Acupuncture for Inflammation
Acupuncture has been used for treating a variety of inflammatory conditions for many centuries. Scientific research is now confirming and explaining the ways that acupuncture reduces inflammation in the body. These explanations continue to grow as more and more research is done.
Some of the easier ways to understand how acupuncture works include releasing muscle tightness, improving circulation, and activating opioid receptors that help reduce pain.
Some of the more complicated ways it works includes reducing inflammation, and activating various parts of the nervous system and brain which alter physiological processes in the body.
Inflammatory Conditions Acupuncture Can Help With
Acupuncture can help with a wide range of inflammatory conditions including acute inflammation from sports injuries, to autoimmune disorders, and chronic inflammatory conditions.
Some examples include:
Rheumatoid arthritis
Fibromyalgia
Crohn’s disease/ulcerative colitis
Acid reflux/GERD
Asthma/allergies
Thyroid disorders (Hashimoto’s/Graves)
The examples above are some of the more common conditions that acupuncturists treat and is not exhaustive.
Acupuncture points correspond with hypersensitive spots in the body
A 2017 report in Nature sought to figure out if acupuncture points corresponded with hypersensitive spots in the body that are caused by neurogenic inflammation. The study found that:
70% of neurogenic (hypersensitive) spots coincided with acupuncture point locations.
These neurogenic spots exhibited characteristics of acupuncture points, including higher electrical conductance than surrounding areas, and producing therapeutic effects through the body’s endogenous opioid system.
Using areas away from the neurogenic spots did not produce the same therapeutic effects,
Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-14359-z
Ways Acupuncture reduces inflammation
2013 Research shows that acupuncture can reduce inflammation via several physiological pathways.
One is the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which regulates the body’s response to stress via the release of cortisol and other hormones like glucocorticoids that play a role in inflammation.
Another is via the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system which activates neurotransmitters that affect the inflammatory process.
A third pathway is the antihistamine and cytokine process that occurs in allergic or autoimmune conditions.
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4396833/
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