New Acupuncture Study: Acupuncture Reduces Cancer Pain
11 MAY 2011

A recent study finds that acupuncture is effective for reducing pain in cancer patients. It is estimated that upwards of 70 percent of cancer patients do not get adequate pain relief. The new study and detailed review of randomized controlled trials shows that acupuncture has a role in pain management for cancer patients.

Over 40 percent of patients with early to moderate stage cancer suffer from moderate to severe pain. Over 90 percent of individuals with advanced stage cancer suffer from moderate to severe pain. Pain is due to pre-existing conditions, tumor growth, bone metastases, cancer treatments, and progression of the disease.

Acupuncture for the treatment of patients with cancer became recognized as an important treatment application following a 1997 National Institutes of Health study showing that acupuncture is effective for treating nausea due to chemotherapy. Since that time, acupuncture has been shown to treat many types of pain for musculoskeletal conditions. This new study reviewed randomized controlled trials and found that one body of research in particular, published in the European Journal of Pain, pointed to the ability of acupuncture to relieve pain for cancer patients. The study also calls for more research to be conducted based on this evidence.

References:
1 Paley CA, Johnson MI, Tashani OA, Bagnall AM. Acupuncture for cancer pain in adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2011, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD007753. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD007753.pub2.
2 Acupuncture. NIH Consensus Statement 1997 Nov 3-5; 15(5):1-34.
3 Lee H, Schmidt K, Ernst E. Acupuncture for the relief of cancer- related pain-A systematic review. European Journal of Pain 2005;9 (4):437–44.

Source:  http://www.healthcmi.com

Acupuncture Stops Menstrual Pain: New Study

09 MAY 2011

Acupuncture was shown to be effective for the treatment of menstrual pain. A recent study of patients with primary dysmenorrhea measured significant pain relief by needling acupuncture point Sp6. The studies quantified these results against a non-acupuncture control group and a GB39 acupuncture point control group. Blood samples were taken of participants during the study. It was shown that although acupuncture decreased menstrual pain, it was not related to plasma levels of prostaglandins. The researchers concluded that the analgesic effects of Sp6 are not mediated by prostaglandin changes in the bloodstream. The researchers checked levels of 4 main prostaglandins (PGE2, PGF2a, TXB2, 6-keto PGF1a).

Sp6, San Yin Jiao, is the Three Yin Intersection acupuncture point. It is the meeting point of the Spleen, Liver, and Kidney channels. Sp6 tonifies the Spleen and Stomach Qi, benefits the Kidney and Liver, regulates menstruation, activates the channels and stops pain, invigorates the blood, and calms the spirit. Sp6 is also notable for resolving damp stagnation.

The leg three Yin channels (Spleen, Liver, and Kidney) control menstruation and other gynecological and reproductive processes. Located on the medial side of the lower leg, 3 cun superior to the prominence of the medial malleolus in a depression close to the medial crest of the tibia, Sp6 is one of the more common acupuncture points used in clinical practice for the treatment of dysmenorrhea.

Source: http://www.healthcmi.com/index.php/acupuncturist-news-online/380-acupuncturestopsmenstrualpainstudyacupunctureceu

Reference: Shi, Guang-Xia MSc,†Liu, Cun-Zhi PhD; Zhu, Jiang BSc,;Guan, Li-Ping MSc; Wang, De-Jin MSc; Wu, Meng-Meng MSc. Effects of Acupuncture at Sanyinjiao (SP6) on Prostaglandin Levels in Primary Dysmenorrhea Patients. Clinical Journal of Pain: March/April 2011 – Volume 27 – Issue 3 – p 258–261.

Everyone Gets Acupuncture and so Should You!

More and more people and celebrities are getting acupuncture for a whole variety of health conditions. Isn’t it time YOU gave acupuncture a try?

Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Day (AOM Day) is on October 24th.

Acupuncture for Arthritis

Acufinder.com – By: Diane Joswick, L.Ac., MSOM

Arthritis is one of the most pervasive diseases in the United States and is the leading cause of disability. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention one out of every three Americans (an estimated 70 million people) is affected.

For most people arthritis pain and inflammation cannot be avoided as the body ages. In fact, most people over the age of 50 show some signs of arthritis. Joints naturally degenerate over time. Fortunately, arthritis can often be managed Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.

What is Arthritis?

