Quelle (17 NOVEMBER 2017): http://www.healthcmi.com Researchers conclude that acupuncture benefits the immune system. In a controlled laboratory experiment, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine researchers discovered that electroacupuncture stimulation of acupuncture point ST36 (Zusanli) “enhanced the level of immune cytokines and splenic CD4+ T cells through TRPV channels.” [1] In addition, the researchers document that electroacupuncture applied to ST36 enhances serum interferon-γ (IFN-γ) levels, interleukin (IL)-2, and IL-17. Results were confirmed using immunohistochemical analysis. The research measured the effects of electroacupuncture and precisely identified that electroacupuncture at ST36 enhances cytokines, which are proteins secreted by cells that have a specific effect...Weiterlesen

Quelle (03 FEBRUARY 2017): http://www.healthcmi.com Acupuncture reduces inflammation and researchers have discovered how it works. In a laboratory controlled scientific investigation, a key biological marker has been identified, quantified, and directly correlated with the application of acupuncture. Acupuncture successfully downregulates a proinflammatory biochemical (tumor necrosis factor alpha), which results in anti-inflammatory responses. In addition, the researchers have mapped the neural pathways by which acupuncture signaling stimulates anti-inflammatory effects. Crystal Structure of TNF-α Researchers in Korea have identified a mechanism by which acupuncture stimulation at the acupoint ST36 (Zusanli) has an anti-inflammatory effect. By downregulating tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), acupuncture...Weiterlesen

The acupuncture point combination known as the „Four Gates“ (Siguan – a combination of bilateral Hegu L.I.-4 and Taichong LIV-3) can elicit specific activities in the brain, conclude Chinese scientists. Thirty-one healthy volunteers were randomly divided into real acupoint and sham acupoint (needled at a location one cm away from the real points) groups. fMRI data were acquired during acupuncture stimulation. Results showed an extensive increase in neuronal activities with Siguan acupuncture and significant differences between stimulation at real and sham points. Brain regions that were activated more by real acupuncture stimulation than by sham point acupuncture included the somatosensory...Weiterlesen

Placebo acupuncture can ease short-term pain but the real thing might help to reverse the underlying pathology of a disease. In the past when acupuncture was subjected to trials there was only a small effect above placebo, and often no difference at all. Doctors in China have been pushing needles into patients’ skin, supposedly to restore the flow of healing “qi energy”, for more than 4,000 years. Sometimes it feels as though researchers in the west have been arguing about the practice for almost as long. After more than 3,000 clinical trials of acupuncture, many scientists are convinced that despite...Weiterlesen

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