. . . yet gives some fascinating hints about how it may work, according to this article on Medscape (free registration required). I've been wondering, because acupuncture (my grandmother called it "puncufuncture") is very clearly one of the things that's keeping my husband Jacques going, along with carbidopa/levodopa and Feldenkrais Method®-based physical therapy -- a strong argument for "complementary medicine." Neurologists believe he has Multiple System Atrophy, a movement disorder that is akin to Parkinson's but affects more areas of the brain. Yet when told that acupuncture unimistakably improves his energy and coordination, the specialists are puzzled: "But isn't that for pain?" They should read this, complete with references:
The acupoints are located at sites that have a high density of neurovascular structures and are generally between or at the edges of muscle groups. . . . These locations, curiously, are less painful than random needle sticks into a muscle group. An interesting study demonstrating the map of a meridian pathway involved the injection of Technitium99, a radioactive tracer, into both true and sham acupoints. . . . The scan of the injection sites showed random diffusion of the tracer around the sham point but rapid progression of the tracer along the meridian at a rate that was inconsistent with either lymphatic/vascular flow or nerve conduction. [Emphasis added] . . . Another study demonstrated that needling a point on the lower leg traditionally associated with the eye activated the occipital cortex of the brain as detected by functional magnetic resonance imaging.
Opium addicts who underwent acupuncture analgesia for surgery were noted not to go through narcotic withdrawal compared with similar patients who received conventional anesthesia. This gave birth to the endorphin hypothesis, which has been explored as one of the mechanisms of action of acupuncture. Needling affects cerebrospinal fluid levels of endorphin and enkephalin, and such effects can be blocked by the opiate antagonist naloxone. A number of other imputed mechanisms of action have used the model of the acupuncture needle as an electrode . . . the neurogate theory has also been suggested as a mechanism of action for acupuncture. . . .
The presence of a foreign body (the needle) may act to stimulate vascular and immunomodulatory factors, including locally occurring mediators of inflammation. Measurements of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) have been demonstrated to be elevated after acupuncture treatments . . . . Various physics concepts such as quantum physics, electromagnetic force field changes, and wave phenomena have been proffered to explain the nonlocal effects of acupuncture. . . .
It is probably best to tell patients, students, and colleagues, in answer to the question of how acupuncture works, that the conclusive answer is yet to be determined, though research has given us some windows of insight into possible mechanisms of action.
- amba
In a serendipitous result from a google seach i came across a link to this message. i have been fascinated by acupuncture for a long time, and loved the descriptions of the pulses i read many, many years ago in pearl buck's "the good earth"
my understanding of the meridians is that they are conduits for the flow of qi - or ch'i - a subtle, yet profound life force / energy that flows through all life in the universe
the practice of qi gong - especially if one holds the vision of the meridians as a conduit for qi - can help to cultivate a healthy flow of qi, and has the additional benefit that it can be practiced anywhere - alone or with others - at no cost, and with the expenditure of minimal energy: one can even practice qi gong mindful breathing exercises if one is confined to a bed or wheelchair.
Posted by: Robert Pollard | May 06, 2005 at 01:38 PM