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Nature Neuroscience
acupuncture
World Health Organization
Research on acupuncture just got a shot in the arm. Well, a needle near the knee, actually. Because a study in the journal Nature Neuroscience has uncovered a mechanism that could explain how this traditional healing process can help reduce pain. Acupuncture has long been tried against all sorts of ailments, from aches and pains to infertility. And though the western world treats the procedure with some skepticism, it's actually endorsed by the World Health Organization for a couple dozen different conditions. But how can sticking needles in your skin be good for you? Scientists tried the technique on mice that had a pain in the paw, inserting and rotating the needles in the mouse version of one of the most effective acupoints in Chinese medicine. And they found that the tissues around the treated acupoint get flooded with adenosine, a chemical that provides relief by preventing pain signals from reaching the brain. This biochemical blockade reduced the animals' discomfort, as did treating them with drugs that boost the amount of adenosine in the tissue. The scientists say the pain relief stems from the body's natural response to a minor tissue injury. So acupuncture's analgesic effect may have finally been pinned down.
有关针灸治疗的研究目前又有了令人振奋的消息。当然了，银针是扎在膝关节附近，而不是在手臂上。发表在《自然：神经科学》（Nature Neuroscience）上的一项研究揭示了针灸这一传统疗法减缓疼痛的机理。 长久以来针灸用于治疗各种各样的疾病，这其中就有包括治疗疼痛和不育症。虽然西方对针灸治疗持怀疑态度，但事实上世界卫生组织已经认可了针对几十种不同疾病的针灸疗法。但是把针扎到皮肤内是如何对人有好处呢？ 科学家们尝试把针灸疗法的技术用于爪子有疼痛的老鼠身上，根据中医针灸理论，他们把银针扎到老鼠体内最有效果的穴位上。科学家们发现扎银针周围的组织出现了大量的腺苷，腺苷通过阻止疼痛信号传到大脑，从而达到止痛的目的。 这种生化阻止减少了老鼠的疼痛，这和采用药物治疗来达到提高组织中腺苷含量的效果是一样的。科学家们称，这种疼痛缓解来源于身体对微小组织损伤的自然反应。因此针灸的麻醉效果可能最终得到了清楚解释。 ——译文来自: melvillo