Traditional Chinese acupuncture employs needles to move the vital life force (called chi) to treat chronic pain. However, some studies suggest that sham acupuncture is as effective as acupuncture in relieving pain. Sham or fake acupuncture is when a control group receives needles placed in spots that are not used in real acupuncture. Now research reports that Chinese acupuncture regulated the brain's opioid pain receptors in fibromyalgia patients. Fibromyalgia syndrome is characterized by persistent fatigue and pain in the muscles and soft tissue.
The study, published in the Journal of NeuroImage, examined how Chinese acupuncture and sham acupuncture differ on the brain's cellular receptor level. Researchers at the University of Michigan administered either acupuncture or sham acupuncture (control group) to 20 female fibromyalgia patients experiencing chronic pain, for four weeks. The participants' had PET (position emission tomography) scans of the brain taken during the first treatment and then four weeks later after the eighth treatment.
The researchers found that acupuncture treatment elicited short and long-term increases in mu-opoid receptors (MOR) binding availability in regions of the brain that regulate pain signals. This effect was not observed with sham acupuncture treatment. Furthermore, the acupuncture patients experienced a greater reduction in pain with long term treatment.
"These findings suggest that divergent MOR processes may mediate clinically relevant analgesic effects for acupuncture and sham acupuncture," the study authors write. They conclude the cellular mechanisms leading to reduction of pain are different for acupuncture and sham acupuncture.
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Clinical studies suggest that 5-HTP (a serotonin precursor), melatonin (a pineal gland biochemical), malic acid and magnesium can improve tender points, pain severity and sleep. Ascorbigen, broccoli powder, rhodiola rosea and ginger root can mediate the body's natural inflammatory process and relieve pain.
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