Arthritis isn’t just 1 disease; it’s a complex disorder that comprises more than 100 distinct conditions and can affect people at any stage of life. Two of the most common forms are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. While these 2 forms of arthritis have very different causes, risk factors, and effects on the body, they often share a common symptom—persistent joint pain.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis in the United States, affecting an estimated 21 million adults. OA begins with the breakdown of joint cartilage, resulting in pain and stiffness.

OA commonly affects the joints of the fingers, knees, hips, and spine. Other joints affected less frequently include the wrists, elbows, shoulders, and ankles. When OA is found in a less frequently affected joint, there is usually a history of injury or unusual stress to that joint. Work-related repetitive injury and physical trauma may contribute to the development of OA. If you have a strenuous job that requires repetitive bending, kneeling, or squatting, for example, you may be at high risk for OA of the knee.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can affect many different joints and, in some people, other parts of the body as well, including the blood, the lungs, and the heart. Inflammation of the joint lining, called the synovium, can cause pain, stiffness, swelling, warmth, and redness. The affected joint may also lose its shape, resulting in loss of normal movement. RA can last a long time and can be a disease of flares (active symptoms) and remissions (few to no symptoms).

Diagnosis and Treatment of Arthritis with Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine

According to Chinese medical theory, arthritis arises when the cyclical flow of Qi in the meridians becomes blocked. This blockage is called, “bi” type pain and is widely studies and successfully treated using a combination of acupuncture and/or Chinese herbs.

Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine have been found to be extremely effective at treating the pain and inflammation associated with all types of arthritis. The acupuncture points and herbs that are used depend on if the blockage of Qi (arthritis) is caused by the pathogen wind, cold, damp or damp-heat.

Traditional Chinese Medicine does not recognize arthritis as one particular syndrome. Instead, it aims to treat the specific symptoms that are unique to each individual using a variety of techniques such as acupuncture, Chinese herbs, bodywork, lifestyle/dietary recommendations and energetic exercises to restore imbalances found in the body. Therefore, if 10 patients are treated with Oriental medicine for joint pain, each of these 10 patients will receive a unique, customized treatment with different acupuncture points, different herbs and different lifestyle and diet recommendations.

Your acupuncturist will examine you, take a look at the onset of your condition and learn your signs and symptoms to determine your Chinese diagnosis and choose the appropriate acupuncture points and treatment plan.

The Acupuncture Treatment

Acupuncture points to treat Arthritis are located all over the body, not just directly over the affected area. During the acupuncture treatment, tiny needles could be placed along your legs, arms, shoulders, and perhaps even your little toe!

There seems to be little sensitivity to the insertion of acupuncture needles. They are so thin that several acupuncture needles can go into the middle of a hypodermic needle. Occasionally, there is a brief moment of discomfort as the needle penetrates the skin, but once the needles are in place, most people relax and even fall asleep for the duration of the treatment.

The length, number and frequency of treatments will vary. Typical treatments last from five to 30 minutes, with the patient being treated one or two times a week. Some symptoms are relieved after the first treatment, while more severe or chronic ailments often require multiple treatments.

Chinese Herbs for Arthritis

There are many Chinese Herbal formulas that are prescribed for arthritis. Your acupuncturist will examine you, take a look at the onset of your condition and learn your signs and symptoms to determine which herbs are best for you.

Here are some commonly prescribed Chinese herbal formulas for arthritis:

• Remove Painful Obstruction Decoction (juan bi tang)- For joint pain that increases with cold and is possibly accompanied by heaviness and numbness in the limbs.
• Cinnamon Twig, Peony, and Anamerrhena Decoction (gui zhi shoa you zhi mu tang)- For swollen and painful joints that are warm to the touch and worse at night.
• Angelica Pubescens and Sangjisheng Decoction (du huo ji sheng tang)- For heavy and painful sensations at fixed locations in the lower back and lower extremities accompanied by weakness and stiffness.

Studies on Acupuncture and Arthritis

Several studies have shown that acupuncture can help people with arthritis and related auto-immune diseases.

In one Scandinavian study 25 percent of arthritis patients who had been scheduled for knee surgery cancelled their operations after acupuncture treatment. In the study, researchers compared acupuncture with advice and exercise for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the hip. Thirty-two patients awaiting a total hip replacement were separated into 2 groups. One group received one 10-minute and five 25-minute sessions of acupuncture, and the other group received advice and hip exercises over a 6-week period.

Patients were assessed for pain and functional ability: Patients in the acupuncture group showed significant improvements, while no significant changes were reported in the group that received advice and exercise therapy. The results of this study indicate that acupuncture is more effective than advice and exercise for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the hip.

