Acupuncture/Electroacupuncture as an Alternative in Current Opioid Crisis

Ali, Usman; Apryani, Evhy; Ahsan, Muhammad Zaeem; Shoaib, Rana Muhammad; Ahmad, Khalil; Wang, Yongxiang

doi:10.1007/s11655-019-3175-7

Cited by 22 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…Endogenous opioids have the same analgesic effect as synthetic opioid drugs but lack addictive properties [7]. Later, researchers found that electroacupuncture stimulation could release endogenous opioids [8] and that needle electrodes could be used to stimulate peripheral nociceptive afferent nerves [9], prompting the nervous system to secrete opioids that act on the μ-receptor for analgesia [10]. Since then, treatments using endogenous opioid theory for sustained analgesia, such as using laser [11], heat [12], and electrical stimulation [13] to induce endogenous opioids, have been developed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Simulation Study on Selective Stimulation of C-Fiber Nerves for Chronic Pain Relief

Yoshida

Tripanpitak

et al. 2020

IEEE Access

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It has been reported that stimulating nociceptive unmyelinated C nerves (C) near the sarcolemma could induce the secretion of endogenous opioids that relieve chronic pain. However, a substantial concern remains: concomitant stimulation might cause acute pain to nociceptive myelinated Aδ nerves (Aδ), which generally have a lower activation threshold than the C. However, few studies have reported on C selectivity over Aδ (C-selectivity). In this study, the C and Aδ nerves were modeled using the Hodgkin-Huxley (HH) and McIntyre-Richardson-Grill (MRG) models, respectively. Two potential stimulation schemes, including bipolar square waves and burst modulated alternating current, together with a new stimulation scheme named inhibit-Aδ (i-Aδ) that inhibits the excitability of the Aδ, were systematically investigated. Their stimuli were given to the C and Aδ nerves through point electrodes located near the nerve fibers. Simulation results revealed that i-Aδ presented the highest C-selectivity, which provides a basis for non-invasive effective chronic-pain relief.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Simulation Study on Selective Stimulation of C-Fiber Nerves for Chronic Pain Relief

Yoshida

Tripanpitak

et al. 2020

IEEE Access

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“…The results of this study showed that the patients in the observation group were better than those in the control group in pain severity, agitation and respiratory normalization time after surgery. It was analyzed that EA could stimulate the central nervous system to up-regulate the secretion of morphine-like neurotransmitters with endogenous analgesic effects, such as β -endorphin and at the same time, the signal from acupuncture points could inhibit the transmission of pain signals at nearby spinal stages to the central nervous system, thus increasing the pain threshold of the body ( 18 , 19 ). In addition, stimulant actions such as tracheal intubation and extubation performed on patients during the surgery will lead to the aggravation of stress response of the body and trigger agitation reaction.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect Observation of Electro-Acupuncture Anesthesia Combined with General Anesthesia in Elderly Patients Undergoing Gastrointestinal Tumor Resection

Zheng

Chen

2022

Front. Surg.

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ObjectiveTo investigate the anesthetic effect of electro-acupuncture (EA) anesthesia combined with general anesthesia in elderly patients undergoing gastrointestinal tumor resection, and to analyze the effects of EA anesthesia on inflammatory factors, stress state and T lymphocyte subsets in elderly patients.MethodsTotal of 118 elderly patients who underwent gastrointestinal tumor resection in our hospital from June 2018 to March 2021 were selected and divided into the control group (59 cases) and the observation group (59 cases) according to the random number method. General anesthesia was adopted in the control group and EA anesthesia combined with general anesthesia was adopted in the observation group. The anesthesia effect, stress state, levels of inflammatory factors, T-lymphocyte subsets and adverse reactions were compared.ResultsThe VAS score, agitation score and respiratory normalization time in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (p < 0.05). After surgery, the levels of serum Cor, ET, NE and DA in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (p < 0.05). At 24 h after surgery, the levels of serum TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (p < 0.05). At 24 h after surgery, the levels of CD3+, CD4+, and CD4+//CD8+ in the two groups were lower than those before surgery, and the levels of CD3+, CD4+, and CD4+//CD8+ in the observation group were higher than those in the control group (p < 0.05). During the hospitalization, the total incidence rate of adverse reactions after anesthesia in the observation group was lower than that in the control group (p < 0.05).ConclusionEA anesthesia combined with general anesthesia has good anesthesia effect when used for gastrointestinal tumor resection in the elderly. It can stabilize the internal environment of patients, alleviate postoperative stress response and inflammatory response, and regulate the body immune function. Moreover, it has high safety and can significantly reduce the occurrence of postoperative adverse reactions.

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“…Numerous animal and clinical trials have demonstrated that acupuncture is an excellent means of analgesia. EA stimulation can release endogenous opioid peptides for positive pain management [ 5 , 17 ]. Their receptors are similarly involved in pain mechanism modulation [ 62 ].…”

Section: Mechanism Of Neurotransmitters In Acupuncture Analgesiamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There are numerous methods to relieve pain. So far, the most effective drugs to relieve pain are opioids, and the most widely used drugs are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs); at the same time, addiction, drowsiness, and other side effects could not be ignored [ 5 , 6 ]. Abuse of painkillers may cause serious damage to brain function [ 7 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effective Oriental Magic for Analgesia: Acupuncture

Zhang

Shi

Deng

et al. 2022

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

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Pain is a kind of complex physiological and psychological symptom, which makes the person debilitated and uncomfortable. Some persistent pain is unbearable for the patients, reducing the quality of life and bringing considerable pressure to the individuals and society. Pain killers seem to be effective in analgesia for patients, but their safety and addiction are crucial issues. From the theory of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the blocked meridian is the main cause of pain, and effective acupuncture can play a positive analgesic effect. Acupuncture that can date back thousands of years is one of the ancient medical practices in China. Its safety and effectiveness are respected. Based on its superior safety and inferior side effects, it has been gradually recognized as a therapeutic intervention method for complementary medicine, which is also generally used to treat multiple pain diseases. It is shown by modern medical studies that neurotransmitters are the material basis for the acupuncture effect, and the effect of acupuncture analgesia is related to changes in neurotransmitters. However, the specific mechanism has not been elucidated. This review aims to comprehensively discuss the historical evolution of acupuncture analgesia, clinical research of acupuncture analgesia, comparison of acupuncture and drug therapy, the neurotransmitter mechanism of acupuncture analgesia, the effect of acupuncture manipulation on analgesia, and bibliometric analysis of acupuncture treatment for pain, to explore the superiority and related mechanism of acupuncture analgesia from different aspects, and to provide a more effective treatment for alleviating patients’ pain.

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Acupuncture/Electroacupuncture as an Alternative in Current Opioid Crisis

Cited by 22 publications

References 57 publications

A Simulation Study on Selective Stimulation of C-Fiber Nerves for Chronic Pain Relief

A Simulation Study on Selective Stimulation of C-Fiber Nerves for Chronic Pain Relief

Effect Observation of Electro-Acupuncture Anesthesia Combined with General Anesthesia in Elderly Patients Undergoing Gastrointestinal Tumor Resection

Effective Oriental Magic for Analgesia: Acupuncture

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