Acupuncture May Work Like Drugs To Relieve Stress
It might be more than just placebo
after all
The thought of having needles
inserted into your body may sound stressful. But to those who regularly receive
acupuncture treatments, it’s quite relaxing, though scientists haven’t really
been sure why. Now researchers from Georgetown University have found that
needles placed at just the right parts of the body interrupt the transmission
of stress hormones—the most robust evidence yet to indicate that acupuncture’s
positive effects go beyond just placebo.
“The benefits of acupuncture are
well known by those who use it, but such proof is anecdotal. This research, the
culmination of a number of studies, demonstrates how acupuncture might work in
the human body to reduce stress and pain, and, potentially, depression,” said study
author Ladan Eshkevari in a press release.
In the study, published recently in the journal Endocrinology,
the researchers tested the effects of electroacupuncture, in which the needles
carry a mild electric current, on stressed-out rats. They were targeting the
stomach meridian point 36, which is located on the shin in humans, or behind
the hind paw in rats. It’s considered in acupuncture to be one of the most
powerful points on the body because it influences a pathway for chronic stress
pathway called the hypothalamus pituitary adrenal axis.
When the researchers inserted
needles at this point on rats that were stressed from cold, their stress
hormone levels were much lower compared to those who did not receive the
acupuncture treatment. Many drugs used to treat anxiety and depression tap into
the same systems of hormones, bolstering the legitimacy of the findings.
If acupuncture works the same way in
humans as it does in rats, it would be a promising alternative to medication;
acupuncture may have fewer side effects and wouldn’t require so much tinkering
with dosage. The researchers hope to test the mechanism in humans in future
studies.
The source is popular science.
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