Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Minimal immunoreactive plasma beta-endorphin and decrease of cortisol at standard analgesia or different acupuncture

H Harbach1, B Moll, R-H Boedeker

  • 1University of Giessen, Department of Anaesthesiology, Intensive Care, Pain Therapy, Palliative Medicine, Germany. heinz.harbach@chiru.med.uni-giessen.de

European Journal of Anaesthesiology
|December 13, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Olfactory function in patients with olfactory groove meningioma.

Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry·2001
Same author

[Anosmia caused by inhaled hazardous substances. Significance for expert assessment general practice].

Laryngo- rhino- otologie·2000
Same author

Comparison of olfactory function in patients with seasonal and perennial allergic rhinitis.

Allergy·1998
Same author

[To our readers].

Anasthesiologie, Intensivmedizin, Notfallmedizin, Schmerztherapie : AINS·1998
Same author

Are circulating adhesion molecules specifically changed in cardiac surgical patients?

The Annals of thoracic surgery·1998
Same author

Volume therapy in the critically ill: is there a difference?

Intensive care medicine·1998

Acupuncture does not release beta-endorphin into the blood, even with various techniques. This study found no significant difference in beta-endorphin levels across different acupuncture methods and standard pain treatment under low stress conditions.

Area of Science:

  • Pain Management
  • Neuroscience
  • Endocrinology

Background:

  • Acupuncture is claimed to activate the endogenous antinociceptive system.
  • Analgesic effects of acupuncture are often attributed to beta-endorphin.
  • Beta-endorphin release is linked to stress and may not be analgesic under such conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if beta-endorphin is released into the blood during acupuncture.
  • To compare different acupuncture techniques with standard pain treatment.
  • To assess these effects under low-stress conditions.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective study with 15 male patients suffering from chronic low back pain.
  • Measured plasma beta-endorphin and cortisol levels during five treatment protocols: standard pain treatment, traditional Chinese acupuncture, sham acupuncture, electroacupuncture, and electroacupuncture at non-acupuncture points.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Utilized two-way ANOVA with repeated measures for statistical analysis.

    • Main Results:

    • Plasma cortisol levels significantly decreased across all treatment protocols (P < 0.001).
    • Beta-endorphin immunoreactive material concentrations in plasma remained minimal throughout all conditions.
    • No significant differences in cortisol or beta-endorphin levels were observed between the various acupuncture procedures and standard treatment over time.

    Conclusions:

    • Acupuncture, in its tested forms, does not lead to the release of beta-endorphin immunoreactive material into the bloodstream under low-stress conditions.