Science
Surely most of you have heard about such a method of treatment as acupuncture, and some have even used it in practice to cope with one or another painful condition of the body. However, many people, including official medicine, still consider acupuncture as a very controversial method. This is because the mechanism of action on the human body through acupuncture has so far been studied very little. However, one of the latest studies conducted by German specialists from the University Hospital in Essen somewhat reveals the mystery that hangs over the methods acupuncture treatments. Scientists have officially recognized the fact that acupuncture (another name for acupuncture) can actually affect some aspects of a person's brain activity and physical sensation of pain.
Using a method that has recently become very popular, which is based on magnetic resonance imaging, researchers have been able to obtain images that show how the reaction changes brain to a pain stimulus, if acupuncture is used at the same time. “Until recently, the effect of acupuncture on pain perception has been questioned,” said researcher Nina Theysohn. “But it turned out that the activity of the brain areas that respond for the perception of pain, it can be significantly reduced by acupuncture.”
As part of the research, several experiments were conducted in which acupuncture needles were inserted into three areas on the right side of the human body — between the toes of the right foot, below the right knee, and near right thumb. At the same time, the left ankle was exposed to weak electrical discharges, causing pain, the brain's response to which was recorded using images obtained by use of functional magnetic resonance imaging equipment.
As a result, researchers obtained a large number of images that made it possible to make a detailed comparison of the brain's response to external pain without acupuncture and using acupuncture. The results of the study clearly demonstrate that at the time when acupuncture was performed, the activity of the brain areas responsible for processing pain signals decreased significantly. Moreover, according to Taison, acupuncture also affected the parts of the brain that are responsible for the very expectation of pain. This effect is somewhat similar to that of taking a placebo, a harmless drug that is presented to a patient as an effective drug. “It turned out that the mechanism of action of acupuncture is such that acupuncture can affect the very expectation of pain, and how a person reacts to pain signals from outside,” Taison concluded. “Results This study confirmed that acupuncture can help patients cope with pain more easily.”