Acupuncture has spread around the world since originating in China but conventional western medicine has remained steadfastly skeptical. Although there is now good evidence that acupuncture can relieve pain, many of the other health benefits acupuncturists claim are on shakier ground.

Despite acupuncture’s 4,000-year history, little is known about the biological pathways that enable carefully placed needles to relieve pain in many patients. While controversy remains surrounding acupuncture, in certain quarters, researchers have determined the compound adenosine is key to acupuncture’s effectiveness. In a paper published in Nature neuroscience, researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center identified the molecule adenosine as a central player in parlaying some of the effects of acupuncture in the body.

This study focused on determining the effects of acupuncture on the peripheral nervous system, the nerves in our bodies that aren’t a part of the central nervous system-the spinal cord and brain.

It’s cause quite a stir across the internet. The argument against the study’s validity, according to the non-believers is the results are attributed to the ” placebo effect.” But they are misinformed-the placebo effect is present in humans, not animals. It is the effect of the mind’s belief that a treatment will work.

The latest research gives doctors a sound explanation of how sticking needles into the skin can alleviate, rather than exacerbate, pain. The discovery will challenge the view, widely held among scientists, that any benefits a patient feels after acupuncture are due purely to the placebo effect.

The research contributes to a multitude of studies that have demonstrated acupuncture’s ability to trigger signals, that stimulates the brain to release natural pain-killing endorphins.

The research focuses on adenosine, a neurotransmitter known for its role in regulating sleep, for its effects on the heart, and for its anti-inflammatory properties. It also acts as a natural painkiller, becoming active in the skin after an injury to inhibit nerve signals and ease pain.

The scientists gave each mouse a sore paw by injecting it with an inflammatory chemical. The researchers performed acupuncture treatments on mice with discomfort in one paw. The mice each received a 30-minute acupuncture treatment at a well known acupuncture point near the knee, with very fine needles rotated gently every five minutes, similar to the way humans are treated with acupuncture. The scientists recorded how quickly each mouse pulled its sore paw away from a small bristly brush. The more pain the mice were in, the faster they pulled away.

The levels of adenosine in the tissue adjacent to the needle, rose 24-fold in the tissue fluid surrounding the needle.

Researchers mimicked acupuncture in mice by placing and gradually rotating a needle at a point just below the knee, for 30 minutes. The mice injected with an inflammatory substance in their paws and given acupuncture displayed fewer pain symptoms than mice that didn’t get acupuncture.

Half of the mice lacked a gene that is needed to make adenosine receptors, which are found on major nerves. But those that were genetically engineered, lacking certain adenosine receptors failed to experience any benefit from the acupuncture, additional proof of adenosine’s role. Also enzymes that block adenosine’s break down enhanced acupuncture’s effectiveness, tripling the level of adenosine near the needle and extending pain relief from about one hour to about three hours.

Learn more about acupuncture research. Stop by Elaine R. Ferguson, MD’s site where you can find out all about Chinese Medicine and what it can do for you.

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