. Binge eating is another type of eating disorder. While commonly affecting young woman, eating disorders can impact all age and genders. Conventional treatments of eating disorders include psychological therapies, nutritional counselling and medication.

Medical complications of eating disorders comprise multiple body systems including gastrointestinal, cardiac, endocrine systems. Resulting problems can be anything ranging from depression, headache and infertility, with digestive systems being mostly disrupted.

Acupuncture therapy offers a holistic dimension that treats body, mind and emotion simultaneously. Acupuncture is very effective in treating many digestive conditions such as acid reflex, nausea, abdominal bloating, constipation, diarrhoea etc. It reduces stress and anxiety helping mental and physical relaxations. As a recent study showed that as an adjunct therapy acupuncture helped improve the conditions of patients with eating disorders.

Reference:

Forgarty S et al., Acupuncture as an adjunct therapy in the treatment of eating disorders: A randomised cross-over pilot study. Complementary Therapies in Medicine (2010)18, 233-240.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21130359

Scalp acupuncture increased dopamine release in the striatum of Parkinson’s disease models

Although scalp acupuncture is relatively new compared with body acupuncture it has been used to effectively treat neurological disorders such as stroke. Scalp acupuncture not only accelerated the functional recovery, also alleviated many post-stroke complications alone or in combination with rehabilitation training courses.

Scalp acupuncture has gained increasingly attention in Parkinson’s disease (PD) research and treatment. Scalp acupuncture studies in PD models reported that scalp acupuncture stimulation modulated expression of many biomarkers in favour of survival of dopaminergic neuron in brain. For example, scalp acupuncture increased release of neurotrophic factor; inhibited apoptotic cell death process, protected dopaminergic neurons against toxin insults. This led to the increased release of dopamine in the striatum, the important movement regulatory centre in the brain, leading to better functional recovery.

Although studies of body acupuncture also reported its neuroprotection in PD models it did not increase dopamine content in the striatum. It is conceivable that combination of scalp acupuncture and body acupuncture should increase neuroprotection and dopamine levels in the brain. This will improve the efficacy of acupuncture treatment in Parkinson’s disease.

Reference:

Wang S et al., Study on the mechanism of electroacupuncture scalp point penetration therapy in action on apoptosis in the Parkinson's disease rat model. Zhongguo Zhen Jiu. 2009 Apr;29(4):309-13.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19565741

Acupuncture point specificity

Are there real acupuncture effects or just placebo effects in acupuncture treatment? This is a question many readers will ask. Not surprise, because this is one of core scientific issues in acupuncture development and clinical study. The issue of acupuncture placebo effects raised mainly from pain relief clinical studies. It was reported that pain relief was similar between needling into acupoints (along the meridian) and needling into non-acupoints (not on the meridian) in some clinical studies of headache including migraine.

If a needle is inserted into the body, regardless of superficial or deeper, the effective stimulation triggers physiologic responses from body. Acupuncture stimulation at acupoint induces both specific effects and non-specific physiologic effects, while stimulation at non-acupoint elicits non-specific physiologic effects. Brain imaging studies reported that acupoint specific stimulation and non-acupoint stimulation elicit activations of different brain areas. Studies of acupoints found that acupoints along meridians are often located on regions where nerve endings and nerve receptors are densely distributed and neural and neural active components are highly concentrated. It has been reported that acupoint stimulation induces marked changes in relevant biomarkers.

A recent clinical trial, assessing specific and non-specific effect of acupuncture on knee osteoarthritis, found that non-acupoint needling achieved pain relief with patient response rate of 48%; Classic Chinese acupoint needling achieved pain relief with patient response rate of 73%. However, knee flexibility measured by physicians was significantly higher in patients with classic Chinese acupoint treatment. The authors conclude “a specific effect of acupuncture in knee mobility and both non-specific and specific effects of needling in pain relief.”

