Medical Hypotheses
Volume 58, Issue 3 , Pages 221-224 , March 2002

Acupuncture beyond the endorphin concept?

Received 9 January 2001 ,Accepted 25 May 2001.

References 

  1. Dorfer L, Moser M, Spindler K, Bahr. , Egart-Vigl E, Dohr G. 5200-year-old acupuncture in central Europe?. Science. 1998;282:242–243
  2. Knardahl S, Elam M, Olausson B, Wallin BG. Sympathetic nerve activity after acupuncture in humans. Pain. 1998;75:19–25
  3. Marwick C. Acceptance of some acupuncture applications. JAMA. 1997;278:1725–1727
  4. Hsu DT, Diehl DL. The West gets the point. Lancet. 1998;352:SIV 1
  5. Shlay JC, Chaloner K, Max MB. Acupuncture and amitryptilene for pain due to HIV-related peripheral neuropathy. JAMA. 1998;280:1590–1595
  6. Hökfelt T. Neuropeptides in perspective: the last ten years. Neuron. 1991;7:867–879
  7. Sjölund B, Terenius L, Erickson M. Increased cerebrospinal fluid levels of endorphins after electro-acupuncture. Acta Physiol Scand. 1977;100:382–384
  8. Sjölund B, Terenius L, Erickson M. Increased cerebrospinal fluid levels of endorphins after electro-acupuncture. Acta Physiol Scand. 1977;100:382–384
  9. Dundee JW, McMillan C. Positive evidence for P6 acupuncture antiemesis. Postgrad Med J. 1991;67:47–52
  10. Jobst K, Chen JH, McPherson K. Controlled trial of acupuncture for disabling breathlessness. Lancet. 1986;20:416–418
  11. Tandon M, Philip FT. Comparison of real and placebo acupuncture in histamine-induced asthma. A double-blind crossover study. Chest. 1989;96:102–105
  12. Longworth W, McCarthy PW. Review of research on acupuncture for the treatment of lumbar disk protrusions and associated neurological symptomatology. J Altern Complement Med. 1997;3:55–76
  13. David J, Townsend S, Sathanathan R, Kriso S, Doré CJ. Effect of acupuncture on patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a randomized placebo-controlled cross-over study. Rheumatology (Oxford). 1999;38:864–869
  14. Mok MS. Treatment of obesity by acupuncture. Am J Clin Nutr. 1976;29:832–835
  15. Richards D, Morley J. Stimulation of auricular acupuncture points in weight loss. Aust Fam Physician. 1998;27:S73–77
  16. Wang Q, Mao L, Han J. Great nucleus of hypothalamus mediates low but not high frequency electroacupuncture analgesia in rats. Brain Res. 1990;9:60–66
  17. Chen XH, Han JS. All three types of opioid receptors in the spinal cord are important for 2/15 Hz electroacupuncture analgesia. Eur J Pharmacol. 1992;211:203–210
  18. Andersson S, Lundberg T. Acupuncture – from empiricism to science: functional background to acupuncture effects in pain and disease. Med Hypotheses. 1995;45:271–281
  19. Jin HO, Zhou L, Lee KY, Chang TM, Chey WY. Inhibition of acid secretion by electrical acupuncture is mediated via β-endorphin and somatostatin. Am J Physiol. 1996;271:G524–G530
  20. Dawidson I, Angmar-Mânsson B, Blom M, Theodorsson E, Lundeberg T. The influence of sensory stimulation (acupuncture) on the release of neuropeptides in the saliva of healthy subjects. Life Sci. 1998;63:659–674
  21. Bonta IL. Endogenous Modulators of the Inflammatory Response. In:  Vane JR,  Ferreira SH editor. Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology. Heidelberg: Springer Verlag; 1978;p. 533–534
  22. Le Bars D, Willer JC, De Broucker T, Villanueva L. Neurophysiological mechanisms involved in the pain relieving effects of counterirritation and related techniques including acupuncture. In:  Stux G,  Pomeranz B editor. Scientific Bases of Acupuncture. Heidelberg: Springer; 1989;p. 79–112
  23. Rang HP, Dale MM, Ritter JM. Pharmacology: Cytokines, 4th Edn. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone; 1999; p. 224–226
  24. Sundstedt A, Höiden I, Rosendahl A, Kalland T, v.Rooijen N, Dohlsten M. Immunoregulatory role of IL-10 during superantigen-induced hyporesponsiveness in vivo. J Immunol. 1997;158:180–186
  25. Cohen SB, Parry SL, Feldmann M, Foxwell B. Autocrine and paracrine regulation of human T cell IL-10 production. J Immunol. 1997;158:5596–5602
  26. Pretolani M, Goldman M. Interleukin-10: a potential therapy for allergic inflammation?. Immunol Today. 1997;18:277–280
  27. Niiro H, Otsuka T, Izuhara K. Regulation by interleukin-10 and interleukin-4 of cyclooxygenase-2 expression in human neutrophils. Blood. 1997;89:1621–1628
  28. Van der Meer MJ, Hermans AR, Pesman GJ, Sweep CG. Effect of cytokines on pituitary beta-endorphin and adrenal corticosterone release in vitro. Cytokine. 1996;8:238–247
  29. Cabot PJ, Carter L, Gaiddon C. Immune cell-derived beta-endorphin: Production, release and control of inflammatory pain in rats. J Clin Invest. 1997;100:142–148
  30. Faith ER, Liang HJ, Murgo AJ, Plotnikoff NP. Neuro-immunomodulation with encephalins: enhancement of human natural killer (NK) cell activity in vitro. Clin Immunol Immunopath. 1984;31:412–418
  31. Neil K, Allen J, Morley JE. Enkephalins stimulate normal human peripheral blood lymphocyte natural killer activity. Life Sci. 1984;35:53–59
  32. Machelska H, Cabot PI, Mousa SA, Zhang Q, Stein C. Pain control in inflammation governed by selectins. Nature Med. 1998;4:1425–1428
  33. Brown ML, Ulett GA, Stern JA. The effects of acupuncture on white cell counts. Am J Clin Med. 1974;2:383–398
  34. Treves T, Korczyn AD. Letter to the Editor. Pain. 1980;9:121
  35. Rosenblatt M. The endogenous opiate peptides. In:  Braunwald M editors. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 11th Edn. New York: McGraw Hill; 1987;p. 381
  36. Streitberger K, Kleinhenz J. Introducing a placebo needle into acupuncture research. Lancet. 1998;352:364–365

PII: S0306-9877(01)91425-2

doi: 10.1054/mehy.2001.1425

Medical Hypotheses
Volume 58, Issue 3 , Pages 221-224 , March 2002

Article Tools