Acupuncture Treats Inflammation

Bethesda Acupuncture
2 days ago
3 min read

Inflammation is often sporadic, but in some cases, it may become chronic—leading to ongoing health issues and a noticeable decline in overall well-being. Studies have shown that acupuncture can be an effective way to help reduce inflammation and manage conditions that are caused or that may be worsened by inflammation.

Acupuncture works by stimulating specific points on the body with needles. This in turn, send signals through the nervous system from the brain and spinal cord. The signals sent can influence how the immune system functions and can also help regulate the body’s inflammatory response.

Inflammation is linked to many common health conditions, including but not limited to:

Autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and psoriasis.
Cardiovascular conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.
Gastrointestinal disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, and ulcerative colitis.
Lung diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and pneumonia.
Metabolic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome.
Neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and multiple sclerosis.
Some types of cancer such as colon cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer.

A 2021 article in the Journal of Inflammation Research reviewed 363 studies published between January 2016 and January 2021, summarizing findings on how acupuncture reduces inflammation. The review concluded that acupuncture helps regulate the immune system, lower inflammation, and reduce oxidative stress. Notably, these benefits are not limited to one part of the body, they extend across systems including the immune, digestive, respiratory, nervous, circulatory, endocrine, and more.

Acupuncture is considered a safe treatment modality with few contraindications. This. combined with the evidence that acupuncture can help with inflammatory conditions means is can be especially helpful for people who only get mild to moderate relief from standard treatment. It is also a good option for patients who may be looking for alternate treatment options that do not rely on prescription drugs.

If you are interested in learning more about how acupuncture might benefit you, it would be our pleasure to schedule you for a virtual consultation. Please give us a call at 301.880.3232.

References:

Huang CC, Kotha P, Tu CH, Huang MC, Chen YH, Lin JG. Acupuncture: A Review of the Safety and Adverse Events and the Strategy of Potential Risk Prevention. Am J Chin Med. 2024;52(6):1555-1587. doi:10.1142/S0192415X24500617

Inflammation. (n.d.). National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/conditions/inflammation/index.cfm

Li, N., Guo, Y., Gong, Y., Zhang, Y., Fan, W., Yao, K., Chen, Z., Dou, B., Lin, X., Chen, B., Chen, Z., Xu, Z., & Lyu, Z. (2021). The Anti-Inflammatory Actions and Mechanisms of Acupuncture from Acupoint to Target Organs via Neuro-Immune Regulation. Journal of inflammation research, 14, 7191–7224. https://doi.org/10.2147/JIR.S341581

Liu S, Wang Z, Su Y, et al. A neuroanatomical basis for electroacupuncture to drive the vagal-adrenal axis [published correction appears in Nature. 2022 Jan;601(7893):E9. doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-04290-9.]. Nature. 2021;598(7882):641-645. doi:10.1038/s41586-021-04001-4

Wu ZG, Huang YJ, Wang TY, Deng CY, Xu ZR, Tang CZ. Effect of acupuncture on neuroinflammation in animal models of Alzheimer's disease: A preclinical systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Aging Neurosci. 2023;15:1110087. Published 2023 Mar 1. doi:10.3389/fnagi.2023.1110087

Zijlstra FJ, van den Berg-de Lange I, Huygen FJ, Klein J. Anti-inflammatory actions of acupuncture. Mediators Inflamm. 2003;12(2):59-69. doi:10.1080/0962935031000114943

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