Reference:

Karner M et al., Objectifying specific and nonspecific effects of acupuncture: a double-blinded randomised trial in osteoarthritis of the knee. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013;2013:427265. doi: 10.1155/2013/427265.   http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=karner+m%2C+acupuncture

Deqi sensation in acupuncture

When acupuncture stimulation at acupoint it elicits a set of unique sensation, called deqi – arrival of qi or vital energy. Patients often feel numbness, soreness, fullness and heaviness. Deqi sensation sometimes radiates from points of its elicitation along meridians called propagated sensation. Acupuncturists felt the increased resistance of needle as tense, tight and full like “a fish biting onto the bait”. It is believed, in traditional Chinese medicine, deqi sensation reflects the activation of qi and blood along the meridians and collaterals leading to rebalance the body’s function and to prevent or treat diseases.

Acupuncture deqi sensation varies depending on stimulation locations. Stimulation of nerve branches mainly produces numbness; stimulation of muscles elicits soreness and distension, while stimulation of blood vessels causes pain. Studies of deqi sensation found that different nerve fibres convey different deqi sensations. For example arching, heaviness, warmth and dull pain are conveyed by slower conducting A-delta and C fibres; whereas, numbness is conveyed by the faster conducting A-beta fibres in the skin. Brain imaging studies reported deqi sensation induces strong deactivation of certain cortical areas and limbic system, resulting in beneficial effects.

Although deqi sensation is believed to be closely associated with clinical efficacy not all forms of acupuncture follow this. Traditional Japanese acupuncture and wrist-ankle acupuncture avoid inducing deqi sensation and its outcome may be measured by symptom relief.  

Acupoint Baihui-based scalp acupuncture treatment of stroke

Acupoint Baihui (GV20) is located on the highest point of the head and is an intersecting point of the Governing Vessel, Bladder, Gall Bladder, Triple Heater and Liver medians. According theory of traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture stimulation at Baihui can clear the mind, lift the spirits, tonify yang, strengthening the ascending function of spleen, eliminate interior wind and promote resuscitation. Indeed, Baihui acupoint has been used to effectively treat neurological disorders such as stroke in China for thousand years.

Baihui-based scalp needling, such as a needling through Baihui to Taiyang (EX-HN5) and needling through Baihui to Qubin (GB7) are commonly used in the treatment of stroke. Studies of stroke models showed that Baihui-based scalp needling has neuroprotective effects through 1) attenuate brain edema and blood brain barrier disruption; 2) increase cerebral blood flow; 3) exert anti-inflammatory effect; 4) increase release of neurotrophic factors; 5) activate cerebral motor-related area and improve limb paralysis.

Recently scientists in China conducted a systematic review of 54 published papers to assess the effect of Baihui-based scalp acupuncture on stroke models. They concluded that the Baihui-based scalp acupuncture therapy reduced infarction volume and improved neurological conditions.

Reference:

Wang WW et al., A systematic review and meta-analysis of Baihui (GV20)-based scalp acupuncture in experimental ischemic stroke. Sci Rep. 2014 Feb 5;4:3981. doi: 10.1038/srep03981.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24496233

Acupuncture improved cancer-related psychological symptoms

Having been through many either pharmacological therapy or radiotherapy or chemotherapy many cancer patients develop several of cancer-related psychological symptoms such as depression, insomnia and anxiety. These severely affect the quality of their life. Conventional medications may improve the symptoms but they inevitably produce many adverse effects which can augment the side-effects of many cancer therapies carried out by cancer patients.

 

It is the interest of primary care institutions and patients to find the alternative approaches which relieve cancer-related psychological symptoms with little unwanted effects. Acupuncture therapy is one of the popular therapies for the symptoms. A recent report by Drs. Haddad and Palesh reviewed 12 clinical studies about the efficacy of acupuncture and concluded that acupuncture improved cancer-related psychological symptoms and is well-tolerated and safe treatment for patients.

Reference:

Haddad NE & Palesh O., Acupuncture in the Treatment of Cancer-Related Psychological Symptoms. Integr Cancer Ther. 2014 Feb 4. DOI: 10.1177/1534735413520181.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24501113

Acupuncture accelerated symptom improvement in cerebral palsy

Cerebral palsy is used to describe a wide range of neurological disorders that mainly affect movement and coordination.  It is caused by the damage of parts of brain responsible for movement controlling and can occur before, during and after birth. The main symptoms include muscle stiffness and weakness, involuntary movement and problems with balance and coordination. There is currently no known cure for it. The standard treatments are physiotherapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy and medications to relax muscles and ease pain.

