Acupuncture Explained
TELL ME MORE - GENERAL EFFECT
For the full "Acupuncture Explained" article >>> see here
Consider what happens in the upper part of the nervous system. The sensory signals after being relayed through the dorsal horn, ascend the spinal cord to the thalamus and from there to the higher centres of the brain.
As discussed earlier, we know from PET studies that there is a measurable increase in blood flow to the limbic system (LS), the somatosensory cortex (SSC) and the pre-frontal cortex (PFC) during painful stimulation. We also know that when we apply acupuncture, the blood flow to LS and PFC reduces.
The prefrontal cortex is concerned with analysis. It wants to know “What does this pain mean and how important it is to survival?” “Should I make it a priority to escape from this pain or can I ignore it for now?” If you are on a battlefield you might ignore the pain of a wound. But if you just tripped in the car park and hurt your knee, the pain might dominate your awareness.
The limbic system mediates the emotional response to pain. Within the limbic system the hippocampus is involved with memory processes and the amygdala with self-image. Together they affect behaviour. For example, during illness we may experience changes in sleep pattern, sociability, appetite, mood.
We already know that acupuncture stimulates the release of endorphins. These opiate-like substances block the effect of pain in LS and in PFC. This process of “descending inhibition” is a global effect that the patient experiences as a feeling of relaxed well-being.
There has been a lot of research recently into the nature of this process and from a clinical perspective, how to optimise it. Endorphins act as neuromodulators and over a period of time they modify the activity of their target cells which is probably why the effects of acupuncture treatment build up over the weeks. It could also explain why a few individuals fail to respond to acupuncture: they may have genetic differences in their opioid systems that render them insensitive to the treatment.
START HERE - read the articles in this order
>>> ACUPUNCTURE EXPLAINED
>>> Acupuncture Explained - Tell me more - Local Effect
>>> Acupuncture Explained - Tell me more - Segmental Effect
>>> Acupuncture Explained - Tell me more - General Effect
>>> Acupuncture Explained - Tell me more - Trials, Placebo and Sham Acupuncture
Bill Ferguson, Osteopath
May 2020