Another study at the University of Maryland showed that elderly arthritis patients with knee pain due to arthritis improved significantly when acupuncture was added to their treatment.

The randomized clinical trial, performed at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, determined whether acupuncture was a clinically safe and effective adjunctive therapy for older patients with osteoarthritis of the knee.

The study addressed these questions:

• Would the addition of acupuncture to conventional therapy produce an added measure of pain relief?
• Would the effects of acupuncture last for 4 weeks following the end of treatment?
• Would acupuncture have any side effects?

Seventy-three patients were randomly divided into 2 groups. One group received twice-weekly acupuncture treatments and conventional therapy for 8 weeks, and the other group received conventional therapy only. Patients who received acupuncture had significant pain relief and showed improvement in function. Those who did not receive acupuncture showed no significant change. No patients reported side effects from any acupuncture therapy session.

Safe Alternative to Medication

Even without the studies, the popularity of acupuncture for arthritis continues to grow because more and more people have found significant relief from Oriental Medicine without the negative side effects that come from Western pharmaceuticals.

Lifestyle and Dietary Instructions

Your diet plays a crucial role in helping you avoid or control arthritis. The first objective of a healthy diet is to help you lose weight if you are overweight. Being overweight can cause additional stress to your joints.

The second way a balanced, varied diet can help ease the pain of arthritis is by providing vitamins and minerals that keep your joints healthy and avoiding “damp” foods such as dairy products and greasy or spicy foods.

If you have arthritis or knee or hip pain, vitamin C and vitamin D can help prevent bone and cartilage destruction. And a multivitamin can help ensure that you always get the nutrition you need.

Here are some other healthy (and delicious) choices to include in your diet.

• Ginger – A natural anti-inflammatory, available as powdered extracts in capsules as well as alcohol-based extracts. Follow the dosing directions on the label. Or make tea by combining one-half teaspoon of grated ginger root with eight ounces of boiling water. Cover and steep for 10 to 15 minutes, then strain and add honey to taste.
• Fresh pineapple – Bromelain, an enzyme in pineapple, reduces inflammation. Be sure the pineapple is fresh, not canned or frozen.
• Cherries – Recent research has shown that tart cherries are an excellent source of nutrients that may help to reduce joint pain and inflammation related to arthritis.
• Fish – Cold-water fish such as salmon and mackerel contain omega-3 fatty acids, which help keep joints healthy as well as reduce pain and swelling. If you don’t care for fish, consider supplementing your diet with fish oil capsules.
• Turmeric – Another natural anti-inflammatory. Look for an extract of whole turmeric, in health-food stores; follow the dosage directions on the label.

Find an Acupuncturist

Today, acupuncture is an acknowledged and respected field of medicine which requires formal training and certification in order to practice. In most States, provinces and countries, acupuncture is legislated in order to assure quality of treatment.

Acupuncture and Oriental medicine is an art and a science that takes years to master. Look for an acupuncturist with formal training and experience in the treatment of Arthritis on www.Acufinder.com

References:

Rheumatology in Chinese Medicine, 2002. By G. Guillaume & M. Chieu
Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas and Strategies, 1990. By Dan Bensky & Randall Barolet
Acupuncture: A Comprehensive Text By Shanghai College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1981

Source: http://www.acufinder.com/Acupuncture+Information/Detail/Acupuncture+for+Arthritis

This entire 1 hour video Alternative Medicine: The Evidence of Herbs is posted here for educational purposes.

Alternative Medicine: The Evidence of Herbs

The definitive BBC Series produced in conjunction with The Open University, attracted over 7.5 million viewers per episode. For thousands of years, what we now think of as Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) was the only medicine; now, traditional cures are being treated with a fresh respect.

In this series of three programmes, host and self professed sceptic Professor Kathy Sykes embarks on a worldwide quest to quantify just how successful a range of Alternative Therapies can actually be and why science is starting to respond to these centuries-old remedies.

Acupuncture: Having seen a variety of conditions treated by Acupuncture in China, Kathy recruits a team of top UK scientists to evaluate the possible reasons for the success which many patients experienced, particularly with treatments for a number of chronic pain conditions. The conclusions challenge current understandings of the working of the brain and throw new light on the ancient practice of Acupuncture.

Healing: In the second episode she investigates the effectiveness of a range of Healers both in the UK and the US. She meets general practitioners, who have been so impressed with the results, that they have invited such healers to assist them in their surgeries and hospitals. She discovers that, although there is no evidence that healers have any measurable ‘special powers’ some patients undoubtedly do make remarkable recoveries. It’s a mystery Kathy only finally solves on a trip to the US when she discovers that each of us has a powerful self healing mechanism which can be triggered by a range of healers.