Although acupuncture is used to treat many symptoms of cerebral palsy there are few studies regarding acupuncture’s effectiveness on cerebral palsy. A recent study published by Chinese researchers reported acupuncture, in addition to traditional rehabilitative training, significantly improved the effectiveness of treatment for children with cerebral palsy. The effective rate increased from 52% for the group (100 patients) who only received rehabilitative training to 84% for the group (100 patients) who received acupuncture and rehabilitative training. CT and SPECT brain neuroimaging confirmed that acupuncture group showed significantly higher improvement rates in brain development, neuronal brain metabolic functions and reductions of brain atrophy.

The authors conclude that “The forward curative effect of acupuncture combined with rehabilitation training was significantly better than the rehabilitation training alone.”

Reference:

Liu ZH et al., Clinical observation on treatment of clearing the Governor Vessel and refreshing the mind needling in neural development and remediation of children with cerebral palsy. Chin J Integr Med. 2013, 19(7):505-9. doi: 10.1007/s11655-013-1504-9.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23818202

Scalp acupuncture and neurological disorders

“Scalp acupuncture, nerve heard about it.” That was the answer from one of my friends when I mentioned scalp acupuncture to him. It is true that not many people heard about the scalp acupuncture. This modern system of acupuncture, although explored since 1930s, has really been developed since 1970s and standardised in late 1980s.

Uniqueness of scalp acupuncture is that the specific treatment zones are mapped out according to the development in neurology assisted by MRI imaging, so that not only the specific body part but the function controlled by each area of the brain is known. For example, points overlying Broca’s area in the brain are used to treat loss of speech formation, while points overlying Wernicke’s area are used to treat loss of understanding of speech.

Despite its relatively short history, scalp acupuncture has been used to treat a wide range of conditions in many countries. In particular many scalp acupuncture studies showed positive results in treating many neurological disorders such as post-stroke complications, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease. 

Acupuncture is effective in reducing hot flashes of menopause

Are you approaching menopause? Don’t worry about it. You are not alone. It is estimated that around 5,000 women are experiencing menopause everyday in the America. 40% to 76% of women there use alternative therapies during menopause because they believe it to be safer and to have fewer adverse effects.  

Recently Dr. M Nedeljkovic and colleagues in Switzerland carried out a clinical trial to investigate the effects of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine on hot flushes and quality of life in postmenopausal women. They found that acupuncture treatment significantly improved in all outcome measurements including hot flash frequency, hot flash severity and menopause rating scales. More interestingly it was found that acupuncture was more beneficial than Chinese herb medicine in alleviating hot flashes.

The authors conclude that acupuncture is superior to sham acupuncture and verum Chinese herb medicine in reducing menopausal symptoms.

Reference:

Nedeljkovic M et al., Effects of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine (Zhi Mu 14) on hot flushes and quality of life in postmenopausal women: results of a four-arm randomized controlled pilot trial. Menopause. 2014 Jan;21(1):15-24. doi: 10.1097/GME.0b013e31829374e8.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23676632

Acupuncture modulated functional connectivity of the hippocampus in Alzheimer’s disease

Memory loss is one of the early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, which is the most common form of dementia. The hippocampus is a major component of human brain and plays important roles in memory formation and spatial navigation. It is one of the first brain regions to develop neurodegeneration and suffer neuronal loss in Alzheimer’s disease. Short term memory loss and disorientation are among the early signs of Alzheimer’s. As the disease advances, symptoms include confusion, trouble with language and long term memory loss. There is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s disease.

Acupuncture has been used to improve memory and other cognitive functions in Alzheimer’s disease in China. However the underlying mechanisms of therapeutic effects of acupuncture treatment are unclear. A recent study using functional magnetic resonance imaging technique looked at the changes in functional connectivity between hippocampus and cerebral cortex in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. The study led by Dr. Zhiqun Wang showed that before acupuncture functional connectivity decreased in the hippocampus compared to healthy subjects. Following acupuncture stimulations at Hegu (LI4) and Taichong (L3) acupoints hippocampal functional connectivity increased compared to that of before acupuncture. This study showed that acupuncture stimulation at specific acupoints is able to modulate neuronal activities in the specific brain regions, indicating its specific therapeutic effects.

