07/22/2024
Multiple studies over the last five years have revealed that regulating inflammation and preventing immune overreaction are the key principles regulating the acupuncture-driven anti-inflammatory action in numerous diseases.
Immune System
Immune system diseases are caused by an imbalance in immune regulation, including structural or functional abnormalities of the immune system..
Digestive System
Inflammation is a common and basic pathological process in digestive system diseases.18 Acupuncture offers a great advantage in consolidating the curative effect, in reducing the recurrence rate, and in improving immunity in digestive system diseases, such as hepatitis, acute/chronic pancreatitis, chronic atrophic gastritis, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and other inflammatory diseases.
Respiratory System
Inflammatory diseases are the most common diseases of the respiratory system. Several systematic reviews show that acupuncture vastly improves both nasal symptoms and lung function of patients, thus enhancing the overall quality of life of patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and confirming the anti-inflammatory nature of acupuncture.
Nervous System
Neuroinflammation is a complex innate immune response process that clears infection, pathogens, cellular debris, and misfolded proteins from the nervous system. It is a key factor and among the most common pathological manifestations of various nervous system diseases, including central nervous system (CNS) injury and neurodegenerative diseases.
Motor System
Among the diseases of the motor system, osteoarthritis (OA), as well as muscle and tendon injury, are common clinical diseases that respond well to acupuncture. Inflammatory symptoms including joint pain, swelling, and stiffness often occur, and these, as well as synovial inflammation, articular cartilage damage, and low bone density in OA patients, are induced by cytokines and chemokines released by infiltrating inflammatory cells. This further erodes the cartilage and destroys the force balance of the joints.12 Acupuncture effectively alleviates inflammation of the motor system.
The Endocannabinoid System
The endocannabinoid system is involved in the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of acupuncture targeting acute inflammatory pain. For example, electro-acupuncture improves mechanical and thermal pain thresholds, as well as the body weight percentage, prevents cartilage loss, and alleviates joint dysfunction in rats with knee osteoarthritis.
Circulatory System
The circulatory system is a continuous closed-pipeline system that is distributed all over the body. Inflammation is currently recognized as the main pathological basis of atherosclerosis, hypertension, and other circulatory diseases, as well as an important complication of these diseases. Several lines of evidence have confirmed that acupuncture effectively treats circulatory system diseases and adjusts the levels of a variety of chemical components, such as plasma proteins, blood ammonia, electrolytes, enzyme activities, and other biological active substances to regulate vascular function, promote the formation of collateral neovascularization, improve the microcirculation, and enhance the remodeling of ventricular function.
Endocrine System
As many endocrine glands and hormones interact with one another, the clinical manifestations of endocrine system diseases are varied and complex, often involving the abnormal function of organs in multiple systems, resulting in abnormal metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, water, electrolytes, and purines. Chronic, subclinical, and non-specific inflammatory states are closely related to the occurrence and development of type 2 diabetes. PI3K/Akt signaling is a well-defined insulin signal transduction pathway, which is known to affect glucose metabolism and protein synthesis via the regulation of inflammatory responses and vascular homeostasis.
Genitourinary System
The urinary and reproductive systems share a common origin during ontogenesis. Hence, they are closely related in structure and function, and diseases of one system often influence the other. In recent years, clinical studies have revealed that acupuncture has a therapeutic effect on the treatment of upper urinary tract inflammation, such as pyelonephritis and inflammation of the ureter, as well as lower urinary tract inflammation, such as cystitis and urethritis. Acupuncture also improves typical urinary tract irritation symptoms, such as frequent urination, urgency of urination, pain during urination, and hematuria, as well as systemic symptoms, such as shivering, fever, and fatigue caused by an inflammatory reaction. It also has good curative effects on ge***al system inflammation, such as vaginitis, cervicitis, pelvic inflammatory disease, endometritis, salpingitis, peritonitis, and pelvic connective tissue inflammation.
Inflammation plays a significant role in the occurrence and development of multiple diseases. This study comprehensively reviews and presents literature from the last five years, showing that acupuncture indeed exerts strong anti-inflammatory effects ...
