Acupuncture/Electroacupuncture as an Alternative in Current Opioid Crisis.

Author: Ali U1, Apryani E1, Ahsan MZ1, Shoaib RM1, Ahmad KA1, Wang YX2
Affiliation:
1King's Lab, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Pharmacy, Shanghai, 200240, China.
2King's Lab, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Pharmacy, Shanghai, 200240, China. yxwang@sjtu.edu.cn.
Conference/Journal: Chin J Integr Med.
Date published: 2019 Oct 15
Other: Special Notes: doi: 10.1007/s11655-019-3175-7. [Epub ahead of print] , Word Count: 89


Opioid drugs are the first line of defense in severe pain but the adverse effects associated with opioids are considered as a serious issue worldwide. Acupuncture/electroacupuncture is a type of Chinese medicine therapy which is an effective analgesic therapy, well documented in animals and human studies. Electroacupuncture stimulation could release endogenous opioid peptides causing analgesia in a variety of pain models. It can be used as an alternative therapy to control the opioid crisis.

KEYWORDS: Chinese medicine; acupuncture; analgesia; electroacupuncture; opioid crisis

PMID: 31630362 DOI: 10.1007/s11655-019-3175-7

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