Sunday 31 July 2016

Acupuncture and pain-management

Recently I read an article that Acupuncture is as effective as drugs in treating pain. This was from an Acupuncture trial in four Melbourne Emergency Departments.  This could open the way for more hospitals to offer Acupuncture as an effective (and low-cost) healthcare intervention.

Great to see such a successful and practical result with Acupuncture.  We have know for some time (since early research in the 1970s) that Acupuncture can be highly effective in pain management when it was shown to release naturally occurring opiod peptides, and B endorpin plays an important role in Acupuncture analgesia.  Han 2004 (Acupuncture and Endorphins. Neuroscience Letter 361: 258-261) found that Acupuncture releases both enkephalin in the spinal cord and B-endorphin in the brain.   There are no doubt other mechanisms that may be involved (e.g. Melzac's Gate Control theory, Central inhibitory effects, etc) but whatever the mechanisms, it seems to work.  Great for the patients (perhaps not so great for the pharmaceutical companies - but hey, there's a lot of chronic pain patients, who will still take a lot of medication).  But at least, more help is available, and acupuncture may become more a part of this.

If you wan to read more,  please look at:
http://www.christchurch-osteopathy-acupuncture.co.nz/acupuncture/effectiveness.html


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