![Acupuncture would have an analgesic effect against pain](https://img.passeportsante.net/1000x526/2014-03-24/i38081-l-acupuncture-aurait-un-effet-analgesique-contre-la-douleur.jpg)
September 2, 2010 – Acupuncture is believed to have an analgesic effect against pain, but it is ineffective for about 15% of people who use this approach.
This is what Chinese professor Ji-Sheng Han said.1, during a conference given as part of the 13e World Pain Congress, held in Montreal2.
“Planting needles that are left static does not provide any benefit against pain,” he said, however. There must be manual or electrical stimulation of the needles to achieve a pain relieving effect.
A pioneer in acupuncture research in China, the Pr Han argued that, during treatment, the body responds to the insertion of needles into the skin by secreting a class of endorphins – enkephalin – which cause an analgesic effect, that is, which soothe pain. .
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Ji-Sheng Han
However, in some, the secretion of enkephalin is accompanied by the production of a hormone – cholecystokinin or CCK-8 – which decreases the analgesic effect of enkephalin.
“This explains why 10% to 15% of the population does not respond to acupuncture treatments,” he said in an interview, confident that he himself is part of this group. !
“Make no mistake: acupuncture does not completely eliminate pain, but it decreases the extent of it, without the unwanted effects of pain medication,” he said.
Electroacupuncture: the most effective method
Among the different ways of practicing acupuncture, electroacupuncture is the most effective in relieving acute or chronic pain, according to research conducted by Professor Han.
During an electroacupuncture treatment, the needles are connected to a device that emits an electric current that can be modulated with precision, according to the desired effect. This is not the case with traditional acupuncture.
“We have observed that electroacupuncture stimulates energy flow and the production of endorphins more than other approaches do,” he said.
In this regard, one can obtain an analgesic effect – of less magnitude than electroacupuncture – if the therapist manipulates the needles by turning them, during the session.
He made it clear that the treatment of chronic pain with electroacupuncture differs from that for acute pain.
“High electrical frequency and amplitude worsen the ailment in those with chronic pain, while it soothes point or acute pain.” Our challenge is to more accurately determine the effect of different electrical frequencies on multiple kinds of pain, ”concluded Professor Han.
Martin LaSalle – PasseportSanté.net
1. Professor Ji-Sheng Han is also director of the Neuroscience Research Institute at Peking University, and founder of the China Association for the Study of Pain.
2. For more information on 13e World Pain Congress: www.iasp-pain.org [consulté le 1er septembre 2010].