A Very Brief Overview of Western Medical Acupuncture
/What is Western Medical Acupuncture?
“The word acupuncture meaning ‘to prick with a needle’ was coined by Willem ten Rhyne. ”
The earliest detailed report on Chinese and Japanese medicine to be written by a European was by Willem ten Rhyne, a Dutch physician who published Dissertatio de arthritide in 1683 (Bivins 2001).
Following this lineage, the concept of medical acupuncture was pioneered by Felix Mann who began to view acupuncture as a form of peripheral nerve stimulation technique. In this approach needles are inserted into anatomically defined sites, and stimulated manually or with electricity.
Preferential sites for acupuncture stimulation are associated with areas rich in specialized sensory receptors such as muscle spindles, Golgi tendon organs, ligament receptors, Paciniform and Ruffini’s receptors (joint capsules), deep pressure endings (within muscle belly), and free nerve endings (muscle and fascia). All of these areas are highly innervated and as a result there are a number of physiological responses that help modulate the experience of pain.
Acupuncture Research Has Matured
For certain condition (particularly musculoskeletal pain) there is evidence from The Cochrane Collaborative, The American College of Physicians, Canadian Medical Association and other high quality systematic reviews:
• Chronic pain (MacPherson et al. 2017, Vickers et al. 2012)
• Acute pain (Jan et al. 2017, Murakami et al. 2017)
• Low back pain (Andronis et al. 2017, Busse et al. 2017, Chou et al. 2017, Qaseem et al. 2017)
• Neck pain (Kjaer et al. 2017)
• Tension-type headaches (Busse et al. 2017, Linde et al. 2016)
• Migraines (Busse et al. 2017, Linde et al. 2016, Yang et al. 2016)
• Osteoarthritis (Busse et al. 2017, Lin et al. 2016, Woods et al. 2017)
• Carpal tunnel syndrome (Cox et al. 2016)
• Achilles tendinopathy (Cox et al. 2016)
Mechanism of Action: Many clinicians explain the mechanism of action in neurophysiological terms.
If you use Occam's razor, the insertion of an acupuncture needle is a form of novel stimuli, that functions by sending anti-nociceptive input to the neuroimmune system. This contributes to a number of physiological changes across different areas of the peripheral and central nervous systems, including peripheral receptors, dorsal horn of the spinal cord, brainstem, sensorimotor cortical areas, and the mesolimbic and prefrontal areas (Chen et al. 2017, Maeda et al. 2017).
More to Explore
Two recent textbooks that give a good overview of Western Medical Acupuncture are:
Medical Acupuncture: A Western Scientific Approach (Second Edition by Filshie, Cummings, and White. 2016)
Oxford Textbook of Musculoskeletal Medicine (Chapter 59 Modern medical acupuncture - Anthony Campbell. 2015)
Research Links:
Andronis L, Kinghorn P, Qiao S, Whitehurst DG, Durrell S, McLeod H. (2017). Cost-Effectiveness of Non-Invasive and Non-Pharmacological Interventions for Low Back Pain: a Systematic Literature Review. Appl Health Econ Health Policy.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27550240
Bivins, R. (2001). The needle and the lancet: Acupuncture in Britain, 1683-2000. Acupuncture in Medicine.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11471579
Brennan, K.L., Allen, B.C., Maldonado, Y.M. (2017). Dry Needling Versus Cortisone Injection in the Treatment of Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome: A Non-Inferiority Randomized Clinical Trial. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28257614
Busse, J.W., Craigie, S., Juurlink, D.N, ... Guyatt GH. (2017). Guideline for opioid therapy and chronic noncancer pain. CMAJ.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28483845
Chen, L., Michalsen, A. (2017). Management of chronic pain using complementary and integrative medicine. BMJ.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28438745
Chou, R., Deyo, R., Friedly, J., Skelly, A., Hashimoto, R., ... Brodt, E.D. (2017). Nonpharmacologic Therapies for Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review for an American College of Physicians Clinical Practice Guideline. Ann Intern Med.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28192793
Cox, J., Varatharajan, S., Côté, P., Optima Collaboration. (2016). Effectiveness of Acupuncture Therapies to Manage Musculoskeletal Disorders of the Extremities: A Systematic Review. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27117725
Gerber, L.H., Sikdar, S., Aredo, J.V., Armstrong, K., Rosenberger, W.F., Shao, H., Shah, J.P. (2017). Beneficial Effects of Dry Needling for Treatment of Chronic Myofascial Pain Persist for 6 Weeks After Treatment Completion. PM R.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27297448
