Acupuncture is often described as activating a “homeostatic
mechanism,” and can either excite or suppress intestinal motor
activity. For example, in patients with hyperactive intestinal motility,
acupuncture has a suppressing effect. In cases of sluggish peristalsis,
acupuncture has a promoting effect. Acupuncture has been shown to
reverse the increase in motility caused by vagostigmin and the decrease
in motility caused by atropine. (Iwa & Sakita, 1994). Thus it
can treat both diarrhea and constipation. One practical application
of acupuncture may be to reverse the inhibition of intestinal peristalsis
induced by epidural or intrathecal opioids (Dai et al 1993). Acupuncture
may also be used to reduce postoperative pain and reduce ileus time,
if given pre- and post-operatively.
Tatewaki
M, Harris M, Uemura K, Ueno T, Hoshino E, Shiotani A, Pappas TN,
Takahashi T. Dual effects of acupuncture on gastric motility
in conscious rats. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol
2003 Oct;285(4):R862-72. "The effects of manual acupuncture
on gastric motility were investigated in 35 conscious rats implanted
with a strain gauge transducer. Twenty (57.1%) rats showed no cyclic
groupings of strong contractions (type A), whereas 15 (42.9%) rats
showed the phase III-like contractions of the migrating motor complex
(type B) in the fasting gastric motility. Acupuncture at the stomach
(ST)-36 (Zusanli), but not on the back [Weishu, bladder (BL)-21],
increased the peak amplitude of contractions to 172.4 +/- 25.6%
of basal in the type A rats (n = 20, P < 0.05). On the other
hand, the motility index for 60 min after the acupuncture was not
affected by the acupuncture in this group. On the contrary, acupuncture
decreased the peak amplitude and motility index to 72.9 +/- 14.0%
and 73.6 +/- 16.2% in the type B rats (n = 15, P < 0.05), respectively.
The stimulatory and inhibitory effects of acupuncture observed in
each type were reproducible on the separate days. In 70% of type
A rats, acupuncture induced strong phase III-like contractions lasting
for over 3 h that were abolished by atropine, hexamethonium, atropine
methyl bromide, and vagotomy. Naloxone significantly shortened the
duration of the stimulatory effects from 3.52 +/- 0.21 to 1.02 +/-
0.15 h (n = 3, P < 0.05). These results suggest that acupuncture
at ST-36 induces dual effects, either stimulatory or inhibitory,
on gastric motility. The stimulatory effects are mediated in part
via vagal efferent and opioid pathways."
Li Y, Tougas
G, Chiverton S G, Hunt R 11 1992 The effect of acupuncture
on gastrointestinal function and disorders. American Journal
of Gastroenterology 87:1372-1381
Iwa M, Sakita M 1994
Effects of acupuncture and moxibustion on intestinal motility
in mice. American Journal of Chinese Medicine 22:119-125
Dai J-L, Ren Z J, Fu
Z M, Zhu Y 11, Xu S F 1993 Electroacupuncture reversed the
inhibition of intestinal peristalsis induced by intrathecal injection
of morphine in rabbits. Chinese Medical Journal 106:220-224.
Yuan C, Li R, Zhu J,
Jin N, Zhang D, Yan C 1986 The curative effect and mechanism
of action of the acupoints pishu and weishu. Journal of
Traditional Chinese Medicine 6: 249-252
He Z, Yie X, Gong H 1986
Acupuncture can influence the motive function of the stomach
and intestine. Chen Tzu Yen Chin 282-283
Wan Q. Auricular-plaster
therapy plus acupuncture at zusanli for postoperative recovery of
intestinal function. J Tradit Chin Med. 2000 Jun;20(2):134-5.
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