Neurochemical Basis of Acupuncture Analgesia

Han, Ji-Sheng; Terenius, Lars

doi:10.1146/annurev.pa.22.040182.001205

Cited by 547 publications

(246 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…40 Mood. By increasing the release of neurotransmitters, [44][45][46] acupuncture may improve mood, which, in turn, might lead to improved regulation of food intake. Alternatively, acupuncture may suppress appetite by endorphin-induced decreases in stress and depression.…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

Acupuncture for the treatment of obesity: a review of the evidence

2003

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Although acupuncture is being utilized to treat a variety of important health problems, its usefulness in obesity management has not yet been fully evaluated. The aim of this review paper was to survey and critically evaluate the descriptive and controlled trials of acupuncture for enhancing weight loss. The underlying principles of acupoint stimulation are described, with an emphasis on auricular (ear) acupuncture, the method most often chosen for obesity studies. The difficulties of selecting suitable placebo controls are highlighted. To date, most trials have been descriptive in nature, of short duration (r12 weeks), and designed using nonstandard treatment protocols. Despite the unique challenges involved, further careful study of acupuncture's potential usefulness as an adjunct in weight management is recommended. An agenda for future research in this area is provided.

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Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

Acupuncture for the treatment of obesity: a review of the evidence

2003

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“…The endogenous opioid system has received much attention as the key underlying mechanism of acupuncture analgesia (Han and Terenius 1982;He 1987;Han 1993;Mayer 2000), ever since it was first demonstrated that the analgesic effect of acupuncture could be reversed by naloxone, an opioid antagonist (Pomeranz and Chiu 1976;Mayer et al 1977). However, under certain circumstances, opioid antagonists have failed to reverse acupuncture-induced effects in rabbits (McLennan et al 1977), in rats (Das et al 1984;Bossut et al 1991;Kwon et al 2001;Koo et al 2002), and in humans (Chapman et al 1980;Chapman et al 1983).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The contradictory findings on the actions of naloxone on the effects of acupuncture suggest that multiple biological mechanisms are involved and that different conditions may trigger different mechanisms. In fact, besides endogenous opioids, monoaminergic neurotransmitters may play an additional role in acupuncture analgesia (Cheng and Pomeranz 1981;Han and Terenius 1982;Takeshige et al 1992;Mayer 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electroacupuncture-induced analgesia in a rat model of ankle sprain pain is mediated by spinal α-adrenoceptors

Koo

Lim

Chung

et al. 2008

Pain

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In a previous study, we showed that electroacupuncture (EA) applied to the SI-6 point on the contralateral forelimb produces long-lasting and powerful analgesia in pain caused by ankle sprain in a rat model. To investigate the underlying mechanism of EA analgesia, the present study tested the effects of various antagonists to known endogenous analgesic systems in this model. Ankle sprain was induced in anesthetized rats by overextending their right ankle with repeated forceful plantar flexion and inversion of the foot. When rats developed pain behaviors (a reduction in weight bearing of the affected hind limb), EA was applied to the SI-6 point on the contralateral forelimb for 30 minutes under halothane anesthesia. EA significantly improved the weight-bearing capacity of the affected hind limb for 2 hours, suggesting an analgesic effect. The alpha-adrenoceptor antagonist phentolamine (2 mg/kg, i.p. or 30 μg, i.t.) completely blocked the EA-induced analgesia, whereas naloxone (1 mg/kg, i.p.) and failed to block the effect. These results suggest that EA-induced analgesia is mediated by alpha-adrenoceptor mechanisms. Further experiments showed that intrathecal administration of yohimbine (10 μg), an α 2 -adrenergic antagonist, reduced the EAinduced analgesia in a dose-dependent manner, whereas terazosin (10 μg), an α 1 -adrenergic antagonist, did not produce any effect. These data suggest that the analgesic effect of EA in ankle sprain pain is, at least in part, mediated by spinal α 2 -adrenoceptor mechanisms.

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“…Recent studies have shown that low frequency (1-2 Hz) electrical stimulation by using skin electrodes releases endorphins while high frequency (50-100 Hz) stimulation does not (Andersson et al 1984, Han andTerenius 1982). It is therefore possible that muscle contractions, which already are of low frequency, can decrease the pain sensitivity.…”

Section: Pain Mechanismsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Industrial seating and spinal loading

Eklund

1988

Clinical Biomechanics

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Neurochemical Basis of Acupuncture Analgesia

Cited by 547 publications

References 68 publications

Acupuncture for the treatment of obesity: a review of the evidence

Acupuncture for the treatment of obesity: a review of the evidence

Electroacupuncture-induced analgesia in a rat model of ankle sprain pain is mediated by spinal α-adrenoceptors

Industrial seating and spinal loading

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