Scientific American 【一分钟科普】揭示针灸止痛的原理 Mechanism Points To Acupuncture Pain Relief http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=mechanism-points-to-acupuncture-pai-10-05-30 http://tinyurl.com/235pyos In mice, inserting and rotating acupuncture needles releases adenosine, which blocks pain signals. Karen Hopkin reports. 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 [Maiken Nedergaard et al] 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 minor tissue injury. So acupuncture』s analgesic effect may have finally been pinned down. —Karen Hopkin http://article.yeeyan.org/view/130962/108086 在老鼠身上插入针灸针，并进行旋转，会释放出一种叫腺苷的物质，它能够阻止疼痛信号 传入大脑。卡伦·霍普金报导 研究针灸就是进行皮下注射，更确切地说，是在膝关节附近扎针。因为《自然神经科学》 杂志上的一篇研究已经揭露出针灸这种传统的治癒方法缓解疼痛的原理。 长期以来，针灸已经被用於治疗从周身不适到不孕症等各种各样的疾病。虽然西方国家仍 对此持怀疑态度，在许多不同的情况下，世界卫生组织却对此十分赞同。但是，为什麽把 针扎入皮肤就会对你有益呢？ 科学家施针灸於爪疼的老鼠身上，他们将针插在中国内科中认为的老鼠身上最有效的穴位 ，并旋转针头。然後他们发现被施针穴位附近的组织中充满了腺苷，它是一种能够阻止疼 痛信号传入大脑的化学物质。 这种生化封锁减少了动物的不适感，就像通过药物来提高组织中腺苷含量来缓解疼痛一样 。科学家认为，疼痛的缓解从身体的必然反应开始，一直延伸到较小的组织损伤。因此， 针灸的止痛效果被最终确定下来。 —卡伦·霍普金 --

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