Traditional Chinese acupuncture versus Sham Acupuncture in Fibromyalgia
A brain imaging study of acupuncture analgesia in women with fibromyalgia from the University of Michigan:
What is the mechanism of pain reduction of traditional Chinese acupuncture compared to sham acupuncture? Is the reduction of pain with acupuncture just a placebo effect?
Traditional Chinese acupuncture and sham acupuncture have both been shown to reduce pain. In this study, researchers used positron emission tomography (PET scan) to show that acupuncture increased the binding capacity of opioid receptors in the areas of the brain that process pain (cingulate, insula, caudate, thalamus and amygdala). There were both short-term and long-term effects that were not seen with sham acupuncture.
Traditional Chinese acupuncture and placebo (sham) acupuncture are differentiated by their effects on mu-opioid receptors (MORs).
Neuroimage. 2009 Sep;47(3):1077-85. Not free full text.
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