Study: Acupuncture Helps Relieve Insomnia Safely and Effectively
Insomnia is a common ailment and can be a sequela of COVID-19. Many medications for treating insomnia have side effects with the potential to cause drug dependence. According to an article published by Mayo Clinic, prescription sleeping pills may include side effects such as dizziness or lightheadedness, headache, changes in thinking and behavior, diarrhea or nausea, and the like. HT7 Stimulation Can Relieve Caffeine-Dependent Sleep Deprivation Two recent studies in South Korea have shown that acupuncture is a safe and effective way to treat insomnia. The Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine research team led by Dr. Ryu Yeon-hee confirmed acupuncture can improve insomnia, and found the principle of acupuncture in treating endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER stress). In the animal experiments conducted by the research team mice were injected with high doses of caffeine and induced to high alert status. The researchers used electric acupuncture to stimulate its acupoint corresponding to humans’ acupoint Spirit Gate(HT7). In TCM, the Spirit Gate is on the ulnar end of the transverse crease of the wrist, in the depression of the radial side of the tendon of the flexor carpi ulnaris muscle. It can regulate brain function, sports senses, and emotions. The study results showed that electroacupuncture can relieve ER stress to affect the brain while sleeping. The endoplasmic reticulum is, in essence, the transportation system of the eukaryotic cell. If pressure is overexerted to the ER, the intake of caffeine and similar environmental factors will induce the problem of immune reaction, inequivalent neurotransmission, and cause insomnia. The results of the study confirmed changes in the patterns of sleeping and wakefulness after acupuncture stimulation. HT7 stimulation can relieve caffeine-dependent sleep deprivation by modulating the ER stress response. In addition, the results confirmed the curative effect of electroacupuncture upon exercise recovery. The research team believed that acupuncture therapy produced little adverse effect and it is a continuous treatment for non-medicinal sleeping management. The research team hopes that this method will become the foundation of curing insomnia over machines and medications. Corresponding study author Dr. Seo Soo-yeon said to Korean media that, “Although the focus of this research is on the effect of acupuncture upon the ER stress, the curative effect is far more than that.” They “will continue to do similar research on controlled and stabilized acupuncture therapy with more scientific evidence provided.” The research results were published in the international journal Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy on Sept. 23, 2022. Study Confirmed the Safety of Acupuncture Therapy Moreover, the Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine recently confirmed the safety of acupuncture therapy through a large-scale study. The institute and the Department of Science in Korean Medicine, College of Korean Medicine, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University released research on Dec. 12, 2022, on the safety of acupuncture therapy conducted by Korean medicine doctors and published the results in the academic journal BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies graded SCI (E). The research team revealed that although previous large-scale studies from the UK, Germany, and Japan reported an acceptable safety profile for acupuncture treatment, outcomes may differ according to the clinical and cultural context where it is performed. Therefore, it is necessary to do a massive and prospective study on the safety of acupuncture treatment by Korean medicine doctors. From July 2016 to October 2017, the research team compared and analyzed the data provided by 222 Korean medicine doctors on 37,490 acupuncture treatments. The result showed that at least one adverse event (AE) was reported in 4,518 out of 37,490 acupuncture treatments, including bleeding, needle site pain, and bruising. The research team said that the AEs certainly occurred by acupuncture treatment in causality assessment. Most AEs administrative problems were considered mild in severity with no sequelae and were recovered from. What Is Acupuncture in TCM? TCM has discovered that there is a “meridian” system in the human body that is responsible for transporting “qi” and “blood” throughout the body. The two substances of qi and blood circulate to maintain balance and stability in various tissues and organs. When the meridian system is blocked, it will affect the transport of substances and allow abnormalities to appear in the human body. Acupoints are a unique term in Chinese culture and TCM, and they are places with many nerve endings and blood vessels. They are specific locations where qi and blood gather, transfer, and enter and exit, and are also regarded as energy-gathering points of the human body. According to TCM theory, the flow of qi in the meridians can be improved by stimulating acupoints through acupuncture. When needles are i
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Insomnia is a common ailment and can be a sequela of COVID-19.