Reference:

Wang Z et al., Acupuncture modulates resting state hippocampal functional connectivity in Alzheimer disease. PLoS One. 2014 Mar 6;9(3):e91160. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0091160.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24603951

Acupuncture treatment improves spinal cord injury complications

Spinal cord injury, resulting from trauma or neurodegeneration, is a devastating and life-altering injury. It often affects young and healthy individuals who are suffering from severe sensory and motor dysfunction. This debilitating condition not only creates enormous physical and emotional costs to individuals but also a significant financial burden to society.

While care and treatment options such as spinal surgery, pharmacological interventions and rehabilitation continue to improve, many patients with spinal cord injury still experience substantial disabilities and complications including bladder and bowel dysfunctions. These severely impact the quality of life of patients.

A recent study showed that acupuncture treatment can improve bladder and bowel functions in patients with spinal cord injury. After acupuncture treatment once a day five times a week for the first four week, then once every other day three times a week for a further four weeks, patients were then followed up for six months. Following acupuncture treatment, 29% of patients resumed normal bowel and bladder functions, 40% of patients showed significant improvement in both bladder and bowel functions. These effects persisted during the follow-up. The rest of patients did show little improvement.

The study concluded that acupuncture can provide an alternative modality in improving the complications in patients with spinal cord injury with little side effect.

Reference:

Liu Z et al., Electroacupuncture improves bladder and bowel function in patients with traumatic spinal cord injury: results from a prospective observational study. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013; 2013:543174. doi: 10.1155/2013/543174.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24382977

Acupuncture speeded up recovery of long thoracic nerve paralysis

Long thoracic nerve paralysis is a shoulder condition characterized by pain and loss of shoulder movement due to injury or damage to the long thoracic nerve. This nerve arises from three roots from the fifth, sixth and seventh cervical nerves (C5-7) and supplies to serratus anterior muscle that retains scapula to the chest wall. In addition serratus anterio muscle is also involved in forward arm activities, such as boxing, and in overhead activities. Due to its excessive length long thoracic nerve is more prone to injury through direct trauma and stretch. The treatments of long thoracic nerve injury include physiotherapy and surgery. Usually the recovery of the nerve takes a long time, up to 2 years.

Recently a case study of long thoracic nerve paralysis reported that acupuncture in combination with other therapies had speeded up recovery following nerve injury. Dr. Berger reported that a female paediatric patient aged 9 years with right long thoracic nerve palsy due to a ballet movement was admitted to his clinic. The patient was unable to participate in physiotherapy due to a complication of severe pain and other conditions. Acupuncture and other therapies such as electrical current were used to treat patient. Acupuncture was applied at different acupoints to alleviate the stress and pain, increase shoulder mobility and improve muscle spasm in the shoulder. After 13 treatment session over 2 months patient completely recovered with full normal function and resumed her normal activities including gymnastics and ballet practice. 

This report is another example showing acupuncture is able to relieve multiple symptoms during treatment.

Reference:                                                                                      

Berger P., Electrical  current  and  acupuncture  treatment  for  a  paediatric  patient with  a  recurring  long  thoracic  nerve  paralysis. Acupuncture  and  Related  Therapies  2  (2014)  14–18.   http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211766013000170

Acupuncture alleviates cancer therapy-related symptoms

Cancer patients develop various therapy-related symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, hot flashes, leukopenia, fatigue, dysponea and xerostomia after either pharmacological, chemotherapy or radiotherapy treatments. These symptoms affect the quality of life of cancer patients. Pharmacological treatments have very limited effects on the symptoms and may cause adverse effects. So many cancer patients seek alternative medications. Acupuncture is one of the most commonly used treatments.

Clinical studies found that acupuncture treatment has beneficial effects on many cancer therapy-related symptoms. Recent review study by Dr. Towler and colleagues analysed the research data from 17 published investigations and found acupuncture is widely used symptom management in cancer supportive and palliative care.  Acupuncture can improve the quality of life of people with advanced diseases by alleviating one or even multiple symptoms mentioned above during treatment.

