Auricular Acupuncture May Suppress Epileptic Seizures via Activating the Parasympathetic Nervous System: A Hypothesis Based on Innovative Methods

He, Wei; Rong, Pei; Li, Liang; Ben, Hui; Zhu, Bing; Litscher, Gerhard

doi:10.1155/2012/615476

Cited by 35 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Animal studies suggest that auricular acupuncture activates g-aminobutyric acid receptors, which reduces symptoms of morphine withdrawal, 16 and there is support for the hypothesis that opioid release stimulated by acupuncture helps to restore the release of dopamine. 17 In particular, auricular acupuncture potentially modifies autonomic dysfunction by increasing parasympathetic activity 18 and reduces sympathetic hyperactivity, 19 and stimulation of the liver 3 acupuncture point (LR 3; Tai Chong) activates several cortical and subcortical regions responsible for acute and chronic pain. 20 Recently, acupuncture treatment has been described as effective and safe in children 21 and newborns.…”

Section: What This Study Addsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Laser Acupuncture for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial

et al. 2015

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BACKGROUND: Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) is usually treated with opiate derivatives and supported with nonpharmacological treatment.METHODS: This prospective, randomized, controlled, blinded, single-center study was carried out between March 2009 and November 2014. Newborn infants diagnosed with NAS after maternal opioid substitution therapy were eligible for inclusion. Infants were randomly allocated to the acupuncture group (combining laser acupuncture and pharmacological therapy of morphine and phenobarbital) or control group (pharmacological therapy alone). Laser acupuncture was performed with a LABpen MED 10 (675 nm/10 mW) at 5 ear and 4 body acupuncture points, bilaterally, and sessions were repeated every day. The primary outcome measure was duration of oral morphine therapy for NAS. Secondary outcomes included highest single Finnegan score, time to highest single Finnegan score, maximum amount of oral morphine solution (in milliliters per kilogram and milligrams per kilogram), time to maximum amount of oral morphine solution, and length of hospital stay.RESULTS: Twenty-eight newborns (14 in each group) were eligible for analysis. Duration of oral morphine therapy was significantly reduced in the acupuncture group compared with the control group (28 vs 39 days, respectively, P = .019). In addition, we observed a significantly reduced length of hospital stay in the acupuncture group compared with the control group (35 days [interquartile range 25 to 47] vs 50 days [36 to 66], P = .048).CONCLUSIONS: Adjunctive laser acupuncture significantly reduced the duration of morphine therapy in newborns with NAS. WHAT'S KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT:The impact of neonatal abstinence syndrome is of concern because the number of newborns showing symptoms of withdrawal after intrauterine drug exposure is increasing worldwide. Newborns developing neonatal abstinence syndrome require prolonged medical treatment and longer hospital admission after birth. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS:This first randomized controlled trial presents data on newborns with neonatal abstinence syndrome treated with laser acupuncture. The findings suggest that adjuvant laser acupuncture has the potential to reduce duration of morphine therapy and length of hospital stay. Dr Raith conceptualized and designed the study, provided oversight for the research procedures and data acquisition, contributed to the interpretation of the data, wrote the first draft of the article, and revised the final manuscript; Dr Schmölzer made substantial contributions to the conceptualization of the study and performed data acquisition and interpretation of data; Drs Schmölzer, Resch, Reiterer, and Avian made substantial contributions to the design of the study; Drs Raith, Resch, Reiterer, Avian, Köstenberger, and Urlesberger reviewed the manuscript and made revisions; Drs Resch and Reiterer made substantial contributions to the randomization procedures and maintained and ensured the masking of personnel; Dr Avian performed statistical analysis and interpretation of dat...

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Section: What This Study Addsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Laser Acupuncture for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial

et al. 2015

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“…It is also found that the electrical stimulation of the ABVN is safe and well tolerated [38]. As a complementary method, it is also proposed that auricular acupuncture may suppress epileptic seizures via activating the parasympathetic nervous system [39–41]. …”

Section: Prevention and Treatment Of Diseases Via Vagal Regulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Auricular Acupuncture and Vagal Regulation

Wang

Shi

et al. 2012

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

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142

135

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Auricular acupuncture has been utilized in the treatment of diseases for thousands of years. Dr. Paul Nogier firstly originated the concept of an inverted fetus map on the external ear. In the present study, the relationship between the auricular acupuncture and the vagal regulation has been reviewed. It has been shown that auricular acupuncture plays a role in vagal activity of autonomic functions of cardiovascular, respiratory, and gastrointestinal systems. Mechanism studies suggested that afferent projections from especially the auricular branch of the vagus nerve (ABVN) to the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) form the anatomical basis for the vagal regulation of auricular acupuncture. Therefore, we proposed the “auriculovagal afferent pathway” (AVAP): both the autonomic and the central nervous system could be modified by auricular vagal stimulation via projections from the ABVN to the NTS. Auricular acupuncture is also proposed to prevent neurodegenerative diseases via vagal regulation. There is a controversy on the specificity and the efficacy of auricular acupoints for treating diseases. More clinical RCT trials on auricular acupuncture and experimental studies on the mechanism of auricular acupuncture should be further investigated.

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“…Some studies including ours have been investigating the Deqi components using the quantitative measurements [2, 9, 10]. Auricular TENS instead of penetrating has been widely used to treat various disorders like drug addiction, cigarette addiction, mood disorders, obesity, pain, and many other conditions in clinical practice by stimulating points on the ear [15, 16]. However, the characteristics of Deqi upon auricular TENS are unclear.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…TENS on auricular points has been widely used to treat various disorders, for example, epileptic seizures and depression [15, 16]. However, the Deqi sensations of TENS on auricular points remain an ongoing area of research.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

DeqiSensations of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation on Auricular Points

Wang

Fang

Qing

et al. 2013

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

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Deqi sensation, a psychophysical response characterized by a spectrum of different needling sensations, is essential for Chinese acupuncture clinical efficacy. Previous research works have investigated the component of Deqi response upon acupuncture on acupoints on the trunk and limbs. However, the characteristics of Deqi sensations of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on auricular points are seldom reported. In this study, we investigated the individual components of Deqi during TENS on auricular concha area and the superior scapha using quantitative measurements in the healthy subjects and depression patients. The most striking characteristics of Deqi sensations upon TENS on auricular points were tingling, numbness, and fullness. The frequencies of pressure, warmness, heaviness, and soreness were relatively lower. The dull pain and coolness are rare. The characteristics of Deqi were similar for the TENS on concha and on the superior scapha.

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Auricular Acupuncture May Suppress Epileptic Seizures via Activating the Parasympathetic Nervous System: A Hypothesis Based on Innovative Methods

Cited by 35 publications

References 46 publications

Laser Acupuncture for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Laser Acupuncture for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Auricular Acupuncture and Vagal Regulation

DeqiSensations of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation on Auricular Points

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