Acupuncture & TCM Articles

Brain Images Shows Acupuncture Relieves Pain

Brain Images Shows Acupuncture Relieves Pain

CHICAGO -- A relatively new form of brain imaging provides visual proof that acupuncture alleviates pain.

The study, which used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to assess brain activity while acupuncture techniques were being employed, was presented here today at the 85th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

"We're using a new technology to understand how this 2,500-year-old technique works," said Huey- Jen Lee, M.D., chief of neuroradiology at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), Newark.

Areas of brain activity "light up" during fMRI based on increased blood flow in the portion of the brain being stimulated.

In this study, pain threshold before acupuncture was measured by inducing light pain in 12 subjects by repeatedly using a filament to touch the outside or inside of the upper lip. In all 12 subjects, fMRI showed quite a bit of brain activity, particularly in the parietal area, the sensory center of the brain, and the brain stem. Seven subjects received acupuncture with manual stimulation, in which a hair-thin acupuncture needle is inserted and twisted manually, and the remaining 5 received electro-acupuncture with low-level electrical current stimulation through the needle. Functional MRI was performed repeatedly during pain stimulation and brain activities were recorded. Then, the patient received acupuncture stimulation. During a 30- minute period of acupuncture stimulation, the subject rated his or her pain on a scale of 1 to 10 every five minutes. FMRI tests were followed and showed markedly decreased brain activity in 4 of 7 subjects (57 percent) receiving manual acupunctur

"We found activity subsided in 60 percent to 70 percent of the entire brain," said Wen- Ching Liu, Ph.D., a co-author of the study and assistant professor of radiology at UMDNJ. "Interestingly, in each subject, we detected pain-induced activity in different areas of the brain."

"So many people with pain, whether from cancer, headache or a chronic, unexplained condition, rely on medications, such as morphine, which can become addicting," said Dr. Lee. "Acupuncture has no side effects, and other studies have shown the pain relief it provides can last for months."

Although there are 401 acupoints on the body, this study focused on the Hegu acupoint, which is on the hand between the thumb and forefinger. Most acupuncture treatments involve stimulating more than one point, but the Hegu acupoint is one of those more commonly used, notes Dr. Lee.

Co-authors of a paper on the topic being presented by Drs. Lee and Liu are: Dung-Liang Hung, M.D.; Barry R. Komisaruk, Ph.D.; Andrew Kalnin, M.D.; and Satyaveni B. Rao, M.D.

The RSNA is an association of 31,000 radiologists and physicists in medicine dedicated to education and research in the science of radiology. The Society's headquarters are located at 820 Jorie Blvd., Oak Brook, Illinois 60523-2251.