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The Science of Acupuncture

The Science of Acupuncture

I know it’s been a bit since I’ve sent an email. Some of you may have even missed them!

I’m going to depart from the usual format today because I found out – because I asked – that a lot of you don’t know that I actually do acupuncture…here…with needles.

Well…I do. And I have for quite a few years. I also found out – again that asking thing – that that there are a lot of questions about acupuncture. How does it work? What can you use it for? Etc…

So today’s email is really an information piece. It’s written by Sara Adaes PhD and is a pretty decent overview of acupuncture. It’s not a long read and is fully referenced. If you have any specific questions, please give me a call or shoot me an email. I’d be happy to talk about it.

The Science of Acupuncture

by Sara Adaes, PhD (c) | October 21, 2014

 

Acupuncture has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for over 2,000 years. In the Western world, acupuncture has been a highly controversial therapy, mostly due to the lack of scientific explanations for its mechanisms of action. Nevertheless, acupuncture has become increasingly accepted, having spread worldwide and having become a frequently sought-after alternative therapy.

In 1997, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Consensus Development Program recognized acupuncture as a therapeutic intervention of complementary medicine. The World Health Organization (WHO) now recommends the use of acupuncture for treatment of numerous diseases and symptoms associated with cardiovascular, neurological, musculoskeletal, respiratory, gastrointestinal, gynecological and psychological disorders.

It is estimated that 3 million adults in the USA receive acupuncture treatments each year, with chronic pain being the most common reason for seeking this therapy. In fact, the efficacy of acupuncture in diverse painful conditions is now widely recognized, having earned the denomination “acupuncture analgesia”. An estimate of 50% to 85% of chronic pain patients seem to benefit from acupuncture.

Although acupuncture analgesia may have an important psychological component, increasing evidence has been demonstrating that the analgesic effect of acupuncture may indeed be due to a physiological action. The increasingly generalized use of acupuncture has stimulated research on the physiological and biochemical mechanisms underlying acupuncture analgesia. In the last decades, there has been a rapid development of our knowledge of the neurological processes induced by acupuncture. Although a consensual theory is still lacking, many hypotheses have been proposed for the mechanisms of acupuncture analgesia.

Acupuncture points seem to be special sites with denser sensory innervation and connective tissue, and a richer content of TRPV1 receptors, which are important players in pain mechanisms. The insertion of a needle into these points acts as a mechanical stimulus that activates the mechanoreceptors and sends afferent signals to the central nervous system, to areas involved in pain processing. Neurochemical processes of pain modulation are consequently activated, inducing acupuncture analgesia.

Both clinical and laboratory data indicate that the endogenous opioidsystem participates in acupuncture analgesia. In fact, a reduced need for opioid-like-medication in patients with chronic pain after acupuncture treatment has been reported. The noradrenergic system has also been associated with acupuncture analgesia in experimental studies, where a decreased level of noradrenaline in the brain was observed after acupuncture-induced analgesia. Studies in animal models of inflammatory and neuropathic pain have also found evidence for a role of serotonin and glutamate in acupuncture analgesia. Other pain mediators that have been suggested to be modulated by acupuncture include somatostatin, cannabinoids, and neurotrophic factors. However, clinical studies supporting these theories are still lacking.

Experimental models of pain have also indicated that acupuncture may have an anti-inflammatory action by having a modulatory effect on the release of pro-inflammatory mediators. These results have been supported by clinical findings showing a reduction in the production of pro-inflammatory molecules after acupuncture in patients with osteoarthritic pain and chronic pelvic pain syndrome.

Despite these recent advances in the understanding of the mechanisms of acupuncture analgesia, there is still a lot of ground to break. What seems to be clear is that, regardless of how that happens, acupuncture works. And there’s no harm in trying it.

