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I can't think of too many people who look forward to getting a shot or having
blood drawn. I'm not scared of needles, but they do creep me out and I would
never volunteer to be stuck with any more than what is necessary. But many
people do, and they get stuck with a lot of needles. The art of acupuncture
started in ancient China and has evolved over thousands of years. Acupuncture
is part of a larger set of alternative medicine known as Traditional Chinese
Medicine. The therapy involves the insertion of many extremely thin needles
into the skin at strategic points along the body. So while this technique isn't new, or
necessarily biomedical, I won't discriminate against a form of medicine that
has recently gained attention for reducing skeletal muscle atrophy in elderly
patients.
 I must be
missing something -She looks so relaxed. Image
Credit: Middle path Acupuncture.
What is Acupuncture?
In
traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture is commonly used to treat pain by
balancing the flow of energy or life force. This life force - known as gi or
chi (CHEE) - is believed to flow through the pathways in your body. Acupuncture
practitioners believe that, by inserting needles into specific points along these
pathways or meridians, they can re-balance your energy flow. This is in
contrast to how Western practitioners view acupuncture. They believe that the
needles stimulate nerves, muscles, and connective tissue to boost the activity
of the body's natural painkillers and increase blood flow. Image Credit:
Spirithealeracupuncture.com
Acupuncturists
are licensed (four years of formal training) and have established practices
mixed with a variety of traditional Chinese medicine. Acupuncture is a holistic
approach medicine and treatment so there is no 'one treatment fits all
approach", and many practitioners focus on the patients overall well being
rather than on any one specific ailment. After developing a diagnosis based on
medical history and simple tests-much like a conventional medical doctor-the
acupuncturist will create a treatment plan including a set of
acupuncture points
chosen specifically and in specific combination for the problems the patient is
facing. The style and technique used to insert the needles varies greatly as
does the experience of the patient. Some may feel the needle, or a sensation,
or nothing at all. The needles are usually 32 to 38 gauge needles (and IV
needle is 12 to 18 gauge) and can be left in for up to 20 minutes.
What is Skeletal Muscle Atrophy?
Muscle atrophy is a change that occurs in muscles resulting from
conditions of disuse (immobilization, denervation, muscle unloading), aging,
starvation, and a number of disease states. Skeletal muscle atrophy is
characterized by a decrease in protein content, fiber diameter, force
production, and fatigue resistance. Basically, it's the old saying "if you
don't use it, you lose it". As people become less mobile, for whatever reasons,
their muscles weaken and lose their properties. There are many molecular
triggers and signaling molecules involved in muscle atrophy and they are
discussed in detail in this paper: The molecular
basis of skeletal muscle atrophy.
Image Credit: Acupunctureforall.blogspot.com
A study released at the
Experimental Biology 2012 meeting showed how acupuncture therapy mitigates
skeletal muscle loss and holds promise for those seeking improved mobility
through muscle rejuvenation. The team of
Japanese researchers hopes that the "study will
demonstrate acupuncture's feasibility with regard to improving health among the
elderly and medical patients."
As people
age they begin to lose skeletal muscle. Exercise, improved nutrition, and
mechanical stimulation are the current standard treatments. Since skeletal
muscle has high plasticity these treatments are usually sufficient; however,
for patients who are already frail or have medical conditions, these treatment
options can be challenging. For frail or sick patients, acupuncture may prove to
be an effective, nonpharmacological solution.
How can Acupuncture Help?
The study mentioned above looked at what acupuncture does to the
muscle at a molecular level. "The main focus of this study is changes in
the mRNA expression levels of muscle-specific atrophic genes such as
atrogin-1," says Onda, an acupuncturist and graduate student at the Waseda
University School of Sport Sciences. "Muscle mass and structure are
determined by the balance between protein degradation and synthesis." The
experiments used mice, and a reversal of muscle mass loss was seen in the mice
who received acupuncture. The decrease in muscle mass and in the mRNA
expression level of the E3 ubiquitin ligases atrogin-1 was linked to the
acupuncture treatment.
Being able to identify a molecular reason for the efficacy of
acupuncture treatment may help with its credibility as a treatment option for
pain and various diseases. Acupuncture is endorsed by the World Health
Organization, but is largely regarded as suspicious because the methods and
results could not be explained on a molecular level. This new research hopes to
bring acupuncture into common medical practice as a nonpharmacological treatment.
There is always suspicion of a new medical treatment, especially
one whose success cannot be easily explained. But as we saw in last week's post
about antibodies-just because it isn't fully explained doesn't mean it cannot
work or isn't effective. I don't know if I'm brave enough to try it yet, but I
would love to hear your experiences.
Resources
Acupuncture-
MayoClinc definition
Acupuncture can improve skeletal muscle
atrophy. ScienceDaily.
Retrieved April 26, 2012, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120423162247.htm
Acupuncture-
What to expect
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