Medical News Today has published a new article titled ‘What to know about acupuncture for arthritis’
According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), and numerous other studies suggest that acupuncture works particularly well on chronic pain, arthritis being one of those aliments treated successfully.
How Acupuncture’s Affects Arthritis [courtesy of arthritis.org]
Western medicine does not recognize the concepts of qi and meridians. However, scientific evidence suggests alternate explanations for why acupuncture might provide pain relief.
“There’s a lot of research that says when we put an acupuncture needle into the body, a number of physiological mechanisms occurs,” says Brian Berman, MD, professor of family and community medicine and director of the Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
A well-placed needle sets off a cascade of events, Dr. Berman explains, producing a signal that travels along the spinal cord to the brain, triggering a release of neurotransmitters called endorphins and enkephalins, which scientists believe reduce the sensation of pain. Research also shows that inserting an acupuncture needle induces the production of cortisol, a hormone that helps control inflammation. Acupuncture may stimulate activity of other pain-relieving chemicals in the body as well.
But do all these biochemical changes relieve sore, stiff joints? A study by Dr. Berman and his colleagues found that after 26 weeks, patients receiving real acupuncture felt significantly less pain and functioned better (as measured by how far they could walk in six minutes) than their counterparts who received sham acupuncture.
Read the full Medical News Article here: What to know about acupuncture for arthritis