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Frontiers in Immunology 2023The system physiology approaches that emerge in western countries in recent years echo the holistic view of ancient Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practices that... (Review)
Review
The system physiology approaches that emerge in western countries in recent years echo the holistic view of ancient Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practices that deal with the root, rather than only the symptoms of diseases. Particularly, TCM practices, including acupuncture, emphasize the mobilization of self-healing mechanisms to bring back body homeostasis. Acupuncture has been practiced for over two thousand years to modulate body physiology stimulation at specific body regions (acupoints). With the development of various research on acupuncture therapy, its regulatory effect on the immune system has been gradually recognized, especially on immunological diseases, including infectious and allergic diseases. In this study, we reviewed the immunomodulatory mechanism of acupuncture and systematically integrates existing research to respectively elucidate the modulatory mechanisms of acupuncture on the innate immune system, adaptive immune system, and well-known neuroanatomical mechanisms, including intact somatosensory-autonomic reflex pathway. With the advances made in recent systems physiology studies, we now have a great opportunity to gain insight into how acupuncture modulates immunity, and subsequently improves its efficacy.
Topics: Humans; Acupuncture Therapy; Acupuncture; Medicine, Chinese Traditional; Acupuncture Points; Hypersensitivity
PubMed: 37090714
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1147718 -
Cells Mar 2022Mast cells are widely distributed in various parts of the human body and play a vital role in the progression of many diseases. Recently, the close relationship between... (Review)
Review
Mast cells are widely distributed in various parts of the human body and play a vital role in the progression of many diseases. Recently, the close relationship between mast cells and acupoints was elucidated, and the role of mast cells in acupuncture analgesia has attracted the attention of researchers worldwide. Using mast cells, acupuncture analgesia and acupoint as key words to search CNKI, PubMed, Web of Science and other databases, combining the representative articles in these databases with the published research papers of our group, we summarized: The enrichment of mast cells and the dense arrangement of collagen fibers, microvessels, and nerves form the basis for acupoints as the reaction sites of acupuncture; acupuncture can cause the deformation of collagen fibers and activate TRPV channels on mast cells membrane, so as to stimulate mast cells to release bioactive substances and activate nerve receptors to generate analgesic effect; system biology models are set up to explain the quantitative process of information initiation and transmission at acupuncture points, and indicate that the acupuncture effect depends on the local mast cells density. In a conclusion, this review will give a scientific explanation of acupuncture analgesia from the material basis of acupoints, the local initiation, and afferent biological mechanism.
Topics: Acupuncture Analgesia; Acupuncture Points; Acupuncture Therapy; Collagen; Humans; Mast Cells
PubMed: 35269483
DOI: 10.3390/cells11050860 -
Frontiers in Immunology 2021So far, a number of acupuncture studies have shown anti-inflammatory effects of acupuncture treatment, mostly known at specific point ST36. However, there is no... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
So far, a number of acupuncture studies have shown anti-inflammatory effects of acupuncture treatment, mostly known at specific point ST36. However, there is no literature that oversaw the inflammation-regulatory effects of acupuncture in each tissue. Therefore, we investigated how acupuncture at specific acupoint ST36 regulates inflammation and its underlying mechanisms. We searched literatures on PubMed until July 2021 using the keywords "animal, acupuncture, ST36, inflammation, immune," and 292 literatures were searched. We ultimately selected 69 studies to determine the anti-inflammatory actions of acupuncture at ST36 and classified the changes of inflammatory mediators according to target regions. Forty-three studies were included in body fluids, 27 studies in the digestive system, 17 studies in the nervous system, and 30 studies in other tissues or organs. In this review, we found that acupuncture at ST36 has clinical benefits in relieving inflammation through several mechanisms such as vagus nerve activation, toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/NF-κB signaling, macrophage polarization, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, and cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway. We expect that these data will inform further studies related to ST36 acupuncture on inflammation.
