In the journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, they looked at the medical literature to try to find out how acupuncture helps people with chronic pain. They found that there are several possible mechanisms that include stimulating the body to produce endorphins and reduce inflammation. They said that in clinical settings, acupuncture can be used to treat headache, neuropathic pain, low back pain, osteoarthritis, and irritable bowel syndrome. ~ Dr. Broussard
Acupuncture-Analgesia-Mediated Alleviation of Central Sensitization
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2019 Mar 7;2019:6173412. doi: 10.1155/2019/6173412. eCollection 2019.
Lai HC
Abstract
Pain can trigger central amplification called central sensitization, which ultimately results in hyperalgesia and/or allodynia. Many reports have showed acupuncture has an analgesic effect. We searched the related article on PubMed database and Cochrane database to discover central sensitization pathway in acupuncture analgesia. We summarized that acupuncture enhances the descending inhibitory effect and modulates the feeling of pain, thus modifying central sensitization. The possible mechanisms underlying the analgesic effects of acupuncture include segmental inhibition and the activation of the endogenous opioid, adrenergic, 5-hydroxytryptamine, and N-methyl-D-aspartic acid, α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid/kainate pathways. Moreover, acupuncture can locally reduce the levels of inflammatory mediators. In clinical settings, acupuncture can be used to treat headache, neuropathic pain, low back pain, osteoarthritis, and irritable bowel syndrome. These mechanisms of acupuncture analgesia may be involved in the alleviation of central sensitization.
PMID: 30984277 PMCID: PMC6431485 DOI: 10.1155/2019/6173412