Ulett G A, Han S, Han J S
University of Missouri-Columbia, School of Medicine, St. Louis 63139, USA.
Biol Psychiatry. 1998 Jul 15;44(2):129-38. doi: 10.1016/s0006-3223(97)00394-6.
Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese method to treat diseases and relieve pain. We have conducted a series of studies to examine the mechanisms of this ancient method for pain relief. This article reviews some of our major findings. Our studies showed that acupuncture produces analgesic effect and that electroacupuncture (EA) is more effective than manual acupuncture. Furthermore, electrical stimulation via skin patch electrodes is as effective as EA. The induction and recovering profiles of acupuncture analgesia suggest the involvement of humoral factors. This notion was supported by cross-perfusion experiments in which acupuncture-induced analgesic effect was transferred from the donor rabbit to the recipient rabbit when the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was transferred. The prevention of EA-induced analgesia by naloxone and by antiserum against endorphins suggests that endorphins are involved. More recent work demonstrated the release of endorphins into CSF following EA. In addition, low frequency (2 Hz) and high frequency (100 Hz) of EA selectively induces the release of enkephalins and dynorphins in both experimental animals and humans. Clinical studies suggesting its effectiveness for the treatment of various types of pain, depression, anxiety, spinally induced muscle spasm, stroke, gastrointestinal disorders, and drug addiction were also discussed.
针灸是一种古老的中医疗法，用于治疗疾病和缓解疼痛。我们进行了一系列研究，以探究这种古老止痛方法的作用机制。本文回顾了我们的一些主要研究发现。我们的研究表明，针灸具有镇痛作用，且电针比手针更有效。此外，通过皮肤贴片电极进行电刺激与电针效果相同。针刺镇痛的诱导和恢复过程表明体液因素参与其中。这一观点得到了交叉灌注实验的支持，在该实验中，当脑脊液（CSF）转移时，针刺诱导的镇痛作用从供体兔转移到了受体兔。纳洛酮和抗内啡肽血清对电针诱导镇痛的抑制作用表明内啡肽参与其中。最近的研究表明，电针后内啡肽会释放到脑脊液中。此外，低频（2赫兹）和高频（100赫兹）电针在实验动物和人类中均能选择性地诱导脑啡肽和强啡肽的释放。本文还讨论了临床研究，这些研究表明针灸在治疗各种类型的疼痛、抑郁症、焦虑症、脊髓性肌肉痉挛、中风、胃肠道疾病和药物成瘾方面具有有效性。