Frieden, T. R., & Houry, D. (2016). Reducing the Risks of Relief — The CDC Opioid-Prescribing Guideline. New England Journal of Medicine.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26977701
Jan, A.L., Aldridge, E.S., Rogers, I.R., Visser, E.J., Bulsara, M.K., Niemtzow, R.C. (2017). Review article: Does acupuncture have a role in providing analgesia in the emergency setting? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Emerg Med Australas.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28748654
Ji, R.R., Chamessian, A., Zhang, Y.Q. (2016). Pain regulation by non-neuronal cells and inflammation. Science.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27811267
Kjaer, P., Kongsted, A., Hartvigsen, J., ... Povlsen, T.M. (2017). National clinical guidelines for non-surgical treatment of patients with recent onset neck pain or cervical radiculopathy. Eur Spine J.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28523381
Lin, X., Huang, K., Zhu, G., Huang, Z., Qin, A., & Fan, S. (2016). The Effects of Acupuncture on Chronic Knee Pain Due to Osteoarthritis: A Meta-Analysis. The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27655986
Linde, K., Allais, G., Brinkhaus, B., Fei, Y., Mehring, M., Shin, B., . . . White, A. R. (2016). Acupuncture for the prevention of tension-type headache. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27092807
Linde, K., Allais, G., Brinkhaus, B., Fei, Y., Mehring, M., Vertosick, E. A., . . . White, A. R. (2016). Acupuncture for the prevention of episodic migraine. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27351677
MacPherson, H., Vickers, A., Bland, M., Torgerson, D., Corbett, M., Spackman, E., ..., Watt, I. (2017). Acupuncture for chronic pain and depression in primary care: a programme of research. Southampton (UK): NIHR Journals Library.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28121095
Maeda, Y., Kim, H., Kettner, N., Kim, J., Cina, S., .... Napadow, V. (2017). Rewiring the primary somatosensory cortex in carpal tunnel syndrome with acupuncture. Brain.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28334999
Millstine, D., Chen, C., Bauer, B. (2017). Complementary and integrative medicine in the management of headache. BMJ.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28512119
Murakami, M., Fox, L., Dijkers, M.P. (2017). Ear Acupuncture for Immediate Pain Relief-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Pain Med.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28395101
Pavlov, V.A., Tracey, K.J. (2017). Neural regulation of immunity: molecular mechanisms and clinical translation. Nat Neurosci.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28092663
Qaseem, A., Wilt, T.J., McLean, R.M., Forciea, M.A. (2017). Clinical Guidelines Committee of the American College of Physicians.. Noninvasive Treatments for Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Low Back Pain: A Clinical Practice Guideline From the American College of Physicians. Ann Intern Med.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28192789
Salazar, T.E., Richardson, M.R., Beli, E., ... Grant, M.B. (2017). Electroacupuncture Promotes CNS-Dependent Release of Mesenchymal Stem Cells. Stem Cells.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28299842
Sawynok, J. (2016). Adenosine receptor targets for pain. Neuroscience.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26500181
Tang, Y., Yin, H., Rubini, P., & Illes, P. (2016). Acupuncture-Induced Analgesia: A Neurobiological Basis in Purinergic Signaling. The Neuroscientist.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27343858
Vickers, A. J., Cronin, A. M., Maschino, A. C., Lewith, G., Macpherson, H., Foster, N. E., . . . Collaboration, F. T. (2012). Acupuncture for Chronic Pain. Archives of Internal Medicine.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22965186
Volkow, N.D., McLellan, A.T. (2016). Opioid Abuse in Chronic Pain--Misconceptions and Mitigation Strategies. N Engl J Med.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27028915
Woods, B., Manca, A., ... Sculpher, M. (2017). Cost-effectiveness of adjunct non-pharmacological interventions for osteoarthritis of the knee. PLoS One.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28267751
Yang, Y., Que, Q., Ye, X., Zheng, G.h. (2016). Verum versus sham manual acupuncture for migraine: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials. Acupunct Med.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2671800
Yin, C., Buchheit, T.E., Park, J.J. (2017). Acupuncture for chronic pain: an update and critical overview. Curr Opin Anaesthesiol.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28719458
Zhao et al. (2017). The Long-term Effect of Acupuncture for Migraine Prophylaxis A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Intern Med.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28241154