10 Open Access Research Articles About Medical Acupuncture

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Medical Acupuncture - A Short Introduction

Acknowledging that traditional narratives are outdated, medical acupuncture is an approach that is based upon a theory that is in line with current scientific understanding of how the body works. Acupuncture originated in a pre-scientific era - Meridians and the concepts of Qi ought to be replaced by a knowledge of neuroanatomical structures. This neuroanatomical basis of "meridians" may actually end up leading to the development of an exciting systems biology approach to treating diseases and chronic pain.

Acupuncture points are often located along the fascial tissues enriched with nerves, vascular/lymphatic vessels, and immune cells (Ma, 2020). The insertion of an acupuncture needle provides mechanical stimulation of specialized sensory receptors located in the cutaneous and subcutaneous structures. 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). Based on the neurological model, all these areas are highly innervated and as a result there are a number of physiological responses that help modulate the experience of pain. An observed favorable outcome may be explained by overlapping mechanisms in the periphery, spinal cord, and brain.

Acupuncture outcomes may be explained by overlapping neuroimmune responses in the periphery, spinal cord, and brain.

If you are looking for more information on the application or medical acupuncture, here is a list of ten open access papers that will help people understand current acupuncture research.

  • Birch, S., Lee, M. S., Kim, T. H., & Alraek, T. (2022). On defining acupuncture and its techniques: A commentary on the problem of sham. Integrative medicine research, 11(2), 100834. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.imr.2022.100834

  • Butt, M. F., Albusoda, A., Farmer, A. D., & Aziz, Q. (2020). The anatomical basis for transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation. Journal of anatomy, 236(4), 588–611. https://doi.org/10.1111/joa.13122

  • Cui, X., Liu, K., Gao, X., & Zhu, B. (2022). Advancing the Understanding of Acupoint Sensitization and Plasticity Through Cutaneous C-Nociceptors. Frontiers in neuroscience, 16, 822436. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2022.822436

  • Kobayashi, A., Uefuji, M., & Yasumo, W. (2010). History and progress of Japanese acupuncture. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 7(3), 359–365. https://doi.org/10.1093/ecam/nem155

  • Lu, L., Zhang, Y., Ge, S., Wen, H., Tang, X., Zeng, J. C., Wang, L., Zeng, Z., Rada, G., Ávila, C., Vergara, C., Chen, R., Dong, Y., Wei, X., Luo, W., Wang, L., Guyatt, G., Tang, C. Z., & Xu, N. G. (2022). Evidence mapping and overview of systematic reviews of the effects of acupuncture therapies. BMJ open, 12(6), e056803. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-056803

  • Ma, Q. (2020). Somato-Autonomic Reflexes of Acupuncture. Medical acupuncture, 32(6), 362–366. https://doi.org/10.1089/acu.2020.1488

  • White, A., & Ernst, E. (2004). A brief history of acupuncture. Rheumatology (Oxford, England), 43(5), 662–663. https://doi.org/10.1093/rheumatology/keg005

  • Vickers, A. J., Vertosick, E. A., Lewith, G., MacPherson, H., Foster, N. E., Sherman, K. J., Irnich, D., Witt, C. M., Linde, K., & Acupuncture Trialists' Collaboration (2018). Acupuncture for Chronic Pain: Update of an Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis. The journal of pain, 19(5), 455–474. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2017.11.005

  • Zhang, R., Lao, L., Ren, K., & Berman, B. M. (2014). Mechanisms of acupuncture-electroacupuncture on persistent pain. Anesthesiology, 120(2), 482–503. https://doi.org/10.1097/ALN.0000000000000101

  • Zhang, Y. Q., Jiao, R. M., Witt, C. M., Lao, L., Liu, J. P., Thabane, L., Sherman, K. J., Cummings, M., Richards, D. P., Kim, E. A., Kim, T. H., Lee, M. S., Wechsler, M. E., Brinkhaus, B., Mao, J. J., Smith, C. A., Gang, W. J., Liu, B. Y., Liu, Z. S., Liu, Y., … Guyatt, G. (2022). How to design high quality acupuncture trials-a consensus informed by evidence. BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 376, e067476. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2021-067476