Acupuncture to Improve Quality of Life - Medical Frontiers

Acupuncture and moxibustion are traditional eastern medical practices with a history of over 2,000 years. Many people seek out treatment for pain management and also other issues like insomnia and injuries. However, the exact scientific mechanisms of actions weren't fully understood, but in recent years efforts are being made to gather clinical evidence and scientific data of the effectiveness of acupuncture and validate them through western medical standards. Today we'll focus on acupuncture and moxibustion treatment that has evolved uniquely in Japan. In recent years acupuncture and moxibustion have gained attention as a complement to western medicine. Workshops are being held in Europe and the United States. British acupuncturist Edward Obeyde studied in Japan and obtained a national qualification. He has been practicing for 35 years. Edward, can you tell me a little bit about the difference between Japanese acupuncture versus Chinese acupuncture? So for instance this is a Chinese needle. This is an extreme example I'm showing you and if you have a look here I don't know if you can see the head. This can be used to cause vibration in the needle and the needle is basically inserted like this. Quite thick. But the Japanese one and actually I can show you how thin it is. I hope you're going to get this on the camera. Even if I do this it's impossible for me to put it in. It's that thin. So in order to put this in we have a tube and basically the needle goes inside there and then we tap the needle in. Chinese acupuncture uses thick long needles that are inserted deeply while Japanese acupuncture uses thin short needles that are inserted shallowly aiming to achieve effects with less stimulation. Acupuncture is based on the concept of meridians or keiraku. They are energy pathways believed to run throughout the body connecting to internal organs. Along these meridians are acupoints. Stimulating these points with needles is thought to regulate the flow of energy leading to effects such as better blood circulation and pain relief. And so for instance a typical line that we all know about is this line here which is the large intestine line which actually goes up to the teeth and that is connected with the large intestine organ inside. And so by using the keiraku as we call them on the outside of the body we can not only help the local area so if the arm is stiff or if there's a toothache we can help but also it will change the functioning of the internal organs and how they found that out I don't know a lot of trial and experience. Efforts are underway in Japan to scientifically prove the effects of this treatment focusing on meridians. This university has an acupuncture department that brings together Japanese specialists. Katsuya Daichi demonstrated the effects of stimulating the acupoint located where the bones of the thumb and index finger meet. Thermography detected a rise in body temperature not just in the right hand where the needle was inserted. Temperature also rose in the left hand. The autonomic nervous system automatically regulates vital functions such as body temperature breathing and heartbeat. One part of it is the sympathetic nervous system which prepares the body for action by increasing heart rate and other responses. The other part is the parasympathetic nervous system which helps the body to relax by decreasing heart rate and in other ways. One of the characteristics of acupuncture is its ability to normalize the functioning of autonomic nervous system. For many years Katsuya has used acupuncture to treat the after effects of stroke. Kubota Toshihiro suffered a stroke in October 2023. Seven months later the left side of his body remains paralyzed. Immediately after the stroke facial paralysis made it difficult for him to speak and eat. There are several acupoints that can help with this. One is in the middle of the eyebrow. Another is at the joint between the upper and lower jaws. They are located along the trigeminal nerve which controls sensation and movement in the face. Stimulating these acupoints increases blood flow to the brain easing general body pain and facial discomfort. He also had sensory impairment in his left arm. It became difficult for him to sense temperature. For sensory problems acupuncturists look at how the body's meridians are connected to decide where to insert needles. This may not always be in the same spot as the affected area. They may consider an acupoint just below the kneecap. There is also an effective point where the bones of the thumb and index finger meet. In some cases, Kasia also applies electrical stimulation to the needles inserted in the arms and legs to promote the secretion of opioids, a substance that relieves pain. Opioids are released by the brain and spinal cord. There are different types with varying effects such as pain relief and stress reduction. Research has shown that the type of opioid produced in the brain depends on the frequency of the electrical stimulation applied. This graph, based on blood tests, shows the type of opioids that are secreted at different frequencies. At a low frequency of two hertz opioids promoting relaxation and calm are produced. A high frequency of 100 hertz leads to the secretion of opioids that help balance the autonomic nervous system. Kasia combines various frequencies in treating sensory problems. Seven months have passed since Kubota had a stroke. Rehabilitation and monthly acupuncture treatments have led to a major improvement in his symptoms. Kasia has also been studying the effects of moxibustion. Moxibustion involves placing dried mugwort leaves on acupoints and burning them to warm the area. It improves blood circulation and relieves pain. The after effects of stroke can include dizziness and unsteadiness. Kasia has been treating patients with these symptoms by applying moxibustion to the soles of their feet to improve balance. He conducted an experiment to verify its effects. This device measures the distribution of body weight on the soles of the feet. Even a healthy university student can struggle to maintain balance while standing with eyes closed. His center of gravity shifts causing him to sway. Kasia applied moxibustion to the soles of his feet for about 10 minutes. He targeted areas known as mechanoreceptors. Mechanoreceptors are located on the soles and detect pressure and vibration. They transmit information to the central nervous system to help control posture and balance. After moxibustion his balance was measured again. This is the data taken before