Acupuncture Mechanisms

This article examines whether there is evidence to support the idea that acupuncture channels have an anatomical
reality as fascia or connective tissue planes. An examination of what is meant by ‘acupuncture channel’ and to
what the terms ‘fascia’ and ‘connective tissue plane’ refer is followed by an analysis of evidence published over the
last ten years; the article concludes with a summary of what can be said to be proven, and the implications of such
proof for acupuncture research and practice. The paper finds that there is little good quality conclusive evidence
available; what little there is, however, is compelling and suggests that there is much more to find out - information
that could potentially explain more about acupuncture’s physiological mechanisms. Two case studies are included
to illustrate how knowledge of connective tissue planes can be integrated into acupuncture practice.

Acupuncture in a wider meaning like TCM is one of the not so conventional healing methods, which is currently scientifically the best-analyzed field. In European union it is officially accepted and its usage is in a different extent regulated. It is officially used in 122 world countries. (Picture. 1-2)³⁵ Basic research already today provides convincing data about the existence of acupunctural points. To some extent functions of neurotransmitters are clarified, currently approximately 40 of those that play a role in by acupuncture caused effect are identified. For years it's been known that stimulation of individual peripheral acupunctural points causes activation and deactivation of specific parts of brain³⁶. Despite that, there are still a lot of unknown questions regarding clinical effects of acupuncture. It is caused by a small amount of well-controlled, randomized, double blind experiments in this field³⁷, but Conceptual barriers are appearing. Acupuncture is hard to formulate, individual healing form, which is hard to apply on chosen groups of uniformed healing processes. Still, it is internationally known and people are in an increased amount demanding its application. Health care providers in the EU are also showing interest in this topic. Basic prerequisite for accurate usage and its effective application are rooted in regularity, education and more education on an accurate level, which for tens of years have been done by universities. Only continuing support for such education and continuing increase of the quality is the right path in accomplishing of quality education (for this purpose a good quality basis is given by the foundation

O projeto interdisciplinar comunitário é uma ideia social e emergente de pensar em práticas de ações sociais em processo acadêmico, onde há a junção de cursos diversos, promovendo a relação universidade-sociedade, visando a melhoria da qualidade de vida, econômica e social de um público alvo, tendo como objetivo prestar assistência através de uma união com núcleos de convivência para idosos.

Neste projeto comunitário será utilizado uma técnica chinesa denominada Auriculoterapia, uma área dentro da acupuntura que utiliza o pavilhão auricular, local onde possui pontos estratégicos correspondentes aos órgãos. Quando estes pontos são estimulados, com a utilização de sementes de mostarda, o cérebro recebe um impulso e reage promovendo o alívio da dor nos locais de origem com base na reflexologia. A auriculoterapia tem vantagens em relação a acupuntura por não ter uma taxa de efeitos colaterais muito baixa, sem contar a rápida e fácil aplicação e manipulação simples. Além da auriculoterapia utilizaremos uma outra técnica denominada Acupressão, uma técnica de cura muito antiga na China, dividida entre Do-In, onde a própria pessoa se aplica ou Shiatsu, quando a técnica é aplicada por terceiros. Esta técnica tem como princípio o alívio de diversas condições de saúde.

This review article presents the evidence that the anti-inflammatory actions of acupuncture are mediated via the reflexive central inhibition of the innate immune system. Both laboratory and clinical evidence have recently shown the existence of a negative feedback loop between the auto-nomic nervous system and the innate immunity. There is also experimental evidence that the electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve inhibits macrophage activation and the production of TNF, IL-1β β, IL-6, IL-18, and other proinflammatory cytokines. It is therefore conceivable that along with hypnosis , meditation, prayer, guided imagery, biofeedback, and the placebo effect, the systemic anti-inflammatory actions of traditional and electro-acupuncture are directly or indirectly mediated by the efferent vagus nerve activation and inflammatory macrophage deactivation. In view of this common physiological mediation, assessing the clinical efficacy of a specific acupuncture regimen using conventional double-blind placebo-controlled trials inherently lacks objectivity due to (1) the uncertainty of ancient rules for needle placement, (2) the diffuse noxious inhibitory control triggered by control-needling at irrelevant points, (3) the possibility of a dose-response relationship between stimulation and effects, and (4) the possibility of inadequate blinding using an inert sham procedure. A more objective assessment of its efficacy could perhaps consist of measuring its effects on the surrogate markers of autonomic tone and inflammation. The use of acupuncture as an adjunct therapy to conventional medical treatment for a number of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases seems plausible and should be validated by confirming its cholinergicity.