Topics: Acupuncture; Acupuncture Points; Acupuncture Therapy; Animals; Biomarkers; Disease Models, Animal; Gene Expression Regulation; Immunomodulation; Inflammation; Inflammation Mediators; Neuroimmunomodulation; Signal Transduction; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 35095910
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.813748 -
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine... Aug 2019To evaluate the effect of hand-ear acupuncture on chronic low-back pain (cLBP). (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effect of hand-ear acupuncture on chronic low-back pain (cLBP).
METHODS
This was an open, randomized and controlled trial in The General Hospital of Western Theater Command, Sichuan Province. The trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02260284. All the 152 participates with cLBP were randomly assigned to hand-ear acupuncture (n = 54), standard acupuncture (n = 50), or usual care groups (n = 48). Eighteen treatments were provided over 7 weeks. Back-related dysfunction and symptom severity were assessed by the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ) and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), which were collected at baseline, 2 months and 6 months post to the treatment.
RESULTS
At 6 months, the RMDQ scores improved by 7.74 points of hand-ear acupuncture group. Significant improvement of VAS and RMDQ was observed in hand-ear acupuncture group (P < 0.001), but no significant changes of RMDQ were observed in both standard acupuncture group and usual care group. We also observed an overall efficacy rate of 88.89% in hand-ear acupuncture group, as evaluated by Diagnosis and Curative Effect Standard for Symptom pattern of Traditional Chinese Medicine, which was much higher than 45.84% in the usual care group (H = 16.000, P < 0.001).
CONCLUSION
Both of the hand-ear acupuncture and standard acupuncture modes have beneficial and persistent effectiveness against cLBP compared with the usual care. Furthermore, hand-ear acupuncture is significantly more effective than the standardized acupuncture, especially in the long term.
Topics: Acupuncture Points; Acupuncture, Ear; Adolescent; Adult; Female; Humans; Low Back Pain; Male; Middle Aged; Treatment Outcome; Young Adult
PubMed: 32186108
DOI: No ID Found -
Nature Oct 2021Somatosensory autonomic reflexes allow electroacupuncture stimulation (ES) to modulate body physiology at distant sites (for example, suppressing severe systemic...
Somatosensory autonomic reflexes allow electroacupuncture stimulation (ES) to modulate body physiology at distant sites (for example, suppressing severe systemic inflammation). Since the 1970s, an emerging organizational rule about these reflexes has been the presence of body-region specificity. For example, ES at the hindlimb ST36 acupoint but not the abdominal ST25 acupoint can drive the vagal-adrenal anti-inflammatory axis in mice. The neuroanatomical basis of this somatotopic organization is, however, unknown. Here we show that PROKR2-marked sensory neurons, which innervate the deep hindlimb fascia (for example, the periosteum) but not abdominal fascia (for example, the peritoneum), are crucial for driving the vagal-adrenal axis. Low-intensity ES at the ST36 site in mice with ablated PROKR2-marked sensory neurons failed to activate hindbrain vagal efferent neurons or to drive catecholamine release from adrenal glands. As a result, ES no longer suppressed systemic inflammation induced by bacterial endotoxins. By contrast, spinal sympathetic reflexes evoked by high-intensity ES at both ST25 and ST36 sites were unaffected. We also show that optogenetic stimulation of PROKR2-marked nerve terminals through the ST36 site is sufficient to drive the vagal-adrenal axis but not sympathetic reflexes. Furthermore, the distribution patterns of PROKR2 nerve fibres can retrospectively predict body regions at which low-intensity ES will or will not effectively produce anti-inflammatory effects. Our studies provide a neuroanatomical basis for the selectivity and specificity of acupoints in driving specific autonomic pathways.
Topics: Acupuncture Points; Adrenal Glands; Animals; Autonomic Nervous System; Electroacupuncture; Hindlimb; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Transgenic; Reflex; Vagus Nerve
PubMed: 34646018
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-04001-4 -
Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian... Jun 2020Low back pain is a common condition that can be effectively treated by acupuncture. However, several treatment point prescriptions and further electrical needle... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
BACKGROUND
Low back pain is a common condition that can be effectively treated by acupuncture. However, several treatment point prescriptions and further electrical needle stimulation (i.e., local acupoints, distal acupoints, and sensitized acupoints) may be used. There is an implicit yet unexplored assumption about the evidence on manual and electrical stimulation techniques.
