Journal ArticleDOI
Acupuncture mechanisms for clinically relevant long-term effects--reconsideration and a hypothesis
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It is drawn that clinically relevant long-term pain relieving effects of acupuncture (>6 months) can be seen in a proportion of patients with nociceptive pain and the mechanisms behind such effects are considered in this paper.Abstract:
From the author's direct involvement in clinical research, the conclusion has been drawn that clinically relevant long-term pain relieving effects of acupuncture (>6 months) can be seen in a proportion of patients with nociceptive pain. The mechanisms behind such effects are considered in this paper. From the existing experimental data some important conclusions can be drawn: 1. Much of the animal research only represents short-term hypoalgesia probably induced by the mechanisms behind stress-induced analgesia (SIA) and the activation of diffuse noxious inhibitory control (DNIC). 2. Almost all experimental acupuncture research has been performed with electro-acupuncture (EA) even though therapeutic acupuncture is mostly gentle manual acupuncture (MA). 3. Most of the experimental human acupuncture pain threshold (PT) research shows only fast and very short-term hypoalgesia, and, importantly, PT elevation in humans does not predict the clinical outcome. 4. The effects of acupuncture may be divided into two main components--acupuncture analgesia and therapeutic acupuncture. A hypothesis on the mechanisms of therapeutic acupuncture will include: 1. Peripheral events that might improve tissue healing and give rise to local pain relief through axon reflexes, the release of neuropeptides with trophic effects, dichotomising nerve fibres and local endorphins. 2. Spinal mechanisms, for example, gate-control, long-term depression, propriospinal inhibition and the balance between long-term depression and long-term potentiation. 3. Supraspinal mechanisms through the descending pain inhibitory system, DNIC, the sympathetic nervous system and the HPA-axis. Is oxytocin also involved in the long-term effects? 4. Cortical, psychological, "placebo" mechanisms from counselling, reassurance and anxiety reduction.read more
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Acupuncture for tension-type headache.
TL;DR: It is concluded that acupuncture could be a valuable non-pharmacological tool in patients with frequent episodic or chronic tension-type headaches with small but statistically significant benefits of acupuncture over sham.
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Sham acupuncture may be as efficacious as true acupuncture: a systematic review of clinical trials.
TL;DR: The findings cast doubt on the validity of traditional acupuncture theories about point locations and indications, and the theoretical basis for traditional acupuncture practice needs to be re-evaluated.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
The arcuate nucleus of hypothalamus mediates low but not high frequency electroacupuncture analgesia in rats.
TL;DR: Electrolytic, kainic acid or sham lesions made in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (ARH) in female Wistar rats indicate that neurones of the ARH most likely play an important role in mediating low, but not high frequency EA analgesia.
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Relative involvement of substance P and CGRP mechanisms in antidromic vasodilation in the rat skin.
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Manual acupuncture reduces hyperemesis gravidarum: a placebo-controlled, randomized, single-blind, crossover study.
Christer Carlsson,Pia Axemo,Anita Bodin,Hanne Carstensen,Birgitta Ehrenroth,Ingalill Madegård-Lind,Christina Navander +6 more
TL;DR: In this article, a crossover comparison of two methods of acupuncture, active (deep) PC6 acupuncture or placebo (superficial) acupuncture, was conducted to see if acupuncture, in addition to standard treatment, could hasten the improvement of hyperemesis gravidarum.
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Electroacupuncture elevates blood cortisol levels in naive horses; sham treatment has no effect.
TL;DR: The present result shows that the blood cortisol levels of horses are significantly increased after 30 min of electroacupuncture treatment while the sham treatment (control) shows an insignificant effect.
Journal ArticleDOI
Long-lasting cardiovascular depressor response following sciatic stimulation in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Evidence for the involvement of central endorphin and serotonin systems.
T. Yao,S. Andersson,P. Thoren +2 more
TL;DR: PCPA abolished the post-stimulatory depressor response whereas 5-HTP and zimelidine had additive effects on the sciatic stimulation-induced depressor responded, suggesting the involvement of central serotonin systems in the mechanism of the response.