This review article presents the evidence that the anti-inflammatory actions of acupuncture are mediated via the reflexive central inhibition of the innate immune system. Both laboratory and clinical evidence have recently shown the existence of a negative feedback loop between the auto-nomic nervous system and the innate immunity. There is also experimental evidence that the electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve inhibits macrophage activation and the produc-tion of TNF, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-18, and other proinflammatory cytokines. It is therefore conceivable that along with hypno-sis, meditation, prayer, guided imagery, biofeedback, and the placebo effect, the systemic anti-inflammatory actions of traditional and electro-acupuncture are directly or indi-rectly mediated by the efferent vagus nerve activation and inflammatory macrophage deactivation. In view of this common physiological mediation, assessing the clinical effi-cacy of a specific acupuncture regimen using conventional do...

Cet ouvrage rappelle et explicite les fondements du système énergétique indien qui est le fondement théorique d'anciens systèmes thérapeutiques tels que le Yoga et la Médecine Ayur-Védique. Il tente ensuite d'établir un lien avec l'approche théorique de l'acupuncture traditionnelle chinoise. Enfin il lance des pistes de discussion sur ce que pourrait être le fondement d'une énergétique moderne au delà des divergences doctrinales des systèmes indien et chinois qui sont encore à la base de toutes les approches contemporaines tant en orient qu'en occident.
Le livre : Chez Amazon, Kindle ou broché, 53 pages.

Context: Pain processing implicates multiple concurrent mechanisms of nociceptive transmission and modulation. Electroacupuncture (EA) analgesia involves mainly the activation of the endogenous anti-nociceptive systems that modulate pain transmission in addition to the regulation of glial activity and inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the spinal cord. Aims: To examine the potential anti-hyperalgesic effects the EA and the combination EA-ketamine in patients with post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN). Methods: Sixty-eight patients with PHN irritable nociceptor type were randomly allocated to 3 groups: group I (n=26), that received treatment with EA (10 Hz, 2-3 mA, 0.5 ms, 20 min/15 sessions) alone, group II (n=21) with a combination EA-ketamine (0.25-0.5 mg/kg, i.m.) or group III (n=21) with sham EA-ketamine for 15 days. The average daily pain score (ADPS) using the Likert scale, area and rate of dynamic allodynia, the rate of thermal allodynia, and frequency of intermittent lancinating pain were evaluated during five visits – before treatment and at 15, 30, 60, 90 days. Results: ADPS and sensory abnormalities decreased significantly concerning baseline data at 90 days in the three groups, but patients treated with the combination EA-ketamine significantly improved compared with the other groups. Conclusions: These results suggest that the combination EA-ketamine shows an early and long-term anti-hyperalgesic effect in PHN patients. However, a controlled clinical trial is necessary to confirm this hypothesis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) involve a set of craniofacial changes, which may involve temporomandibular joint (TMJ), jaw muscles and/or associated structures. Muscle TMD is the most frequent, and one of its subtypes is myofascial pain. Botulinum toxin type A (BoNT A), has been studied to control pain, including myofascial pain, and is related to pain relief mechanisms not only in neuromuscular junction receptors. This study aimed at evaluating articles addressing BoNT A to treat jaw muscles myofascial pain. CONTENTS: Pubmed, LILACS and BVS databases were queried from 2000 to April 2012, crossing the following keywords: botulinum toxin type A, myofascial pain syndromes, facial pain, temporomandibular joint disorder syndrome, trigger-points, bruxism, temporomandibular joint, masseter muscle and temporalis muscle. Inclusion criteria were randomized double blind or blind studies, with 10 or more participants, with randomized methodological aspects, relati...

This platform will discuss the conditions of effectiveness of Chinese Medicine from within the framework of the culturally determined strategies, methods and ontological presuppositions of Chinese culture.

Thus, the guiding assumption for our discussion is that Chinese Medicine is a different medicine than Western medicine, yet not of lesser scientific value.
For methodological reasons we will focus solely on Acupuncture.
Acupuncture is a medical approach distilled from the vaster system of Chinese medicine whose practice is most relatable to the practices  of contemporary Western medicine.

The question is why does acupuncture work when it does, and why not when it doesn’t.

It is emphatically not the idea to merely repeat the findings of  the evidence-based medicine. Rather we want to discuss the causal basis of these findings in way that transcends the often restrictive boundaries of individual scientific disciplines and cultures.

Keep in mind just as well for Western medicine, we do not always know why certain treatments are successful or why not.

It is of special interest to understand, - if that is possible, -  what happens on the biological level when a needle is placed.

Our discussion should, of course, integrate and consolidate the research that is already available on our question.