OBJECTIVE
The present study aims to identify effectiveness of electroacupuncture (EA) and manual acupuncture (MA) on pain and disability in patients with chronic nonspecific low back.
METHODS
This study is a randomized controlled clinical trial. Sixty-six patients between 20 and 60 years of age with non-specific chronic low back pain experiencing low back pain lasting for at least the previous three months and ≥3 points on a 10 numerical analogic scale. Patients diagnosed with chronic LBP were assigned to receive either 12 sessions of MA or EA. The primary outcomes measurements were pain intensity on Numeric Rating Scale and disability by Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire.
RESULTS
The participants reported improvements post-treatment to pain intensity and disability respectively; however, no differences between groups were observed. Regarding the secondary outcomes, we observed a between-group difference only for kinesiophobia in favor of the manual acupuncture group (difference = -4.1 points, 95% CI = -7.0 to -1.1). The results were maintained after 3 months of follow-up.
CONCLUSION
The study provides evidence that EA is not superior to MA treatment. Both therapies had similar efficacy in reducing pain and disability for chronic nonspecific low back pain.
Topics: Acupuncture Points; Adult; Electroacupuncture; Female; Humans; Low Back Pain; Male; Middle Aged; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 32224119
DOI: 10.1016/j.jams.2020.03.064 -
International Journal of Molecular... Aug 2021Diabetic neuropathy, a major complication of diabetes mellitus, refers to a collection of clinically diverse disorders affecting the nervous system that may present with... (Review)
Review
Diabetic neuropathy, a major complication of diabetes mellitus, refers to a collection of clinically diverse disorders affecting the nervous system that may present with pain. Although the number of patients suffering from severe neuropathy is increasing, no optimal treatment method has been developed yet. Acupuncture is well known for its ability to reduce various kinds of pain, and a number of studies have also reported its effect on diabetes mellitus; however, its effect and underlying mechanism against diabetic neuropathy are not yet clearly understood. In this review, ten and five studies performed in humans and animals, respectively, were analyzed. All studies reported that acupuncture significantly relieved diabetic neuropathy. ST36, BL13, BL20, SP6, and SP9 were the most widely used acupoints. Five studies used electro-acupuncture, whereas other studies used manual acupuncture. Furthermore, the effect of acupuncture was shown to be mediated through the various molecules present in the peripheral nerves and spinal cord, such as P65, GPR78, and TRPV1. Five studies reported side effects, such as swelling, numbness, and nausea, but none were reported to be serious. Based on these results, we suggest that acupuncture should be considered as a treatment option for diabetic neuropathy.
Topics: Acupuncture Analgesia; Acupuncture Points; Animals; Diabetic Neuropathies; Endoplasmic Reticulum Chaperone BiP; Humans
PubMed: 34445280
DOI: 10.3390/ijms22168575 -
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine... Oct 2020To evaluate the efficacy of scalp-acupuncture on subjects with hemiplegic paralysis of acute ischaemic stroke (AIS). (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the efficacy of scalp-acupuncture on subjects with hemiplegic paralysis of acute ischaemic stroke (AIS).
METHODS
One hundred and twenty patients with hemiplegic paralysis of 1 to 7 d post stroke, aged 40 to 75 years, were randomly allocated to receive either standard care (control group) or standard care plus 30 min of scalp-acupuncture applied to the bilateral anterior oblique line of the vertex-temporal (MS6) for 14 d (6 d/week) (trial group). The outcome measures included the National Institutes of Health Stroke scale (NIHSS) for neurological deficits, the Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA) for limb impairment, and Barthel index (BI) for activities of daily living before and after intervention. The manual muscle test (MMT) was assessed at pre-intervention, at the first post-intervention immediately, and at the 14th day after intervention commencement. Measurements were recorded by a blinded investigator at different time points after initiating the intervention.
