Action potential threshold of wide dynamic range neurons in rat spinal dorsal horn evoked by manual acupuncture at ST36

Within the last 10 years, the percentage of low back pain (LBP) prevalence increased by 18%. The management and high cost of LBP put a tremendous burden on the healthcare system. Many risk factors have been identified, such as lifestyle, trauma, degeneration, postural impairment, and occupational related factors; however, as high as 95% of the cases of LBP are non-specific. Currently, LBP is treated pharmacologically. Approximately 25 to 30% of the patients develop serious side effects, such as drowsiness and drug addiction. Spinal surgery often does not result in a massive improvement of pain relief. Therefore, complementary approaches are being integrated into the rehabilitation programs. These include chiropractic therapy, physiotherapy, massage, exercise, herbal medicine and acupuncture. Acupuncture for LBP is one of the most commonly used non-pharmacological pain-relieving techniques. This is due to its low adverse effects and cost-effectiveness. Currently, many randomized controlled trials and clinical research studies have produced promising results. In this article, the causes and incidence of LBP on global health care are reviewed. The importance of treatment by acupuncture is considered. The efforts to reveal the link between acupuncture points and anatomical features and the neurological mechanisms that lead to acupuncture-induced analgesic effect are reviewed.

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Section: Qi and Energy Fieldsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acupuncture and Neural Mechanism in the Management of Low Back Pain—An Update

et al. 2018

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“…To carry the information from one neuron to the next, neurotransmitters require energy in the form of ATP [208]. An action potential is also triggered by the stimulation of acupuncture needle insertion, which in turn affects the activities in the brain neuronal network [209]. Robert Becker, in his book, The Body Electric [210], hypothesizes that the acupuncture meridians are electrical conductors that send injury signals to the brain, which responds with the appropriate level of direct current to stimulate healing in the injured area.…”

Section: Energy and Informationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acupuncture – Basic Research and Clinical Application

Litscher¹

2018

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Acupuncture has been used for medical treatment for thousands of years. Using needles, electro acupuncture, moxibustion, or laser stimulation in combination with modern analytical biomedical techniques, it is possible to quantify the changes in biological activities caused by acupuncture. The bridging between Eastern and Western medicine has been successfully achieved using modern biomedical engineering technologies; the next task is to make the arising possibilities and results beneficial to all patients.

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