Acupuncture studies seem to be in the news just about every month now. Some claim to prove acupuncture efficacy and some claim to disprove it. The latest study in the press comes from the August Issue of "Neuroimage." The study consists of 20 women with chronic pain who underwent brain scans at the University of Michigan. The scans were performed during the women's first and eighth acupuncture treatments. The result? The brain's pain control centers showed increased receptivity to opioid substances. These opioids are either pharmaceutical pain killers or the analgesic chemicals produced by the body such as endorphins. Either way, acupuncture is increasing the effects of the body's pain control mechanism.
My favorite thing about this article is the comment by Richard E Harris, the study's author. He's a molecular biologist and a licensed acupuncturist. He suggests that acupuncture's ability to increase the effects of natural pain killers as well as medications is complementary. He doesn't see them as "mutually exclusive, and in some cases, they may work synergistically." I think this is where medicine as a whole is heading. I don't see why we can't combine the strengths of modern medicine with the strengths of alternative medicine and have one awesome system for everyone. Also, one last thought. If anyone out there doesn't think that acupuncture has a profound and immediate effect on the brain, just come and spend one day in my office. You'll see the effects in each client who gets up off of the table!
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