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Acupuncture/Electroacupuncture as an Alternative in Current Opioid Crisis

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Abstract

Opioid drugs are the first line of defense in severe pain but the adverse effects associated with opioids are considered as a serious issue worldwide. Acupuncture/electroacupuncture is a type of Chinese medicine therapy which is an effective analgesic therapy, well documented in animals and human studies. Electroacupuncture stimulation could release endogenous opioid peptides causing analgesia in a variety of pain models. It can be used as an alternative therapy to control the opioid crisis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. King’s Lab, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Pharmacy, Shanghai, 200240, China

    Usman Ali, Evhy Apryani, Muhammad Zaeem Ahsan, Rana Muhammad Shoaib, Khalil Ali Ahmad & Yong-xiang Wang

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  1. Usman Ali
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  2. Evhy Apryani
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  3. Muhammad Zaeem Ahsan
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  4. Rana Muhammad Shoaib
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  5. Khalil Ali Ahmad
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  6. Yong-xiang Wang
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Correspondence to Yong-xiang Wang.

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Ali, U., Apryani, E., Ahsan, M.Z. et al. Acupuncture/Electroacupuncture as an Alternative in Current Opioid Crisis. Chin. J. Integr. Med. 26, 643–647 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11655-019-3175-7

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