Abstract Acupuncture is one of the areas among the alternative therapies that arouses high curiosity in the biomedical scientific community. It is particular popular for treatment of chronic diseases and addictions. However, contrasting with its evidence based effectiveness, the lack of a reasonable explanations for its mode of action divides that scientific community. Difficulties also arise to those responsible for providing information for clinicians and...Weiterlesen

Abstract Background The scientific basis for acupuncture meridians is unknown. Past studies have suggested that acupuncture meridians are physiologically characterized by low electrical impedance and anatomically associated with connective tissue planes. We are interested in seeing whether acupuncture meridians are associated with lower electrical impedance and whether ultrasound-derived measures – specifically echogenic collagenous bands – can account for these impedance differences. Methods/Results In 28 healthy...Weiterlesen

Abstract Objectives Acupuncture needle manipulation causes mechanical deformation of connective tissue, which in turn results in mechanical stimulation of fibroblasts, with active changes in cell shape and autocrine purinergic signaling. We have previously shown using ultrasound elastography in humans that acupuncture needle manipulation causes measurable movement of tissue up to several centimeters away from the needle. The goal of this study was to quantify the...Weiterlesen

Abstract Acupuncture needle manipulation has been previously shown to result in measurable changes in connective tissue architecture in animal experiments. In this study, we used a novel in vivo ultrasound (US)-based technique to quantify tissue displacement during acupuncture manipulation in humans. B-scan ultrasonic imaging was performed on the thighs of 12 human subjects at different stages of needle motion, including varying amounts of rotation, downward...Weiterlesen

Abstract Acupuncture meridians traditionally are believed to constitute channels connecting the surface of the body to internal organs. We hypothesize that the network of acupuncture points and meridians can be viewed as a representation of the network formed by interstitial connective tissue. This hypothesis is supported by ultrasound images showing connective tissue cleavage planes at acupuncture points in normal human subjects. To test this hypothesis,...Weiterlesen

Abstract Acupuncture needle manipulation gives rise to ‘needle grasp’, a biomechanical phenomenon characterized by an increase in the force necessary to pull the needle out of the tissue (pullout force). This study investigates the hypothesis that winding of connective tissue rather than contraction of muscle is the mechanism responsible for needle grasp. Authors: HELENE M. LANGEVIN, DAVID L. CHURCHILL, JUNRU WU, GARY J. BADGER, JASON A....Weiterlesen

Abstract Background/Aims: Despite the wide use of acupuncture for the management of visceral pain and the growing interest in the pathophysiology of visceral pain, there is no conclusive elucidation of the mechanisms behind the effects of acupuncture on visceral pain. This systematic review aims to provide an integrative understanding of the treatment mechanism of acupuncture for visceral pain. Methods: Electronic and hand searches were conducted...Weiterlesen

Abstract For more than 2500 years, acupuncture has been applied to support the healing of different diseases and physiologic malfunctions. Although various theories of the meridian system and mechanisms were formulated to explain the functional basis of acupuncture, the anatomical basis for the concept of meridians has not been resolved. The aim of the present study was to search for replicable anatomical structures that could...Weiterlesen

Abstract Muscle pain is a common medical problem that is difficult to treat. One nonpharmacological treatment used is acupuncture, a procedure in which fine needles are inserted into body points with the intent of relieving pain and other symptoms. Here we investigated the effects of manual acupuncture (MA) on modulating macrophage phenotype and interleukin-10 (IL-10) concentrations in animals with muscle inflammation. Carrageenan, injected in the...Weiterlesen

Abstract In the mechanisms of acupuncture analgesia, an important aspect often overlooked is the anti-inflammatory effect of acupuncture, which is mainly attained through the self-limiting inflammatory response-inflammatory reflex and its regulation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal(HPA) axis and autonomic nerve system (the vagus nerve and the sympathetic postganglionic fiber). The significance of anti-inflammatory effect of acupuncture in analgesia is manifested twofold: The first, inflammatory nociceptive pain is a major type of chronic pain. The second, neurogenic inflammation is the mechanism by which certain acupoints or acu-reflex points (ARPs)...Weiterlesen