The researchers from the University of York and the Hull York Medical School have found that a person getting acupuncture experiences a sensation called ‘deqi’ which deactivates the pain processing areas of the brain.
Acupuncture is a long-established Chinese method in which filiform needles are inserted into the skin at special spots to treat various pains and diseases.
Dr Aziz Asghar, a neuroscientist at the York Neuroimaging Centre and the Hull York Medical School says, “The results are fascinating. Whether such brain deactivations constitute a mechanism which underlies or contributes to the therapeutic effect of acupuncture is an intriguing possibility which requires further research.”
“These results provide objective scientific evidence that acupuncture has specific effects within the brain which hopefully will lead to a better understanding of how acupuncture works,” adds Dr Hugh MacPherson of the Complementary Medicine Research Group in the York University's Department of Health Sciences.
Study details
In a bid to better understand the principles of this ancient Chinese technique of relieving pain, the researchers carried out clinical trials.
It was found that the technique was highly effective in stimulating the brain towards relaxation.
Currently, the research team is conducting further clinical trials to establish that acupuncture can successfully treat irritable bowel syndrome, IBS and depression
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The study and its findings have been published in the medical journal Brain Research.
Acupuncture benefits pregnant women, another study finds
Another new U.S. study presented at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting has proposed that acupuncture can help in dealing with depression in pregnant women.
“Depression during pregnancy is an issue of concern because it has negative effects on the mother and the baby as well as the rest of the family," says Dr. Schnyer, one of the lead authors of the study.
150 pregnant women who were depressed participated in the double-blind study that divided them into three groups.
One-third of the pregnant women received the acupuncture treatment, the second group was given an acupuncture-like treatment, while the last group got massage therapy.
It was found that women getting the acupuncture treatment saw reduction in symptoms of depression.
“The results of our study show that the acupuncture protocol we tested could be a viable treatment option for depression during pregnancy,” says Dr. Schnyer.
Thus, acupuncture can especially help pregnant women who avoid taking antidepressants during pregnancy.
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