ACUPUNCTURE & IMMUNE MODULATION January 9, 2015 By Michael Lee, MD Peer Reviewed Despite the popularization of acupuncture, its application in infectious conditions like malaria is not a widely accepted practice in Western medicine. A considerable volume of evidence, however, suggests that acupuncture could theoretically improve infectious, autoimmune, atopic, and even malignant conditions by modulating the immune system. Although there is a dearth of strong clinical trials supporting its efficacy, acupuncture and its permutations, such as electroacupuncture (wherein electric currents are applied through the acupuncture needle), have been used to treat bacterial infections and immunologic conditions, such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and ulcerative colitis [3]. These observations raise the following question: how might acupuncture affect the immune system and how convincing is the scientific evidence? Discussed below are the 2 most plausible theories explaining the potential immune-modulatory roles of acupuncture. clinicalcorrelations.org/?p=8293
Posted on: Sun, 25 Jan 2015 12:59:00 +0000
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