Introduction Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) that has been used for thousands of years with empirical evidence of effectiveness. Recently, clarifying the intrinsic mechanisms of its clinical effects has become increasingly popular research. According to the traditiona ltheory of acupuncture, stimulation at specific acupoints will produce effective bodily responses that can be used to treat certain diseases. Much research has been devoted to demonstrating the mechanisms underlying acupoint specificity. Since the1990s, development in noninvasive brain imaging techniques such as positron emission tomography and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has accelerated the progress of connecting the effects of acupuncture...Weiterlesen

ABSTRACT Acupuncture is an invasive procedure commonly used to relieve pain. Acupuncture is practiced worldwide, despite difficulties in reconciling its principles with evidence-based medicine. We found that adenosine, a neuromodulator with anti-nociceptive properties, was released during acupuncture in mice and that its anti-nociceptive actions required adenosine A1 receptor expression. Direct injection of an adenosine A1 receptor agonist replicated the analgesic effect of acupuncture. Inhibition of enzymes involved in adenosine degradation potentiated the acupuncture-elicited increase in adenosine, as well as its anti-nociceptive effect. These observations indicate that adenosine mediates the effects of acupuncture and that interfering with adenosine metabolism may prolong...Weiterlesen

July 23, 2015 Ever since Chinese doctors first poked their patients with sharp objects 4,000 years ago, and charged them for the pleasure, acupuncture has been shrouded in mystery.Tradition has it that the procedure works by improving the flow of „qi“ along invisible energy channels called meridians, but research published today points to a less mystical explanation for the painkilling claims of acupuncture. The answer, according to a team of scientists in New York, follows an extraordinary study in which researchers gave regular acupuncture sessions to mice with sore paws. After each half-hour session the mice felt less discomfort in their...Weiterlesen

Quelle (02 JUNE 2013): http://www.healthcmi.com New evidence demonstrates acupuncture activates specific regions of the brain for the treatment of specific diseases. Investigators from the Acupuncture and Moxibustion Department of Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine also find that acupuncture regulates neurotransmitters as a mechanism to modulate autonomic nervous system responses. The review article notes that further investigation is required to differentiate the effects of specific acupuncture points versus the medicinal effects elicited by needling along the acupuncture meridians. The review focused on a great body of modern research and uncovered many of the mechanisms by which acupuncture exerts its medicinal...Weiterlesen

Quelle (13 JANUARY 2017): http://www.healthcmi.com Acupuncture is effective for pain relief. Researchers from the University of South Florida (Tampa) and the Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Fuzhou) document that acupuncture alleviates pain, in part, by regulation of microglial cells. These are non-neural cells that comprise part of the central nervous system structure. Scientists already knew that microglial cells act as macrophages at sites of damaged central nervous system tissue. The research team (Lin et al.) from the University of South Florida (Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences) along with researchers from the Fujian University of...Weiterlesen

INTRODUCTION Acupuncture is a Chinese medical technique that utilizes stimulation of anatomical points on the body through a variety of techniques, although it has been synonymously identified with the use of thin, metallic needles. It has been historically practiced in China several millennia, and has been gaining popularity in the United States over the past few years [1]. In 2015, National Health Statistic Reports from the National Health Interview Survey published a report, which included a comprehensive survey on the use of complementary health approaches by Americans; roughly 3.4 million U.S. adults had used acupuncture in 2012 [2]. Traditionally, acupuncture...Weiterlesen

ABSTRACT Background: Although the 5-point acudetox National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA) protocol was developed to treat addictions, it has always been assumed that the healing capacities of this method go far beyond that application. Objective: The purpose of this research was to evaluate if the 5-point acudetox ear acupuncture protocol has an immediate stress (prolactin; PRL)–reducing effect and, if so, if the effect is more significant than social support and informal supportive conversation. Materials and Methods: A randomized, double-blinded, controlled trial was conducted at the Sze ´chenyi Health Center in Budapest, Hungary. Forty-four patients were included in the study: 22...Weiterlesen

ABSTRACT Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of combined selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and electroacupuncture therapies for the early treatment of primary depression. Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were analyzed to compare therapy combining SSRIs and electroacupuncture to SSRI therapy alone. The RCTs were identified by searching, among others, PubMed, the Cochrane Library, the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, the Chongqing VIP database for Chinese Technical Periodicals, WANFANG DATA, and the Chinese Biological Medical Literature Database. Scores from Self-Rated Depression Scale (SDS), the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), the Side Effect Rating Scale (SERS), and the Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale...Weiterlesen

ABSTRACT Objective To observe the comparison of the clinical efficacy between penetration needling from Nèiguān (PC 6) to Wàiguān (TE 5) and western medicine estazolam for insomnia. Methods Sixty insomnia patients were divided into 2 groups according to the random number table, 30 cases in each group. Penetration needling from PC 6 to TE 5 was mainly adopted in acupuncture group for once a day, 5 times a week, and treatment for 4 weeks was 1 course of treatment. Estazolam was orally given in medicine group before sleep every night in a dosage of 1 mg per time, and treatment...Weiterlesen

Kleine Nadeln, große Wirkung: Eine Insomnie ist dann behandlungsbedürftig, wenn neben dem gestörten Nachtschlaf das Befinden am Tag stark beeinträchtigt ist. Da schlaffördernde, chemische Substanzen schnell abhängig machen können, sind Alternativen wie die Ohrakupunktur gefragt. Als Insomnie bezeichnet man Schwierigkeiten beim Einschlafen, Störungen des Durchschlafens sowie vorzeitiges Erwachen. Umfragen zufolge leiden ca. 25% der Erwachsenen an Schlafstörungen, über 10% erleben ihren Schlaf häufig oder dauerhaft als nicht erholsam. Nur bei einem geringem Teil der Betroffenen sind spezifische Krankheitsursachen bekannt, wie zum Beispiel Stress oder seelische Probleme. Auch langes Arbeiten und geistige Anstrengungen kurz vor der Nachtruhe, Alkoholmissbrauch, Lärm, ein unregelmäßiger...Weiterlesen