Increase your income by attracting thousands of followers, fans, and friends to your Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace by using free content from www.SocialOpine.com. 
The Neuroimmune Basis of Anti-inflammatory Acupuncture.
This review article presents the evidence that the antiinflammatory actions of acupuncture are mediated via the reflexive central inhibition of the innate immune system. Both laboratory and clinical evidence have recently shown the existence of a negative feedback loop between the autonomic nervous system and the innate immunity. There is also experimental evidence that the electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve inhibits macrophage activation and the production of TNF, IL-1beta , IL-6, IL-18, and other proinflammatory cytokines. It is therefore conceivable that along with hypnosis, meditation, prayer, guided imagery, biofeedback, and the placebo effect, the systemic anti-inflammatory actions of traditional and electro-acupuncture are directly or indirectly mediated by the efferent vagus nerve activation and inflammatory macrophage deactivation. In view of this common physiological mediation, assessing the clinical efficacy of a specific acupuncture regimen using conventional double-blind placebo-controlled trials inherently lacks objectivity due to (1) the uncertainty of ancient rules for needle placement, (2) the diffuse noxious inhibitory control triggered by control-needling at irrelevant points, (3) the possibility of a dose-response relationship between stimulation and effects, and (4) the possibility of inadequate blinding using an inert sham procedure. A more objective assessment of its efficacy could perhaps consist of measuring its effects on the surrogate markers of autonomic tone and inflammation. The use of acupuncture as an adjunct therapy to conventional medical treatment for a number of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases seems plausible and should be validated by confirming its cholinergicity.
Integr Cancer Ther. 2007 Sep;6(3):251-7.
Kavoussi B, Ross BE., Southern California University of Health Sciences, College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, Whittier, CA. kavoussi@ucla.edu.
Posted: 10/10/2007
This article provided by The International Hypnosis Research Institute.
Enter your email address to subscribe to the IHRI Newsletter.
|
Control Your Bladder More Effectively With Hypnosis!Do you have an overactive bladder?This specially designed hypnosis session will help you gain control of your bladder using the powerful inner mind to effect your body.
|
|
Banish Fears & Phobias With Hypnosis!This specially designed hypnosis session will easily and effortlessly allow you to eliminate fears & phobias in your life working at a deep inner mind level.
|
|
Enjoying Dogs without Fear!This powerful session will help you overcome your fear of dogs using hypnosis to deactivate phobic responses,leaving an intuitive way to respond to dogs based on calm perception.Regain choice about how you respond to dogs.
|