the treatment and this is the data taken afterward. The treatment helped to align his center of gravity improving his balance. Would it be effective then also for something like Meniere's disease as well? These images show the improvement in symptoms of atopic dermatitis after about 10 months of acupuncture and moxibustion. This patient had severe itching and hard lumps on her hands and feet which didn't improve with medication alone. She decided to try acupuncture as well. More people with atopic dermatitis are trying the treatment. This woman has had symptoms since birth and started having acupuncture sessions a year ago. Before starting treatment, acupuncturists ask patients about their health in detail. During this session, Tsuji targeted not only the acupoints for improving skin condition but also for relieving stress. The connection between overall health and eczema was a significant focus for a researcher who once mentored Tsuji. Egawa Masato has been using acupuncture to treat atopic dermatitis for over 20 years. Egawa is trying to objectively measure how well acupuncture works for treating atopic dermatitis. One of the indicators he uses is the level of IgE antibodies in the blood. IgE antibodies help to remove foreign substances from the body. High levels of these antibodies worsen the symptoms of eczema. Experts believe an excessive reaction against foreign substances causes skin inflammation. Egawa examined patients' blood after acupuncture sessions to check their IgE antibody levels. He found the levels dropped in 91.7% of those who saw a significant improvement in symptoms. This was much higher than in those who had minor or no improvement. The woman receiving acupuncture and medication for the past year has gradually seen her symptoms improve. She has been recording her symptoms using a survey provided by her acupuncturists. She receives a score based on seven questions about the frequency of symptoms over the previous week. At the start of treatment, her score was 20, showing she had severe eczema. Her latest score was 6, indicating mild symptoms. And I guess, Professor, what challenges do you think that acupuncture, working together with western medicine, what challenges do you think it faces? Doctor, thank you so much for your time today. Today we will learn self-care techniques to ease various types of pain from Edward Obeidi, a licensed practitioner of acupuncture and moxibustion in Japan. The first technique is for headache relief. We will use moxa sticks, which warm the acupoints without touching the skin. This type of moxibustion is available online. Yeah, it comes from a herb. In English it's called Artemisia vulgaris, and in Japanese we call it yomogi. The main reason that they use yomogi is the heating curve is very calm and regular. It's not explosive, and so you can warm things up. So it's a very good herb to use. The acupoints targeted will vary depending on the location of the headache. For pain at the front of the head, use shouyou at the index finger nail's lower corner on the thumb side. For pain on the sides of the head, target kanshou. It's at the ring finger nail's lower corner on the pinky side. And for pain at the back of the head, focus on shotaku at the pinky nail's outer bottom corner. And when you use this, you put your finger in between it so that you're not going to burn her finger. And the hottest part is here, and basically I hold it here about one centimetre away, and she tells me when it's hot. And how hot? I mean, it feels quite warm, but not hot, hot. Yeah, when it gets to a sharp heat, you tell me, because it's actually quite pleasant, isn't it? Yeah, it's very nice. Yeah, and if you did this, say, two or three times a week, then actually when it's not painful, then you could probably prevent a full headache coming on. And for people who don't have access to moxa, could you just, as you mentioned, just press it? Yeah, literally like this. Okay, so quite gentle, so it's not painful. No. Okay. Don't go too strongly, because the main thing is to sensitise, to get the link between up here and this meridian going. So just press it lightly. The second technique is for menstrual pain. Target sun ankle, located about four finger widths above the inner ankle. This acupoint is a meeting point for the meridians connected to the liver, kidneys and spleen. Warm the point with moxa sticks. Then you want a gap of about one centimetre or 1.5 centimetres, and just wait until it warms up nice and slowly. So when you're warming up this specific point, what action is it having in the body? It's going into these three meridians, and they will fill up and affect the organs inside, and then when they're full up, you will feel heat. If you don't have access to moxa, gently press on the acupoint for three seconds, and then release for three seconds. Repeat this process. And would you do it on both sides? Yes. Okay, great. So everything we've done on this side... Yes, repeat it on the other side. The third technique is for lower back pain. The target is jingyu, located at the narrowest part of the waist, about two finger widths away from the spine. This point helps to relieve fatigue. First, lie on your stomach. Next important thing we need is this hot water bottle. A hot water... just a regular standard hot water bottle. Yeah. All we need to do is we just put it here. And we can just... if they're not that weak and it's not that painful, then what we can do is we can start to do some very light massage. I don't know if you can see this, but I'm just moving the muscles back and forth. Back and forth. And you're not pressing hard because sometimes if you press hard, it can irritate the problem and make it worse. So for those who don't have a hot water bottle at home, what could you do instead? We have the answer. A bottle of water? Yeah, but with hot water. You've got hot water in there? Okay, that's great. That's very ingenious. Brilliant. You can also roll a plastic bottle containing hot water over the painful parts of your lower back and legs. Make sure to cover yourself afterward with a towel or other item to stop the heat from escaping. I guess the key point is finding the right point as well. Yes. When you first find it, you're never going to be 100% correct anyway. But if you get roughly in that area and you do the moxa, which isn't pinpoint, you'll be okay. And with the bottle and the hot water bottle, even more so. You don't have to worry too much about getting it spot on. And over time, you'll feel it anyway. That's brilliant. Fantastic. Thank you so much. My pleasure. It was good to talk to you.