Did you know that Acupuncture was found to repair injured nerves?

In a recent study in the journal Neural Regeneration Research, found that acupuncture can help repair injured nerves. The study measured the effectiveness of acupuncture on nerve function by measuring nerve conduction using electromyography. Electromyography is a diagnostic tool used to measure nerve health and function.

Results of the study found that patients receiving acupuncture had a 80% effective response on conduction nerve tests. This study also found that using a set of points, instead of just using local points, resulted in better results. Previous studies primarily used local points. In addition, this study found that specifically adding points on the Du meridian plus using acupuncture points local to the affected area resulted in an increase response. The Du meridian is one of the acupuncture meridians and runs in the mid-line of the body along the back of the spine up to the top of the head and face.

How can acupuncture help?

Interestingly to note, the study mentioned a proposed mechanism of action on how exactly acupuncture can help repair injured nerves. The study noted that in sciatic nerve injury specifically, a neurotransmitter acetylcholinesterase is reduced resulting in possible neuronal cell death and halting the nerve’s repair. The study mentioned that acupuncture was found to counteract this drop in acetylcholinesterase by increasings its expression, thus helping the nerve to repair.

This study is just another piece of scientific evidence that shows how acupuncture works in the body. It also serves to answer the question that is commonly asked in practice, “How does acupuncture work.” This study provides yet another explanation.

Examples of possible nerve conditions that acupuncture can treat are:

• Nerve pain from auto accidents or work related injuries
• Facial paralysis | Bell’s Palsy
• Sciatic nerve injury
• Peripheral neuropathy
• Raynaud’s
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Tennis/Golfer’s Elbow
• Thoracic Outlet Syndrome “TOS”
• Whiplash

If you suffer from nerve damage and looking for safe, effective ways to increase function and speed healing, contact our office at (425) 686-4498 to schedule your initial consultation to learn how we can help.

Source:

Gh, He, Ruan Jw, Zeng Ys, X. Zhou, Y. Ding, and Zhou Gh. “Improvement in acupoint selection for acupuncture of nerves surrounding the injury site: electro-acupuncture with Governor vessel with local meridian acupoints.” Neural Regeneration Research 10, no. 1 (2015): 128.