Acupuncture MRI Shows Lasting Pain Relief

Acupuncture MRI Shows Lasting Pain Relief

Acupuncture induces lasting pain relief. Doctors using MRI neuroradiology scans captured images showing how acupuncture accomplishes enduring analgesia. The researchers state that the MRI images reveal that “acupuncture and pain mobilize overlapping brain regions and the same intrinsic networks.” They add that “acupuncture consists of specific brain activation–modulating patterns that outlast the needling.

The researchers note that “most acupuncture studies conclude that the acupuncture-induced decrease in pain perception consists of acupuncture specific brain activations….” The current study concurs with prior research findings. In this investigation, the team of doctors tested pain relief in humans induced by manual needling of acupuncture points LI4, LV3 and ST36.

The LI4 and LV3 acupuncture point combination is a classic Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) prescription for pain relief. Together, these acupuncture points are called Si Guan, roughly translated as the four gates or four bars. They are a set of four acupuncture points located bilaterally on the hands and feet. ST36, translated as leg three miles and located on the lower leg, is also indicated for the TCM function of activating the channels and alleviating pain.

The researchers note that sham acupuncture and true acupuncture are different. They cite “a recent individual meta-analysis based on data from 29 randomized clinical trials with a total of 17,922 patients reported clear differences between real acupuncture and sham procedures for several chronic pain conditions.” Published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the researchers conclude that acupuncture is effective for the treatment of chronic pain including neck and back pain, shoulder pain, osteoarthritis and headaches.

The new MRI findings demonstrate that the effective actions exerted by true acupuncture points are specific to certain brain networks. A great deal of research on the brain pathways and biochemical mechanisms relating to acupuncture treatments has been published within the last two years. One of the more intriguing studies demonstrates that a biochemical responsible for pain reduction is activated by acupuncture. 

The analgesic biochemical is a chemokine called CXCL10. Acupuncture stimulates its expression which, in turn, reduces pain and inflammation by activating natural opioids in the body. In general, chemokines attract white blood cells to sites of infection to assist in immune system responses. The chemokine CXCL10, when activated by electroacupuncture, triggers powerful anti-inflammatory responses. 

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