Herbs: In the final episode Kathy Sykes travels to South Africa and Germany to investigate the remedial power of herbal remedies. She finds a group of scientists in Germany who have identified at least eight ‘super herbs’ which have been submitted to a range of rigorous clinical tests with very promising results. So what is the secret? It appears that the plants from which the herbs are produced have an enormously complex chemical structure, that have medicinal properties modern pharmaceuticals simply cannot produce.

The definitive BBC series produced in conjunction with The Open University following Professor Kathy Sykes on her quest to find out why science is starting to respond to the centuries-old phenomenon of complementary and alternative medicine.

This entire 1 hour video Alternative Medicine: The Evidence of Healing is posted here for educational purposes.

BBC Video – Alternative Medicine: The Evidence of Healing

The definitive BBC Series produced in conjunction with The Open University, attracted over 7.5 million viewers per episode. For thousands of years, what we now think of as Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) was the only medicine; now, traditional cures are being treated with a fresh respect.

In this series of three programmes, host and self professed sceptic Professor Kathy Sykes embarks on a worldwide quest to quantify just how successful a range of Alternative Therapies can actually be and why science is starting to respond to these centuries-old remedies.

Acupuncture: Having seen a variety of conditions treated by Acupuncture in China, Kathy recruits a team of top UK scientists to evaluate the possible reasons for the success which many patients experienced, particularly with treatments for a number of chronic pain conditions. The conclusions challenge current understandings of the working of the brain and throw new light on the ancient practice of Acupuncture.

Healing: In the second episode she investigates the effectiveness of a range of Healers both in the UK and the US. She meets general practitioners, who have been so impressed with the results, that they have invited such healers to assist them in their surgeries and hospitals. She discovers that, although there is no evidence that healers have any measurable ‘special powers’ some patients undoubtedly do make remarkable recoveries. It’s a mystery Kathy only finally solves on a trip to the US when she discovers that each of us has a powerful self healing mechanism which can be triggered by a range of healers.

Herbs: In the final episode Kathy Sykes travels to South Africa and Germany to investigate the remedial power of herbal remedies. She finds a group of scientists in Germany who have identified at least eight ‘super herbs’ which have been submitted to a range of rigorous clinical tests with very promising results. So what is the secret? It appears that the plants from which the herbs are produced have an enormously complex chemical structure, that have medicinal properties modern pharmaceuticals simply cannot produce.

The definitive BBC series produced in conjunction with The Open University following Professor Kathy Sykes on her quest to find out why science is starting to respond to the centuries-old phenomenon of complementary and alternative medicine.

This entire 1 hour video Alternative Medicine: The Evidence of Acupuncture is posted here for educational purposes.

Alternative Medicine: The Evidence of Acupuncture

Acupuncture deactivates ‘pain area’ in brain

An experiment conducted in the BBC Television series Alternative Medicine: The Evidence (BBC TWO, 9.00pm, Tuesday 24 January 2006) – presented by scientist Professor Kathy Sykes from Bristol University – shows acupuncture has a powerful and measurable effect on the human brain.

The effect is surprising, because scientists have previously predicted that parts of the cortex would be activated during acupuncture.

This unique experiment suggests that, on the contrary, parts of the brain, beyond the cortex, are actually deactivated.

The first programme in the three part series brings together a group of leading scientists including neuro-scientist Mark Lythgoe (UCL); neuro-physiologist Dr Aziz Asghar (Hull York Medical School); physician in clinical research Dr George Lewith (Southampton University); and acupuncturist Dr Hugh McPherson (University of York).

Together they devise a rigorous scientific test to assess the neurological effect of acupuncture.

Volunteers were subjected to a process acupuncturists call ‘deep needling’ and the findings were compared with a control group undergoing ‘superficial needling’.

‘Deep needling’ involves having needles inserted approximately one centimetre into the back of the hand at a well known acupuncture point and the needles are then rotated by the practitioner until the effect acupuncturists call de chi (pronounced “duh chee”) is experienced – the subjects feeling a dull, achy or tingling sensation.

Those undergoing ‘superficial needling’ have needles only inserted approximately one millimetre into a similar point.

During these two procedures the volunteers underwent brain scans to see what, if any, effect there was in the brain.

In the programme, when the results of the scans are analysed, the scientists discover that ‘superficial needling’ results in activation of the motor areas of the cortex, a normal response to touch or pain.

