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The immunomodulatory mechanisms for acupuncture practice.
Meng Wang1, Weili Liu1, Jiayi Ge1
1State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Frontiers in Immunology
|April 24, 2023
Summary
Acupuncture, a Traditional Chinese Medicine practice, modulates the immune system by stimulating specific acupoints. This review explores its mechanisms on innate and adaptive immunity, offering insights into its therapeutic potential for immune-related diseases.
Area of Science:
- Integrative Medicine
- Systems Physiology
- Immunology
Background:
- Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) offers a holistic approach to health, focusing on root causes rather than symptoms.
- Acupuncture, a key TCM practice, stimulates specific acupoints to engage the body's self-healing mechanisms and restore homeostasis.
- Emerging Western systems physiology research aligns with TCM's holistic principles, particularly regarding acupuncture's effects on physiological regulation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and integrate existing research on the immunomodulatory mechanisms of acupuncture.
- To elucidate how acupuncture influences the innate and adaptive immune systems.
- To explore the neuroanatomical pathways, including somatosensory-autonomic reflexes, involved in acupuncture's effects.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of scientific literature on acupuncture and its effects on the immune system.
- Integration of studies focusing on acupuncture's impact on innate immunity, adaptive immunity, and neuroanatomical pathways.
- Analysis of recent systems physiology research to understand acupuncture's regulatory mechanisms.
Main Results:
- Acupuncture demonstrates a regulatory effect on the immune system, particularly relevant for immunological diseases like infectious and allergic conditions.
- Evidence suggests acupuncture modulates both innate and adaptive immune responses.
- Neuroanatomical mechanisms, including the somatosensory-autonomic reflex pathway, are implicated in acupuncture's immunomodulatory actions.
Conclusions:
- Acupuncture's ability to modulate the immune system is increasingly recognized, offering a potential therapeutic strategy for immune-related disorders.
- Understanding the intricate mechanisms of acupuncture, from immune cell modulation to neuroanatomical pathways, enhances its clinical application.
- Systems physiology provides a framework for investigating how acupuncture promotes homeostasis and improves efficacy in treating immunological diseases.
