Rat experiments with electro-puncture have shown that centuries old Chinese acupuncture is an effective treatment for stress-related diseases, says a study published in Endocrinology.

Electro-acupuncture is a therapy that involves passing very minimal voltage of electric current between a pair of needles onto the pathway related to chronic pain, mood and stress, according to The Guardian. Acupuncture is done to unlock the energy pathways referred as meridians that run through the body in order to keep it balanced.

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Dr. Ladan Eshkevari, lead author of the study from Georgetown University medical centre in Washington said that "This research, the culmination of a number of studies, demonstrates how acupuncture might work in the human body to reduce stress and pain, and potentially depression. We have now found a potential mechanism, and at this point in our research, we need to test human participants in a blinded, placebo-controlled clinical study - the same technique we used to study the behavioural effects of acupuncture in rats," reported News.

Researchers tested a powerful acupuncture point, stomach meridian point 36 (St36) on the rats which is related to digestive and other ailments. Rats were inserted with needles below the knee since St36 is present on the shin. When electro-acupuncture was applied on the point St36 a complex interaction between hormones known as the hypothalamus pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis was noticed in the rats. The HPA activity was found to be reduced in rats that are stressed of cold stimulation.

The investigators carried out another experiment that involved four set of treatments where one set of stressed rats was given electro-acupuncture, the other set was given electro-acupuncture but not in the meridian point and the third group was left stressed without any treatment keeping the fourth group as control without stress or needles.

It was found that when electro-acupuncture was given to stressed rats in the point St36 minutes after cold stimulation or prior to stress the increase in the levels of stress hormones were prevented. The rats were found to show reduced levels of behaviour related to anxiety and depression.

"This is the first report linking the effects of electro-acupuncture at St36 to chronic stress-induced depressive and anxious behaviour in animals," Eshkevari added. "This work provides a framework for future clinical studies on the benefit of acupuncture, both before or during chronic stressful events," added the researcher according to Western Daily Press.

Tagsacupuncture, Electro-acupuncture, Chronic pain, Stress, Digestive disorders