With ‘deep needling’ and de chi, a deeper part of the brain is affected.

This is within what is often known as the limbic system and, surprisingly, this part of the brain is deactivated with ‘deep needling’.

Professor Sykes says: “The particular area of the brain where MRI shows deactivation during acupuncture is part of the ‘pain matrix’ which is involved in the perception of pain – it helps someone ‘decide’ whether something is painful or not, so it could be that acupuncture in some ways changes a person’s pain perception.”

The most up-to-date functional magnetic resonance imager (MRI) at York University was used – MRI is a relatively new technology that measures the changes in blood flow that result from brain activity.

Neuroscientists are more familiar with interventions causing activations and this result seems to support anecdotal accounts of acupuncture – and some experimental studies – which indicate that the therapy is particularly effective in the management of pain.

Professor Sykes goes on: “I’m just thrilled that we managed to do a real scientific experiment, shaped and run by scientists and run by acupuncturists together, where we found something quite unexpected; that acupuncture is having a measurable effect on the human brain.”

In Alternative Medicine: The Evidence, Professor Kathy Sykes examines three forms of alternative medicine – acupuncture, healing and herbalism – to see if there is any scientific evidence for their effectiveness.

In the first programme on acupuncture, in addition to this neuroscience study, she travels to the United States and China where acupuncture is routinely used alongside conventional medicine in hospitals.

In China she witnesses a conscious patient undergoing open-heart surgery with acupuncture being used without general anaesthetic.

Study Finds Acupuncture Effective for Arthritis Pain

About.com – January 24, 2008 – Cathy Wong

Acupuncture, the practice of inserting thin needles into specific body points to improve health and well-being, originated in China thousands of years ago. In 2002, acupuncture was used by an estimated 2.1 million U.S. adults, according to a survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A study funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), both components of the National Institutes of Health, has found that acupuncture may provide pain relief and improve function for people with knee osteoarthritis.

The findings of the study — the longest and largest randomized, controlled phase III clinical trial of acupuncture ever conducted — were published in the December 21, 2004 issue of the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

The multi-site study assessed 570 people with osteoarthritis of the knee who were aged 50 or older. Participants in the study had significant pain in their knee the month before joining the study, but had not had knee surgery in the prior six months or used steroid or similar injections. None had ever had acupuncture.

Study participants received either acupuncture or “sham” acupuncture or they participated in a self-help group on managing their condition. Sham acupuncture is a procedure designed to prevent patients from being able to detect if needles are actually inserted at treatment points. In both the sham and true acupuncture procedures, a screen prevented patients from seeing the knee treatment area and learning which treatment they received. In the education control group, 189 participants attended six, 2-hour group sessions over 12 weeks based on the Arthritis Foundation’s Arthritis Self-Help Course — a proven, effective model.

All participants continued to receive standard medical care from their primary physicians, including anti-inflammatory medications such as COX-2 selective inhibitors, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and opioid pain medications.

On joining the study, patients’ pain and knee function were assessed using standard arthritis research survey instruments and measurement tools, such as the Western Ontario McMasters Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC). Patients’ progress was assessed at 4, 8, 14 and 26 weeks.

By week 8, participants receiving acupuncture were showing a significant increase in function and by week 14 a significant decrease in pain, compared with the sham and control groups. These results, shown by declining scores on the WOMAC index, held through week 26.

Overall, those who received acupuncture had a 40% decrease in pain and a nearly 40% improvement in function compared to baseline assessments.

“For the first time, a clinical trial with sufficient rigor, size, and duration has shown that acupuncture reduces the pain and functional impairment of osteoarthritis of the knee,” said Stephen E. Straus, M.D., NCCAM Director. “These results also indicate that acupuncture can serve as an effective addition to a standard regimen of care and improve quality of life for knee osteoarthritis sufferers. NCCAM has been building a portfolio of basic and clinical research that is now revealing the power and promise of applying stringent research methods to ancient practices like acupuncture.”

“More than 20 million Americans have osteoarthritis. This disease is one of the most frequent causes of physical disability among adults,” said Stephen I. Katz, M.D., Ph.D., NIAMS Director. “Thus, seeking an effective means of decreasing osteoarthritis pain and increasing function is of critical importance.”

“This trial, which builds upon our previous NCCAM-funded research, establishes that acupuncture is an effective complement to conventional arthritis treatment and can be successfully employed as part of a multidisciplinary approach to treating the symptoms of osteoarthritis,” said Dr. Berman.