References

Leung L (2012). Neurophysiological basis of acupuncture-induced analgesia–an updated review. Journal of acupuncture and meridian studies, 5(6), 261-70 PMID: 23265077

Vickers AJ, Cronin AM, Maschino AC, Lewith G, MacPherson H, Foster NE, Sherman KJ, Witt CM, Linde K, & Acupuncture Trialists’ Collaboration (2012). Acupuncture for chronic pain: individual patient data meta-analysis.Archives of internal medicine, 172 (19), 1444-53 PMID: 22965186

Vickers AJ, & Linde K (2014). Acupuncture for chronic pain. JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association, 311 (9), 955-6 PMID: 24595780

Zhang R, Lao L, Ren K, & Berman BM (2014). Mechanisms of acupuncture-electroacupuncture on persistent pain. Anesthesiology, 120 (2), 482-503 PMID: 24322588

Zhao ZQ (2008). Neural mechanism underlying acupuncture analgesia.Progress in neurobiology,
85
 (4), 355-75 PMID:

I hope the week goes great for you all. Please call/email with any questions, I’d love to hear from you!

Dr. Waale

The Science of Acupuncture

Life is fair. We all get the same nine-month shake in the box

“Life is fair. We all get the same nine-month shake in the box, and then the dice roll. Some people get a run of sevens. Some people, unfortunately, get snake-eyes. Its just how the world is.”
– Stephen King

I was angry for a week. Kind of a diffuse, all over general hate everything sort of anger. I was mad at health insurance companies, mad at the state of the world, mad at the economy ( Personal and National ), I was even mad at my mustache! (Seriously, I was. That’s how dumb I can be.)

But, then I found out Hildegunn had died.

She was a Norwegian exchange student that my folks hosted in the early 80’s. She had a kind heart that drew people. She was just fun.

So, Hildegunn had passed on and I was spending my days upset about Medica and the fact that my mustache won’t properly curl. I’m an idiot.

Then, a different thing happened that REALLY made me upset. (details unimportant) The kind of thing that isn’t right or fair but happened to me anyway. I was spitting nails. I might have said a few potty-mouth words.

But…what a waste of time. Fair or not, the thing was done.

Forget fair. There is nothing fair. There is only what happens.
It’s not fair that my friend died in Norway. It’s not fair that this thing happened. It’s not fair that my mustache won’t behave.

NOTHING is fair.

And, I suppose, that’s fair.

The stoics had a way of looking at things that did away with the whole concept of fair. Here is Epictetus’ take: “Demand not that things happen as you wish, but wish them to happen as they do, and you will go on well.”
― EpictetusThe Discourses

Because, fair or not, what is going to happen is going to happen. We prepare as best we can and things still go wrong.

If we are continually hung up on the fairness of things, we are in for a rough life. All the foot stamping and fury in the universe won’t make it fair. The world really doesn’t care about fair.

I have to admit, I have a hard time with that. I want to scream at the world as much as anybody. Which accomplishes…zero. What ever went wrong is still wrong. Wrong things don’t get right just because we yell. (I know because I’ve tried.)

The answer, according to our stoic friends, is not only to accept the unfairness with good grace, but expect and even welcome trouble. And not only welcome it, but love it.

“My formula for greatness in a human being is amor fati: that one wants nothing to be different, not forward, not backward, not in all eternity. Not merely bear what is necessary, still less conceal it—all idealism is mendaciousness in the face of what is necessary—but love it” – Nietzsche

(Nietzsche is like that: He’ll use fifty words when five will do. He had a painfully huge ego and also went mad…but he did have a great mustache.)

So, how do we love our misfortune? Love it when our luck goes south and winds blow hard and that really really unfair thing happens?

“Choose not to be harmed — and you won’t feel harmed. Don’t feel harmed — and you haven’t been.” — Marcus Aurelius

Easy for him to say. He was the Emperor of Rome. But Marcus’ point, that pain is a matter of perception, is right on the money. In other words, despite whathappens, we can always control how we react to it.

As a veteran of overreacting, I know this is true. We have way more power than we think. And, you know, most of the things we spend the majority of our time upset about are pretty meaningless anyway. I also know a couple of quotes and a blog post from your friendly chiropractor won’t make your problems seem any more lovable.

But remember your power. You really have a lot! And always remember that we get to decide how we feel. And that’s a powerful feeling!

