Fear of Acupuncture Enhances Sympathetic Activation to Acupuncture Stimulation

Ahn²,

et al. 2022

J Pharmacopuncture

Objectives: The Korean Industrial Standard (KS) for sterile acupuncture needles was established in 2009 based on research on the quality control of acupuncture needles. We aimed to determine the quality of acupuncture needles available in South Korea in 2021 by examining their surface condition and chemical composition using field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Methods: In South Korea, there are 23 brands of acupuncture needles, and we examined 10-15 needles from each brand, resulting in a total of 285 needles. The microstructures of the needles were assessed by SEM. Using SEM images, we evaluated the acupuncture needle tips for the following defects/aspects: scratches, lumps, detached coating, bent tip, and tip sharpness. EDS was used to determine the chemical composition of the selected acupuncture needles. Results: Overall, 88.4% of 285 needles were found to have at least one type of abnormality. The most frequently observed abnormalities were scratches and dents on the surface (68.1%), followed by detached coating (63.2%), and lumps (61.8%); blunt tips were observed in about 24% of them. Of 252 needles with at least one defect, 86.9% had two or more types of defects. The ratio of the number of needles with any defect to that of needles without any defect varied among brands, ranging from 50% to 100%. Regarding foreign materials, higher proportions of Si and O were observed on the needles, indicating incomplete or detached silicone coating. Conclusion:The quality of acupuncture needles varied among brands, suggesting that further improvements can be made through various inspection methods.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphological and Chemical Analysis of Various Disposable Acupuncture Needles Used in South Korea

Ahn²,

et al. 2022

J Pharmacopuncture

“…Acupuncture is a procedure that consists of penetrating the skin with a needle, which can stimulate the primary nociceptor and induce pain. Lee et al [ 70 ] performed a study to investigate the effects of acupuncture stimulation on ANS and its relationship with the fear of acupuncture. They found that skin conductance significantly increased after acupuncture stimulation and the fear of acupuncture-induced pain was associated with an enhanced physiological response.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Immediate Effects of Dry Needling on the Autonomic Nervous System and Mechanical Hyperalgesia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Lázaro-Navas

Lorenzo-Sánchez-Aguilera

Pecos‐Martín

et al. 2021

IJERPH

Background: Dry needling (DN) is often used for the treatment of muscle pain among physiotherapists. However, little is known about the mechanisms of action by which its effects are generated. The aim of this randomized controlled trial was to determine if the use of DN in healthy subjects activates the sympathetic nervous system, thus resulting in a decrease in pain caused by stress. Methods: Sixty-five healthy volunteer subjects were recruited from the University of Alcala, Madrid, Spain, with an age of 27.78 (SD = 8.41) years. The participants were randomly assigned to participate in a group with deep DN in the adductor pollicis muscle or a placebo needling group. The autonomic nervous system was evaluated, in addition to local and remote mechanical hyperalgesia. Results: In a comparison of the moment at which the needling intervention was carried out with the baseline, the heart rate of the dry needling group significantly increased by 20.60% (SE = 2.88), whereas that of the placebo group increased by 5.33% (SE = 2.32) (p = 0.001, d = 1.02). The pressure pain threshold showed significant differences between both groups, being significantly higher in the needling group (adductor muscle p = 0.001; d = 0.85; anterior tibialis muscle p = 0.022, d = 0.58). Conclusions: This work appears to indicate that dry needling produces an immediate activation in the sympathetic nervous system, improving local and distant mechanical hyperalgesia.

“…The Fear of Dental Pain and Fear of Acupuncture questionnaires were developed to examine the roles of fear and pain in clinical settings [37,38]. Our previous study demonstrated that participants who were more fearful of acupuncture-induced pain showed enhanced physiological arousal to the physical stimulation of acupuncture, as measured by skin conductance [39]. Consistent with this finding, the current study showed that participants with a greater fear of pain had more unpleasant feelings and greater arousal in response to images of cupping therapy than those with less fear of pain.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cognitive and Emotional Aspects of Cupping Therapy

et al. 2020

Self Cite

Cupping therapy has recently gained public attention and is widely used in many regions. Some patients are resistant to being treated with cupping therapy, as visually unpleasant marks on the skin may elicit negative reactions. This study aimed to identify the cognitive and emotional components of cupping therapy. Twenty-five healthy volunteers were presented with emotionally evocative visual stimuli representing fear, disgust, happiness, neutral emotion, and cupping, along with control images. Participants evaluated the valence and arousal level of each stimulus. Before the experiment, they completed the Fear of Pain Questionnaire-III. In two-dimensional affective space, emotional arousal increases as hedonic valence ratings become increasingly pleasant or unpleasant. Cupping therapy images were more unpleasant and more arousing than the control images. Cluster analysis showed that the response to cupping therapy images had emotional characteristics similar to those for fear images. Individuals with a greater fear of pain rated cupping therapy images as more unpleasant and more arousing. Psychophysical analysis showed that individuals experienced unpleasant and aroused emotional states in response to the cupping therapy images. Our findings suggest that cupping therapy might be associated with unpleasant-defensive motivation and motivational activation. Determining the emotional components of cupping therapy would help clinicians and researchers to understand the intrinsic effects of cupping therapy.