• Scientists Get Closer To Solving Mystery Of Acupuncture With Use Of Rats

  • Acupuncture Lab Rat ExperimentA study claims to have found the strongest evidence thus far that acupuncture has some effectiveness in treating chronic stress. While acupuncture has been practiced for over 2,000 years, its benefits are well known, but only anecdotally. Using hair-thin flexible needles, acupuncture traditionally works by unblocking the energy paths, or meridians within the body to help achieve balance in the body. Acupuncture has yet to be explained through scientific methods and measures. But scientists now claim to be a step closer to a scientific explanation.

    Chronic Pain And Stress Appear To Be Helped

    The study used electroacupuncture, a method of acupuncture therapy where a mild electric current is passed between two acupuncture needles, on rats. Needles were inserted in the rats at the stomach meridian point 36 (St36), a specific and powerful acupuncture point that is linked to digestion, and other ailments. Through the study, scientists determined that activity in the hormonal pathway HPA, the hypothalamus pituitary adrenal axis, that is linked to chronic pain, stress, the immune system, and emotions was actually muted by electroacupuncture stimulation. Reducing HPA using acupuncture dropped the production of stress hormones that were secreted by the pathway involved in chronic stress response.

    Depression and Anxiety Also Connected to Acupuncture Point

    Analyses performed on behavioral and proteins indicated that the use of acupuncture seemed to prevent the stress-induced release of hormones. Additionally, use of acupuncture appeared to decrease depression and anxiety behaviors in the rats. This is the first research that has linked electroacupuncture at the St36 point to chronic stress-induced depression and anxiety in animals.

    There Is More Work Yet To Be Done

    These findings are the strongest evidence thus far that acupuncture has more than just a placebo effect when it is used to treat chronic stress. This work now lays the framework for future clinical studies on the benefits of acupuncture before or during chronic stressful events, according to the study’s lead investigator, Ladan Eshkevari, an associate professor at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington DC.

    Acupuncture In The Detroit Area

    Did you know that in addition to the many common ailments that acupuncture can improve such as headaches and chronic pain, various emotional states and moods can be aided with acupuncture treatments. The acupuncturists at Metro Detroit Acupuncture rely on their diverse backgrounds in Oriental medicine along with modern medicine to properly diagnose and treat many various conditions. Call us today at 248-432-2846 to join our many acupuncture patients who experience the highest level of proven scientific acupuncture in the Detroit area.