Many medications for treating insomnia have side effects with the potential to cause drug dependence. According to an article published by Mayo Clinic, prescription sleeping pills may include side effects such as dizziness or lightheadedness, headache, changes in thinking and behavior, diarrhea or nausea, and the like.
HT7 Stimulation Can Relieve Caffeine-Dependent Sleep Deprivation
Two recent studies in South Korea have shown that acupuncture is a safe and effective way to treat insomnia.
The Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine research team led by Dr. Ryu Yeon-hee confirmed acupuncture can improve insomnia, and found the principle of acupuncture in treating endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER stress).
In the animal experiments conducted by the research team mice were injected with high doses of caffeine and induced to high alert status. The researchers used electric acupuncture to stimulate its acupoint corresponding to humans’ acupoint Spirit Gate(HT7).
In TCM, the Spirit Gate is on the ulnar end of the transverse crease of the wrist, in the depression of the radial side of the tendon of the flexor carpi ulnaris muscle. It can regulate brain function, sports senses, and emotions.
The study results showed that electroacupuncture can relieve ER stress to affect the brain while sleeping. The endoplasmic reticulum is, in essence, the transportation system of the eukaryotic cell. If pressure is overexerted to the ER, the intake of caffeine and similar environmental factors will induce the problem of immune reaction, inequivalent neurotransmission, and cause insomnia.
The results of the study confirmed changes in the patterns of sleeping and wakefulness after acupuncture stimulation. HT7 stimulation can relieve caffeine-dependent sleep deprivation by modulating the ER stress response. In addition, the results confirmed the curative effect of electroacupuncture upon exercise recovery.
The research team believed that acupuncture therapy produced little adverse effect and it is a continuous treatment for non-medicinal sleeping management. The research team hopes that this method will become the foundation of curing insomnia over machines and medications.
Corresponding study author Dr. Seo Soo-yeon said to Korean media that, “Although the focus of this research is on the effect of acupuncture upon the ER stress, the curative effect is far more than that.” They “will continue to do similar research on controlled and stabilized acupuncture therapy with more scientific evidence provided.”
The research results were published in the international journal Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy on Sept. 23, 2022.
Study Confirmed the Safety of Acupuncture Therapy
Moreover, the Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine recently confirmed the safety of acupuncture therapy through a large-scale study.
The institute and the Department of Science in Korean Medicine, College of Korean Medicine, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University released research on Dec. 12, 2022, on the safety of acupuncture therapy conducted by Korean medicine doctors and published the results in the academic journal BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies graded SCI (E).
The research team revealed that although previous large-scale studies from the UK, Germany, and Japan reported an acceptable safety profile for acupuncture treatment, outcomes may differ according to the clinical and cultural context where it is performed. Therefore, it is necessary to do a massive and prospective study on the safety of acupuncture treatment by Korean medicine doctors.
From July 2016 to October 2017, the research team compared and analyzed the data provided by 222 Korean medicine doctors on 37,490 acupuncture treatments. The result showed that at least one adverse event (AE) was reported in 4,518 out of 37,490 acupuncture treatments, including bleeding, needle site pain, and bruising.
The research team said that the AEs certainly occurred by acupuncture treatment in causality assessment. Most AEs administrative problems were considered mild in severity with no sequelae and were recovered from.
What Is Acupuncture in TCM?
TCM has discovered that there is a “meridian” system in the human body that is responsible for transporting “qi” and “blood” throughout the body. The two substances of qi and blood circulate to maintain balance and stability in various tissues and organs. When the meridian system is blocked, it will affect the transport of substances and allow abnormalities to appear in the human body.
Acupoints are a unique term in Chinese culture and TCM, and they are places with many nerve endings and blood vessels. They are specific locations where qi and blood gather, transfer, and enter and exit, and are also regarded as energy-gathering points of the human body.
According to TCM theory, the flow of qi in the meridians can be improved by stimulating acupoints through acupuncture. When needles are inserted into the acupoints of the human body, they strengthen the circulation of qi and blood, overcome the blockage of the meridians, restore the meridian system to normalcy, and thus cure the disease.
