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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 3, 2026

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Enhancing acupuncture by low dose naltrexone.

Jan M Keppel Hesselink1, David J Kopsky

  • 1Institute for Neuropathic Pain, Soest, The Netherlands. jan@neuropathie.nu

Acupuncture in Medicine : Journal of the British Medical Acupuncture Society
|March 19, 2011
PubMed
Summary

Low dose naltrexone may boost acupuncture's pain relief for chronic pain syndromes. This combination targets the opioid and cannabinoid systems, potentially offering a novel multimodal treatment approach.

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Enriched enrollment randomized double-blind placebo-controlled cross-over trial with phenytoin cream in painful chronic idiopathic axonal polyneuropathy (EPHENE): a study protocol.

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Pulsed Radiofrequency Increases Nestin and Matrix Metalloproteinase-2 Expression in Porcine Lumbar Dorsal Root Ganglion.

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Study Design Characteristics and Endpoints for Enriched Enrollment Randomized Withdrawal Trials for Chronic Pain Patients: A Systematic Review.

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Area of Science:

  • Pain Management
  • Integrative Medicine
  • Neuropharmacology

Background:

  • Chronic pain syndromes present significant treatment challenges.
  • Multimodal treatment approaches are increasingly accepted for chronic pain.
  • Combining acupuncture with rational pharmacology is an emerging area.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the potential synergistic effects of low dose naltrexone and acupuncture for chronic pain.
  • To explore the neurobiological mechanisms underlying this combined therapy.

Main Methods:

  • The study hypothesizes that low dose naltrexone can enhance acupuncture's analgesic effects.
  • This hypothesis is based on the known actions of both treatments on the opioid and cannabinoid systems.

Main Results:

  • Acupuncture stimulates the release of endogenous opioid and cannabinoid ligands.
  • Low dose naltrexone modulates these same systems and upregulates relevant receptors.

Conclusions:

  • Low dose naltrexone may potentiate the pain-relieving effects of acupuncture.
  • This combination represents a promising avenue for novel chronic pain management strategies.

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