*A book I really like about stoicism – The Obstacle is the Way – Ryan Holiday *

Thanks for reading so far. I really appreciate it. If you know anyone who might like these blog posts, just send me a note – Green link – and I will be delighted to add them to the list. Or you can give a call. 701-365-0401

Have a powerful week!

Dr. Dave

The Science of Acupuncture

Cheer

cheer
CHir/
verb
gerund or present participle: cheering
1.
shout for joy or in praise or encouragement.
“she cheered from the sidelines”
synonyms: encourage, urge on, spur on, drive on, motivateinspire, fire (up), inspirit, light a fire under

“my friends were there to cheer me on”
I was at my son’s baseball game the other night. It was awful. About 40 degrees with wind and rain. I couldn’t feel my feet by the end of the third inning.

But it was also great, because this is what happens at every little league baseball game:

Every time a kid came to bat, we cheered. If he got a hit, we cheered. If he walked, we cheered. If he struck out, we cheered louder. We even cheered for the other team.

So I started thinking. When is the last time anyone cheered for us?

We all get an occasional pat on the back and a quiet “good Job.” But when was the last time someone really clapped for you and whistled and yelled – I mean really yelled – your name –  and hollered “WAY TO GO!!!!!”

I bet it’s been a long time.

It’s been so long, that when our birthday rolls around, we get all embarrassed when a handful of people sing happy birthday to us.

Like we shouldn’t care. Like we shouldn’t want to be acknowledged. Like we should just say ” Oh, no! Please don’t tell me that you all like me and are happy I’m here. Let’s pretend that today is just a Tuesday.”

Have you ever seen a 5 year old at their birthday party? They CAN’T WAIT to have people sing to them. (Well. they really can’t wait for the presents but that’s a whole different blog post!) They LOVE being the center of attention because IT’S THEIR BIRTHDAY!!!

They will go up to strangers, pull on their arm, and say ” It’s MY BIRTHDAY today!” Because they know, intuitively, how great and special they are. And we love them for that naked honesty.

And then, we grow up.

And somehow, we start to get embarrassed for having enthusiasm. For getting excited. For standing out. Maybe we just get scared of rejection. Of being disappointed. Of people disapproving. Of seeming “not cool.”

Case in point: We had just moved to Dilworth and my daughter was starting Kindergarten. We had lived here for a whole 3 days and she didn’t know anyone. So, the first day of school – probably the first hour – Annie was standing in a line and the little girl in front of her turned around and said, “Do you want to be my friend?”

How’s that for brave? Would you have to courage to do that? I wouldn’t. But I bet we would have when we were 5. ( By the way, Grace and Annie are starting high school…and still best friends.)

Our knees really shouldn’t turn to jelly when people want to tell us how great we are. We shouldn’t shake our head to disagree when friends tell us we look good and they are glad we’re with them.

Let’s think more like 5 year olds and less like “grownups.” They have WAY more fun than we do, and part of the reason, I think, is that they are proudand happy with who they are. They’re not embarrassed to stand up and say, “Today is my birthday!” And everyone claps for them.

So, Lets cheer for each other more. We really are pretty great after all, and I think we deserve a big round of applause just for being us!

And I’m sorry I missed your birthday. Let me know next time and I’ll promise to sing for you!

Thanks for reading so far. I really appreciate it. If you know anyone who might like these blog posts, just send me a note – Green link – and I will be delighted to add them to the list. Or you can give a call. 701-365-0401

Have a great rest of the week! And a great Memorial Day.

Dr. Dave

The Science of Acupuncture

The secret of getting ahead is getting started.

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”
Mark Twain

Admiral William McRaven, a Navy SEAL who commanded the mission that took care of Osama bin Laden knows a few things about getting started.

It’s Monday, and we all fight our own demons when it comes to getting tasks done and accomplishing the Great Things we wanted to do today.(I’ve seen your to-do list, it looks like mine. About 50 items with 2 crossed off.)

So, how do we get started and follow through? (not to mention deal with all the misfires, drama, and surprises the day may bring.)

Well…you could make your bed.

McRaven once gave a commencement speech at the University of Texas at Austin. In it he talked about the10 life lessons that stuck with him after completing the SEAL training program. You can read all 10 here.

