Accupuncture Clinic, Dublin Ohio

Acupuncture Treatment for Pain Management

Acupuncture Treatment is a therapeutic procedure that involves the insertion of small gauge needles into the acupoints and pain points. Acupuncture treatment was founded approximately 5,000 years ago by the Chinese for nearly every type of disease from dysentery to epilepsy. Acupuncture Treatment is now being practiced among western physicians and is gaining immense popularity as an alternative method of pain management.  There are approximately 50 accredited acupuncture treatment colleges in the United States for certification in acupuncture treatment. Many major medical schools such as the University of California, Los Angeles, Harvard Medical College, Columbia University and others are now teaching their students alternative/complementary medicine. We follow this ancient treatment metbod along with recent advances at our Accupuncture Clinic, Dublin Ohio.

Advances in our knowledge of acupuncture treatment as an analgesic has occurred over the last 25 years. Two mechanisms have emerged; neurophysiologic and neuropharmacologic treatment mechanisms. The neurophysiologic mechanisms for acupuncture analgesia appear to involve the sensory receptors at the acupoints. These receptors and their groups, small myelinated muscle afferent fibers are involved in transmitting this analgesic affect. The DeQi response (needling sensation) from acupuncture is transmitted along the spinal cord and then into the brain pain centers. The reticular formation appears to play a major role in the analgesic effect evoked at the distal acupoints in humans. Noxious stimuli can be blocked by acupuncture at appropriate acupoints from blocking the pain generation to the sensory cortex of the brain. This analgesic effect may last several days or could be long lasting and appears to be cumulative. We practice both kinds of treatment at our Accupuncture Clinic, Dublin Ohio.

The neumpharmacological mechanism of acupuncture treatment was first discovered in the early 1970's where the mechanisms of acupuncture have two systems, the opiate and the non opiate. The opiate system, Pomerance et al reported three important observations regarding involvement of the opiate system and acupuncture analgesia: I ) analgesia not be produced from Sham acupuncture, 2) analgesic effect could be eliminated by the ablation of pituitary gland and 3) acupuncture analgesia could be eliminated by Naloxone which is an antagonist to morphine or any other morphine.

Through these extensive studies it is now known that acupuncture treatment involves the release of endorphins which are morphine like neurotransmitters and are
neurohormones that are in our brain to promote analgesia. The analgesic potency of acupuncture can be enhanced by the degradation of amines, phenylalanines, secretion or by the inhibition of endorphins. Further studies showed that the low frequency, high intensity electro acupuncture tends to result in a slow onset, long lasting and cumulative analgesia. The non opiate system also seems to play an important role in acupuncture analgesia. It has been found that acupuncture stimulates the serotonin, acetylcholine, tryptophan, norepinephrine, calcium and magnesiumions, glutamine and the GABA system which are all very neurotransmitters and ions that are involved in pain. Opiate and non opiate systems often interact with each other. The non opiate (serotoninergic system) is activated by a low intensity high frequency electro acupuncture and by acupuncture at local acupoints. This system tends to induce a rapid onset, short lasting and non cumulative analgesia whereas the high intensity low frequency electro acupuncture seems to induce a slower onset, long acting and cumulative effect.

It has been shown recently through research at Mass General Hospital in conjunction with Logan College of Chiropractic through high intensity PET scanning that certain acupuncture points when stimulated affects stimulating area that is being treated.