Acupuncture and Hormone Balance
Chapter 1: Endorphin and Acupuncture
Acupuncture can be used to treat many kinds of symptoms and diseases, such as pain, diabetes, impotence, infertility, autoimmune diseases, allergy, prostitis, obesity, tendonitis, sciatica, endometriosis, and PMS. It seems to be helpful for almost every kind of medical condition. One reason is that it helps the body produce more fell-good hormones, endogenous opioids, a group of chemicals produced in the brain that can reduce pain and improve mood.
Endogenous opioids include beta-endorphin, enkephalin, endomorphin, and dynorphin; all are chemicals that make us fell good and relieve pain. They are also called the endogenous painkillers. Beta-endorphin is derived from its precursor protein proopiomelanocortin, which is present in abundant amounts in nerve cells of the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus, in the pituitary, medulla, and in peripheral tissues including the intestines and ovaries. Pro-opiomelancortin cleaves to form adrenocortiocotropichormone and beta-lipoprotein. Further cleavage of the beta-lipoprotein yields neuropeptides including beta-endorphin. Most people are aware that endorphin can relieve pain and make people feel good, but in the past couple of years this nurochemical has also been found to be assoicated with many important body functions.
Beta-endorphin and Immune Function
There is increasing evidence that endorphin can enhance our immune function. After surgery and radiation therapy, the immune function is generally suppressed and infection can lead to complicated medical problems. Using acupuncture can help sternthen the immune function to preven infection and chronic inflammation. Research has shown that acupuncture can increase the plasma antibody concentration and the interleukin II level. In animal models, electric acupuncture enhances or restores the natural killer cell activity suppressed by lesion of the front part of the hypothalamic area.
Duke University Medical Center researchers recruited a group of women who had surgery to treat breast cancer. The found that women who had acupuncture after surgery recovered more comfortably than those without acupuncture. Acupuncture greatly reduced nausea and vomiting after general anesthesia...