But the first on the list is to make your bed. McRaven says that accomplishing that small task sets the tone for the day, will encourage you attempt other tasks and will help you remember that little things matter.

He says; “And, if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made–that you made and a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better.”

Now, I already make my bed in the morning, (remember, he was talking to college kids.) and I would guess that most of you do as well. But really, making your bed is, I think, a metaphor for starting the day right.

And I like the idea. Before we even get to the office, or on the tractor, or in the classroom or wherever we go, we can mentally cross one thing off our list. A tidy bed – or meditation, or journaling or dishes put away or whatever it is that sets your pace for the day –  will help give the boost we need to tackle those things that are waiting for us. Because they aren’t going anywhere!

I’m guessing the SEALs pretty much finish off their to-do list by the end of the day. And they start with a small task. Making their bed.

Thanks for reading so far and I hope you all had a great Monday. If you know any one who might like to get these Blog posts just let me know ( green link ) or go to Waalechiropractic.com and sign up or even give a call 701-365-0401 and I would be delighted to add them to my list.

Dr. Dave

The Science of Acupuncture

The thing that people, I think, don’t appreciate right now is that they are already a cyborg.

“The thing that people, I think, don’t appreciate right now is that they are already a cyborg.”Elon Musk

 

Elon Musk makes me feel lazy. He’s the guy behind Tesla, the electric car company; SpaceX, the manned rocket to Mars company, and PayPal . (Among probably a dozen other things that are equally amazing. The man gets things done.)

He is also the founder and CEO of a company named Neuralink.

Here is Neuralinks’ stated purpose from their website: “Neuralink is developing ultra high bandwidth brain-machine interfaces to connect humans and computers.”

Did you catch that? To connect humans and computers via a brain-machine interface. In other words, a chip (or something) implanted in your brain that allows you to communicate directly with your computer…or my computer…or MY BRAIN.

Think about that. No need for a phone anymore. Just have your brain call my brain. Or use your brain to start your car, or shut the garage door, or order groceries, or vote.

Want to go to movies? Your brain is connected to the internet, just mentally download the film, close your eyes and enjoy. Need to look up something on google? Just think about it and there it is.

Our good friends at Google already make a device called Google Home. Here is what their website says about it: “Google Home is powered by the Google Assistant. Ask it questions. Tell it to do things. And with support for multiple users, it can distinguish your voice from others in your home so you get a more personalized experience. It’s your own Google, just for you.” 

Amazon makes Alexa. Here is what their website has to say: “Alexa, the voice service that powers Echo, provides capabilities, or skills, that enable customers to interact with devices in a more intuitive way using voice. Examples of these skills include the ability to play music, answer general questions, set an alarm or timer and more. Alexa is built in the cloud, so it is always getting smarter.”

Substitute the word “brain” for “voice” in the above paragraphs and you can see where Neuralink is going.

Is this cause for concern? A lot of people think so. A poll taken by the Pew Research Center found, “Americans are more worried than enthusiastic about using gene editing, brain chip implants and synthetic blood to change human capabilities.”

But wait a minute. Listen to Flip Sabes, co-founder of Neuralink, “To a scientist, to think about changing the fundamental nature of life—creating viruses, eugenics, etc.—it raises a specter that many biologists find quite worrisome, whereas the neuroscientists that I know, when they think about chips in the brain, it doesn’t seem that foreign, because we already have chips in the brain. We have deep brain stimulation to alleviate the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease, we have early trials of chips to restore vision, we have the cochlear implant—so to us it doesn’t seem like that big of a stretch to put devices into a brain to read information out and to read information back in.”

And don’t forget pacemakers, and defibrillators, and electrical implants to control epilepsy and chronic pain. Things that were unthinkable 50 years ago.

As with any new technology, there is always a Pandora’s Box possibility. Things can go wrong. But the future is on the way, and we can either embrace it or hide. I’m not hiding.

Thanks for reading so far. I really appreciate it. If you know anyone who might like these blog posts, just send me a note – Green link – and I will be delighted to add them to the list.

Have a great rest of the week!

Dr. Dave