Source: http://altmedicine.about.com/od/alternativemedicinebasics/a/Acup_Arthritis.htm

Acupuncture does combat pain, study finds

The Independant – By Steve Connor, Science Editor
Saturday, 21 January 2006

Ever since Westerners started using acupuncture to treat their aches and pains, a debate has raged as to whether the ancient Chinese medicine really did work.

Now scientists have discovered that deep-needle acupuncture can combat pain.

A study found that the technique can turn off parts of the brain involved in pain, which could explain how the practice may work as an anaesthetic.

Researchers found that an acupuncture technique using deep needling led to the deactivaton of part of the brain’s limbic system, which helps the body to be conscious of pain.

Neuroscientists believe that the findings show that acupuncture has a measurable effect on the brain and that the study could provide a possible mechanism to explain how acupuncture can relieve pain.

The research was carried out on a set of volunteers by scientists at Hull York Medical School as part of a new BBC TV series called Alternative Medicine: The Evidence, to be broadcast on Tuesday evening on BBC2.

Professor Kathy Sykes of Bristol University, who will present the programme, said that the medical school’s MRI brain scanners showed that certain forms of acupuncture have a deep and measurable effect on the brain.

“The particular area of the brain that MRI shows deactivation for during acupuncture is part of the pain matrix which is involved in the perception of pain,” Professor Sykes said. “It helps someone decide whether something is painful or not. So it could be that acupuncture in some ways changes a person’s pain threshold.”

The study tested two forms of acupuncture on separate sets of volunteers. One involved inserting needles into the skin on the back of the hand by about a millimetre. The other inserted needles up to a centimetre into the same pressure points.

Brain scanning images of the group that underwent superficial needling show nerve activation in the motor cortex of the brain, the area that normally responds to touch or pain.

However, when the acupuncturist used the deeper needles, which were also rotated as part of an acupunctural effect called de chi, the scientists found a measurable deactivation in the brain’s limbic system.

Mark Lythgoe, a neuroscientist at University College London who helped to oversee the study, said that the findings were significant because they demonstrated a physical effect on the brain. “This may account for the way it works. This is a possible novel neurobiological mechanism for the action of acupuncture,” Dr Lythgoe said.

As part of the programme, Professor Sykes visited China, where she witnessed a conscious patient undergoing open-heart surgery with the help of acupuncture but without the use of general anaesthetics.

The people in the study who experienced deep-needle acupuncture said that they felt a tingling sensation but not pain. The scientists said they were used to seeing drugs or other medical treatments activating parts of the brain and they were surprised to see something that had the opposite effect.

“I’m just thrilled that we managed to do a real scientific experiment, shaped and run by scientists and acupuncturists together, where we found something quite unexpected – that acupuncture is having a measurable effect on the brain,” Professor Sykes said.

The BBC series will also investigate other forms of alternative medicine, such as healing and herbalism.

Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/acupuncture-does-combat-pain-study-finds-523963.html

Why acupuncture aids spinal recovery

New Scientist – Health: 26 April 2010

Rats with damaged spines can walk again thanks to acupuncture. But it’s not [only] due to improvements in their energy flow or “chi”. The ancient treatment seems to stop nerve cell death by reducing inflammation.

Acupuncture’s scientific credentials are growing. Trials show that it improves sensory and motor functions in people with spinal cord injuries.

To find out why, Doo Choi and his colleagues at Kyung Hee University in Seoul, South Korea, damaged the spines of 75 rats. One-third were given acupuncture in two locations: Shuigou – between their snout and mouth, and Yanglingquan – in the upper hind leg. Others received no treatment or “simulated acupuncture”.

After 35 days, the acupuncture group were able to stand at a steeper incline than the others and walk better. Staining their paws with ink revealed that their forelimb-hindlimb coordination was fairly consistent and that there was very little toe dragging, whereas the control groups still dragged their feet.

Inflamed spines

The rats in the acupuncture group also had less nerve cell death and lower levels of proteins known to induce inflammation after spinal cord injury and make neural damage worse.

One explanation is that sharp needles prompt a stress response that dampens down inflammation. In humans, the inflammation that follows spinal cord injury is known to be responsible for nerve cell death.

Zhen Zheng of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia says the results are “very encouraging”. But she says we don’t yet know if the results will apply to humans.

For example, the acupuncture treatment on the rats was given almost immediately after injury, but most patients don’t seek acupuncture until at least three months after damage to their spines.

Source: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18817-why-acupuncture-aids-spinal-recovery.html