RESULTS
The trial group had a greater increase in MMT (P < 0.05), FMA, and BI scores (P < 0.01), and a greater decrease in NIHSS scores (P < 0.01) from pre-intervention to post-intervention, and the control group had a greater increase in MMT scores (P < 0.05), and a greater decrease in NIHSS scores(P < 0.01) from pre-intervention to post-intervention. The improvement in MMT (P < 0.01), FMA, BI (P < 0.05), and NIHSS (P < 0.01) scores in the trial group was superior to that of the control group. Meanwhile, scalp-acupuncture intervention had an immediate effect on myodynamia of patients with hemiplegic paralysis after acute ischaemic stroke in this randomized controlled trial.
CONCLUSION
The early scalp-acupuncture intervention after stroke effectively increased myodynamia of the affected limbs, improved neurological deficit degrees, and daily living ability.
Topics: Acupuncture Points; Acupuncture Therapy; Adult; Aged; Brain Ischemia; Female; Hemiplegia; Humans; Ischemic Stroke; Male; Middle Aged; Scalp; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 33000586
DOI: 10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.2020.05.015 -
Journal of Oral Science Oct 2021The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of laser acupuncture and intravascular laser irradiation of blood (ILIB) for managing anxiety in pediatric... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of laser acupuncture and intravascular laser irradiation of blood (ILIB) for managing anxiety in pediatric dentistry. Eighty-four children recruited at a university dental clinic were randomly assigned to three groups: the Sham group (n = 27) underwent sham laser irradiation of three acupuncture points, the ILIB group (n = 25) underwent 10 min of ILIB, and the laser acupuncture group (LAC, n = 32) underwent 40 s of laser acupuncture over points VG20 (Baihui), PC6 (Neiguan), and the Oppression Point. The results suggest that ILIB and laser acupuncture are feasible alternatives for managing dental anxiety in children.
Topics: Acupuncture Points; Acupuncture Therapy; Child; Dental Anxiety; Humans; Lasers
PubMed: 34408110
DOI: 10.2334/josnusd.21-0025 -
Frontiers in Endocrinology 2021The goal of this study was to systematically summarize and categorize the syndrome differentiation, medication rules, and acupoint therapy in the domestic traditional... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
The goal of this study was to systematically summarize and categorize the syndrome differentiation, medication rules, and acupoint therapy in the domestic traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) literature on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), such that guidelines and new insights can be provided for future practitioners and researchers.
METHODS
Taking randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the treatment of T2DM in TCM as the research theme, we searched for full-text literature in three major clinical databases, including CNKI, Wan Fang, and VIP, published between 1990 and 2020. We then conducted frequency statistics, cluster analysis, association rules extraction, and topic modeling based on a corpus of medical academic words extracted from 3,654 research articles.
RESULTS
The TCM syndrome types, subjective symptoms, objective indicators, Chinese herbal medicine, acupuncture points, and TCM prescriptions for T2DM were compiled based on invigorating the kidney and , nourishing , and strengthening the spleen. Most TCM syndrome differentiation for T2DM was identified as "" (the lesion in the spleen and stomach) and "" (the lesion in the kidney) deficiency syndromes, and most medications and acupoint therapies were focused on the "Spleen Channel" and "Kidney Channel." However, stagnation of liver was mentioned less when compared with other syndromes, which did not have symptomatic medicines.
CONCLUSION
This study provides an in-depth perspective for the TCM syndrome differentiation, medication rules, and acupoint therapy for T2DM and provides practitioners and researchers with valuable information about the current status and frontier trends of TCM research on T2DM in terms of both diagnosis and treatment.
Topics: Acupuncture Points; Acupuncture Therapy; China; Data Mining; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Diagnosis, Differential; Drugs, Chinese Herbal; Humans; Medicine, Chinese Traditional; Practice Patterns, Physicians'; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Syndrome
PubMed: 35002950
DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2021.728032