New Evidence that Acupuncture Works for Fibromyalgia
By: University of Michigan
Researchers at the University of Michigan Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center are the first to provide evidence of acupuncture’s effect on opioid receptors.
A patient receiving acupuncture for Fibromyalgia
Acupuncture, used for millennia in East Asian medicine, likely activates natural painkillers; yet, its cellular mechanisms remain unclear. Recently, a University of Michigan study, published in the Journal of NeuroImage, used brain imaging to reveal that traditional Chinese acupuncture enhances the brain’s pain regulation. Specifically, researchers found that acupuncture boosts mu-opioid receptor binding in brain regions such as the cingulate, insula, caudate, thalamus, and amygdala, which are involved in processing pain signals. Consequently, this increased receptor availability, linked to reduced pain, suggests acupuncture may enhance responsiveness to opioid medications. Notably, while both real and sham acupuncture reduce clinical pain similarly, their mechanisms differ distinctly, sparking new research directions.
Acupuncture for Fibromyalgia
Researchers studied 20 women with fibromyalgia, diagnosed for at least a year, who were experiencing pain 50% of the time. During the study, participants avoided new fibromyalgia medications. Initially, they underwent PET brain scans during the first acupuncture treatment. Subsequently, scans were repeated a month later after the eighth treatment.
Click Here To View More Articles | Research | Resources
Resources:
– SOURCE: Journal of NeuroImage, Volume 47, Issue 3, September 2009, Pages 1077-1085 doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.05.083
https://www.acufinder.com/Acupuncture+Information/Detail/New+Evidence+th…
