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Acupuncture as Neuromodulation: How It Can Explain Ancient and Modern Acupuncture Paradoxes

Akupunktur als Neuromodulation: Wie sich alte und moderne Akupunkturparadoxa erklären lassen

  • Akupunktur
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Chinesische Medizin / Chinese Medicine Aims and scope

Abstract

Though contemporary research meta-analyses and large randomized controlled trials of acupuncture demonstrate its efficacy and efficiency in pain and non-pain conditions, the lack of a defined mechanism for how needling an acupuncture point produces beneficial clinical effects has hindered acupuncture’s integration into allopathic medical practices.

This paper provides a neuroanatomic model of acupuncture signaling that is consistent with acupuncture basic and clinical studies, and that may also potentially provide answers to 2000 year-old paradoxes contained in the Huangdi Neijing treatise.

Zusammenfassung

Aktuelle Metaanalysen der Forschung und große randomisierte kontrollierte Akupunkturstudien belegen zwar ihre Wirksamkeit und Effizienz bei Schmerzzuständen und schmerzfreien Zuständen, doch das Fehlen eines definierten Mechanismus, wie das Nadeln eines Akupunkturpunktes vorteilhafte klinische Effekte erzeugt, hat die Integration der Akupunktur in allopathische medizinische Praktiken behindert.

Dieser Artikel stellt ein neuroanatomisches Modell der Akupunktursignalgebung vor, das mit grundlegenden und klinischen Studien zur Akupunktur übereinstimmt und das möglicherweise auch Antworten auf 2.000 Jahre alte Paradoxa geben kann, die in der Abhandlung „Innerer Klassiker des Gelben Fürsten“ (Huangdi Neijing) enthalten sind.

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Correspondence to Peter Dorsher MSc, MD.

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About the author

The author is an emeritus physician from Mayo Clinic in Florida, now about to start an integrative medicine practice in Florida. Trained in biomedical engineering and medicine, interests include chronic pain and acupuncture, especially its mechanisms. Publications exceed 80 with 40 peer reviewed articles and numerous national and international presentations on acupuncture and pain issues.

Adherence to ethical guidelines

Peter Dorsher states that there are no conflicts of interest. The manuscript does not include studies on humans or animals.

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Dorsher, P. Acupuncture as Neuromodulation: How It Can Explain Ancient and Modern Acupuncture Paradoxes. Chinese Medicine 35, 212–224 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00052-020-0283-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00052-020-0283-6

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