Reference:

Towler P et al., What is the evidence for the use of acupuncture as an intervention for symptom management in cancer supportive and palliative care: an integrative overview of reviews. Support Care Cancer. 2013 Oct; 21(10):2913-23. doi: 10.1007/s00520-013-1882-8.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23868190

Acupuncture treatment is safe during pregnancy

Women during pregnancy may suffer from various conditions that may affect the pregnant women’s health and the normal development and delivery of baby. Concerns over drug-related adverse effects during pregnancy prompted increase in approaches of other non-pharmacological treatments. Among them, acupuncture as a treatment for various pregnancy conditions has attracted considerable attentions. Many studies showed its benefits in treating conditions such as pregnant-related vomit and nausea, breech position, low back and pelvic pain, delayed labour onset and labour pain. However safety issues over acupuncture treatment during pregnancy still exist.

Recently a group of scientists led by Dr. Hyangsook Lee in Korea studied the safety of acupuncture during pregnancy. They analysed 105 clinical studies concerning adverse effects of acupuncture and found that

“Detailed adverse effects were reported only in 25 studies represented by 27 articles (25.7%). Adverse effects evaluated as certain, probable or possible in the causality assessment were all mild/moderate in severity, with needling pain being the most frequent. Severe adverse effects or deaths were few and all considered unlikely to have been caused by acupuncture. Total adverse effect incidence was 1.9%, and the incidence of adverse effects evaluated as certainly, probably or possibly causally related to acupuncture was 1.3%”.

The authors conclude that “acupuncture during pregnancy appears to be associated with few adverse effects when correctly applied.” Indeed, acupuncture offers a safe, effective and drug-free option during pregnancy.

Reference:

Park J et al., The safety of acupuncture during pregnancy: a systematic review. Acupunct Med. 2014 Feb 19. doi: 10.1136/acupmed-2013-010480. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24554789

Improve acupuncture needle quality is needed

Acupuncture has been used to treat many conditions in China and other Asian countries for a very long time. Acupuncture is a safe and tolerated modality and accounts for approximately 40% of all medical treatment in China and is one of the most commonly sought alternative medical treatments in Western countries. Although the quality of acupuncture needles used worldwide is high it needs to be improved to avoid many potential problems such as discomfort and pain.

Recently Professor Xie and colleagues in Australia investigated the qualities of sterilised single-use stainless steel acupuncture needles from two of the most popular brands used worldwide. They used scanning electron microscope to check the surface conditions and various other physical properties of chosen needles.

They reported that “The scanning electron microscope images revealed significant surface irregularities and inconsistencies at the needle tips, especially for needles from one of the two brands. Metallic lumps and small, loosely attached pieces of material were observed on the surfaces of some needles. Some of the lumps and pieces of material seen on the needle surfaces disappeared after the acupuncture manipulation”.  

The authors urge acupuncture manufactures to review and improve their quality control procedures for the fabrications of needles. Acupuncture needles with better quality should reduce pain and discomfort and improve safety standards.

Reference:

Xie YM et al., Examination of surface conditions and other physical properties of commonly used stainless steel acupuncture needles. Acupunct Med 2014;32:146-154 doi:10.1136/acupmed-2013-010472.  http://aim.bmj.com/content/32/2/146

Acupuncture enhances neurogenesis in mammalian adult brain

In adulthood nerves outside of brain and spine cord are able to regenerate after being damaged. The affected part of the body can regain the function. However it was believed that in adulthood brain and spine cord neuron regeneration is unlikely. The loss of neurons in the brain and spine cord, due to injury, disease and aging were considered to be permanent in mammals. The study showing neurogenesis capacity in the adult mammalian brain reported in 1965 raised the hope that adult mammalian brain has intrinsic reparative power. Manipulations enhancing the neurogenesis can be a new approach for the treatment of neurodegenerative disoreders.  However how to enhance neurogenesis in adult brain is a big challenge.

Acupuncture has been used to treat stroke, spine cord injury in China. Earlier acupuncture treatment enhances the recovery in patients with spine cord injury or stroke. Recently acupuncture is used to treat Parkinson’s disease and dementia.

What are the underlying mechanisms of acupuncture treatment of neurological disorders?

