Electroacupuncture and Rheumatoid Arthritis
OBJECTIVE:
To explore the mechanism of electroacupuncture on rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Dr. Charlie in the inpatient department of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine where patients receive acupuncture for many conditions
Dr. Charlie was one of Dr. Tony Willcox’s mentors in Hefei under the tutelage and schooling of Professor Yang Jun.
METHODS:
After treatment, the observation group showed significant reductions in PRI, VAS, and PPI scores compared to the control group. Specifically, acupuncture at trapezius-related acupoints outperformed neck Jiaji points, with statistically significant differences (all P<0.05) in pain relief after one course.
Electroacupuncture and Rheumatoid Arthritis
RESULTS:
First, researchers observed that both electroacupuncture and simple acupuncture significantly reduced IL-1, IL-4, IL-6, and IL-10 levels in peripheral blood and joint fluid of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients (all P<0.05). Moreover, electroacupuncture produced a greater improvement in IL-10 levels in both peripheral blood and joint fluid compared to simple acupuncture. Specifically, the differences in IL-10 improvement values were statistically significant (both P<0.05).
CONCLUSION:
Electroacupuncture can effectively decrease the proinflammatory cytokine of IL-1 and IL-6 and increase the inhibition cytokine of IL-4 and IL-10 and improve the internal environment of occurrence and progression of RA.
References:
1- By Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Suzhou Municipal Hospital of TCM, Suzhou 215003, Jiangsu Province, China. All rights reserved.
– http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21058483
