Rats with damaged spines can walk again thanks to acupuncture. But it's not due to improvements in their energy flow or "chi". Instead, the ancient treatment seems to stop nerve cell death by reducing inflammation.
Acupuncture's scientific credentials are growing. Trials show that it improves sensory and motor functions in people with spinal cord injuries.
To find out why, Doo Choi and his colleagues at Kyung Hee University in Seoul, South Korea, damaged the spines of 75 rats. One-third were given acupuncture in two locations: Shuigou – between their snout and mouth, and Yanglingquan – in the upper hind leg. Others received no treatment or "simulated acupuncture".
After 35 days, the acupuncture group were able to stand at a steeper incline than the others and walk better. Staining their paws with ink revealed that their forelimb-hindlimb coordination was fairly consistent and that there was very little toe dragging, whereas the control groups still dragged their feet.
Inflamed spines
The rats in the acupuncture group also had less nerve cell death and lower levels of proteins known to induce inflammation after spinal cord injury and make neural damage worse.
One explanation is that sharp needles prompt a stress response that dampens down inflammation. In humans, the inflammation that follows spinal cord injury is known to be responsible for nerve cell death.
Zhen Zheng of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia says the results are "very encouraging". But she says we don't yet know if the results will apply to humans.
For example, the acupuncture treatment on the rats was given almost immediately after injury, but most patients don't seek acupuncture until at least three months after damage to their spines.
Journal reference: Neurobiology of Disease, DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2010.04.003
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The Author Is Misrepresenting The Work With His Title
Tue Apr 27 01:45:48 BST 2010 by Karl
The Zukerman states "Rats with damaged spines can walk again thanks to acupuncture. But it's not due to improvements in their energy flow or "chi".". It is inappropriate to make this statement about the paper results. The papers state as much at the end of the paper.
"On the view of oriental medicine based on ancient theories, the effect of acupuncture is explained by the flow of the energy of the body, or Qi through these distinct channels/meridians that cover the body. According to this theory, acupuncture adjusts the flow of Qi in the body. In this way, acupuncture restores the harmonious balance of the body and its parts. However, these phenomena cannot be explained or proven scientifically at present. In our study, we found that the neuroprotective effect of acupuncture is likely mediated in part by inhibiting microglial activation and inflammatory responses after SCI, although the exact mechanisms underlying inhibition of microglial activation by acupuncture are not fully understood."
In other words the authors don't know why or how acupuncture activated the micoglial cells protective influence. It is possible that something that is functionally similar to Qi could mediate an effect through known molecular mechanisms. This study is not direct evidence of Qi, but no one is arguing that it is. Ms. Zukerman needs to learn how to read a scientific paper (or just as bad needs to learn how to accurately report what she reads).
The Author Is Misrepresenting The Work With His Title
Tue Apr 27 09:08:52 BST 2010 by Rob
What i find interesting is the 'either/or' approach when traditional models clash with modern understanding. Obviously the traditional model is a 'systems' approach, in that it describes the actions of a whole group of processes using one model that describes how the system behaves. It is never going to be an accurate description of the detail, but may provide an approximation of how the whole body responds to certain stimuli, based on the evidence provided by hundreds of years of experimentation. The Chinese are not stupid, and acupuncturists throughout the centuries have been refining the knowledge, but that does not mean that Chi exists or does not exist. I believe that they have described a complex multi-layered process using the only terminology available. Some of their findings are likely to be true, as with most traditional medicine. Some will be gumph, and some may be dangerous. We should not allow the science to be clouded by the terminology. Chi is an approximation.
In modern physics, there is a concept of 'energy' - obviously unrelated to Chi - but equally an approximation. Just because the numbers work in the equations, does not mean that this mystical stuff actually exists. It is merely a number used to describe the complex processes at work on an atomic and molecular level. A very important number, yes, but not a real thing. Is stored energy the same as chemical energy? What about a body at motion? What about heat? All are related to the movement of electrons and atoms. So energy is movement? No and yes. Energy is potential? No and yes. Chi is also an approximation: a very old one which may at times describe real processes
Reconnecting The Spine To The Nervous System
Mon May 03 14:00:21 BST 2010 by Carol O'Brien
Perhaps the term "energy flow" has been wrongly seen, as this term in Healing is when reconnection happens and the Brain and mind come together to access the original codes/DNA and using hot/cold energy connection takes place. Acupuncture is the power points that link to the whole body and time.
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Thursday, 6 May 2010
Why acupuncture aids spinal recovery
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