Studies reported that Zusanli (ST36) is the most common acupoint used in adult brain neurogenesis. Electronic acupuncture stimulation at Zusanli enhanced cell proliferation and differentiation in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus and the subventricular zone of lateral ventricles in brain. The dentate gyrus is closely associated with memory formation. Both subventricular zone and dentate gyrus serves as a source of new stem cells in the process of adult neurogenesis.

The results of the studies indicated that acupuncture stimulated growth of stem cells in adult brain. It is possible new stem cells may migrate to other brain areas to replace the damaged or lost neurons. This may explain at least partially that enhancing neurogenesis can be one of mechanisms of acupuncture efficacy for some neurological disorders such as stroke, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

Reference:

Nam MH et al., Acupuncture stimulation induces neurogenesis in adult brain. In BY Zeng, K Zhao & FR Liang (Eds), Neurobiology of Acupuncture (Int Rev Neurobiol. Vol. 111: pp. 67-90). New York: Academic Press.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24215918

Auricular acupuncture relieves withdrawal symptoms of addiction

Acupuncture treatment of drug addiction was accidentally discovered by Dr. H.L. Wen, a Hong Kong neurosurgeon in 1972. He was treating a patient for a concussion. The patient was also known as an opium addict and Dr. Wen proposed a cingulutomy as treatment for the addiction. A cingulutomy is a prefrontal lobotomy that severs certain functions between the two frontal hemispheres. The patient was anaesthetised using acupuncture. Even before the operation began, the withdrawal symptoms were decreased and even disappeared altogether. The operation was cancelled. Every time the withdrawal symptoms reoccurred, the patient was treated with acupuncture until they stopped occurring at all. In 1985, Dr. Smith, in New York, finalized a protocol, using only ear points without electrical stimulation for the treatment of cocaine dependence. Recently, Professor Han from Beijing University, China, characterized a protocol, using electrical stimulation of identified frequencies on body points to ameliorate heroin withdrawal signs and reduce relapse of heroin use.

Auricular acupuncture for addictions is effective in relieving the symptoms of withdrawal, including decreasing the severity of cravings, body aches, headaches, nausea, sweating and muscle cramping. People also report that they sleep better, feel less depressed and more relaxed. During an auricular acupuncture session participants often have small sterile needles inserted into five points on the outer ear. Some needles are used to relax and calm the person, while the others are used to help detoxify different areas of the body (liver, kidneys and lungs etc).

Auricular Acupuncture is helpful in treating a range of addictions including alcohol, nicotine, other drugs and addictive behaviours like gambling, even internet addiction disorder.

References:

Lua PL., Altern Ther Health Med. 2013 Jul-Aug;19(4):28-42.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23981370

Acupuncture treatment prevents recurrence of heart palpitations

Heart palpitations, also called arrhythmias, are abnormal heart rhythms. You may experience them as pounding, fluttering sensation or beating irregularly in your chest, or even in your throat or neck sometimes. Heart palpitations often last from seconds to minutes. Heart palpitations are often caused by excessive intake of caffeine, alcohol, a strong emotional response such as anger or anxiety, hormone changes associated with menstruation or pregnancy, medications containing stimulants.  Heart palpitations are, in most cases, harmless and should not be a sign of a problem with the heart. However, if heart palpitations occur often or are accompanied by other problems such as dizziness or tightness in the chest, you should take them serious and seek the doctor’s advice.

Because of its balancing nature, acupuncture works well to regulate the body’s haemostasis including the rhythm of the heart. Recently Drs Breyno and Aktas reviewed many clinical studies about acupuncture treatment with heart palpitations and showed that acupuncture is an effective treatment for cardiac heart palpitations such as atrial fibrillation, paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia, inappropriate sinus tachycardia and symptomatic premature ventricular contractions. In another study patients with persistent atrial fibrillation were treated with acupuncture once a week for 10 weeks. Through a year of follow-up, the recurrence of atrial fibrillation was similar in patients between acupuncture treated group and antiarrhythmic drug, amiodarone treated group. The study reported that acupuncture treatment prevents arrhythmic recurrence and is safe and well-tolerated.

Reference:

Brenyo A, Aktas MK., Am J Cardiol. 2014 Mar 1;113(5):897-903. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24528618

Lomuscio A., J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol. 2011 Mar;22(3):241-7. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20807278