Acupuncture's secret

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Acupuncture's secret: Blood flow to brain Study tries to explain how

technique works

USA TODAY - March 04, 2004

Acupuncture on pain-relief points cuts blood flow to key areas of the

brain within seconds, providing the clearest explanation to date for

how the ancient technique might relieve pain and treat addictions, a

Harvard scientist reports today.

Although researchers still don't fully understand how acupuncture

works, ''our findings may connect the dots, showing how a common

pathway in the brain could make acupuncture helpful for a variety of

conditions,'' says radiologist Bruce Rosen of Harvard Medical School.

He'll release the findings at the American Psychosomatic Society

meeting in Orlando.

Rosen's team used functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or MRIs, on

about 20 healthy volunteers before, during and after acupuncture.

This type of brain scan shows changes in blood flow and the amount of

oxygen in blood.

Researchers applied acupuncture needles to points on the hand linked

to pain relief in traditional Chinese medicine. Blood flow decreased

in certain areas of the brain within seconds of volunteers reporting

a heaviness in their hands, a sign the acupuncture is working

correctly, Rosen says. The needle technique is not supposed to hurt

if done correctly. When a few subjects reported pain, their scans

showed an increase of blood to the same brain areas.

''When there's less blood, the brain isn't working as hard, '' Rosen

says. ''In effect, acupuncture is quieting down key regions of the

brain.''

The specific brain areas affected are involved in mood, pain and

cravings, Rosen says. This could help explain why some studies have

found acupuncture helpful in treating depression, eating problems,

addictions and pain.

The brain regions involved also are loaded with dopamine,

a ''reward'' chemical that surges in reaction to everything from

cocaine to food, beautiful faces and money. The reduced blood flow

could lead to dopamine changes that trigger a ''cascade'' effect,

releasing endorphins, the brain's natural pain-relieving and

comforting chemicals, Rosen says.

Rosen's study ''is a very exciting first step,'' says neurobiologist

Hammerschlag of the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine in

Portland, but controlled research on pain and addiction patients will

be needed to prove the point. Brain scans should be done on patients

getting acupuncture at real and bogus points, he says, and patients

shouldn't know which group they're in.

The placebo effect is so powerful it could affect blood flow, says

UCLA neurobiologist , a pain expert. There's even

some evidence that placebos can increase brain chemicals, such as

endorphins, Hammerschlag says.

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