Acupuncture effects on the body's defence systems and conditions responsive to AP

Philip A.M. Rogers MRCVS¹
e-mail : Αυτή η διεύθυνση ηλεκτρονικού ταχυδρομείου προστατεύεται από τους αυτοματισμούς αποστολέων ανεπιθύμητων μηνυμάτων. Χρειάζεται να ενεργοποιήσετε τη JavaScript για να μπορέσετε να τη δείτε.
1980, edited 1995
Postgraduate Course in Veterinary AP, Dublin, 1996

 His paper was written in 1980. For an update, see "ACUPUNCTURE FOR IMMUNE-MEDIATED DISORDERS", attached.

INTRODUCTION

Acupuncture (AP) is best known for its effects in controlling pain, its value in treating alcohol and narcotic addiction and in the induction of surgical analgesia in humans and animals . It is less well known that AP has great therapeutic value in a wide variety of human and animal diseases. These effects are well established in clinical practice. Modern textbooks and journals of AP list hundreds of clinical conditions which respond (partially or completely) to AP therapy.

Some of the therapeutic effects of AP have been studied experimentally in animals and humans. In this talk we will discuss the effects of AP in stimulating the defence systems of the body. These effects are directly involved in the therapeutic value of AP in humans and animals.

THE DEFENCE SYSTEMS OF THE BODY

Defence systems have two basic components: (a) recognition of the attack, its nature, locality and extent, and (b) activation of mechanisms to counter the attack and to repair the damage which has been done. Important defence systems of the body include the following:

a. the immune system (specific and non-specific immunity);
b. the phagocytic system (white cells and reticulo-endothelial systems) and lymphoid tissues; c. the inflammatory reaction;
d. the thermoregulatory system;
e. the recognition and control of pain and muscle spasm;
f. the sensing of damaged tissue and its controlled regeneration.

The autonomic nervous system (and its reflexes) controls to a large degree these defence systems in the body. The neuroendocrine system also allows the organism to adapt to changes in the internal and external environment. The PRIMITIVE SYSTEM of Becker (see the paper on Holistic concepts of health and disease) is also involved in the sensing and regeneration of damaged tissue, such as wounds, fractures, burns, etc.

Occasionally the defence systems develop defects which cause them to react to self rather than non-self. Examples of self-destruction include auto-immune diseases and auto-inflammation. Other examples are failure to recognise pain (due to congenital neurological defect or stress/excitement) with consequent risk of severe injury. One of the causal factors in cancer is uncontrolled tissue regeneration or failure of the immune system to recognise and destroy aberrant cells.

The immune system, which normally serves a useful protective function, occasionally creates problems by causing reactions to allergens which gain entry to the body by inhalation, ingestion or by skin contact.

AP IN THE TREATMENT OF INFECTIONS

AP textbooks and journals list many human infections which may be helped by AP stimulation. Treatment is aimed at the main symptoms of the infection (such as fever, headache, vomiting, diarrhoea, pain, colic, jaundice, paralysis, etc) and at the major regions involved (such as the liver, lungs, intestine, upper limbs, etc).

Clinical infections in humans which may be helped by AP include:

• Bacterial (typhoid, paratyphoid, cholera, bacillary dysentery, brucellosis, venereal disease, tuberculosis).
• Viral (Virus B encephalitis, poliomyelitis, viral hepatitis, influenza, Heres Zoster).
• Protozoal (Malaria, schistosomiasis, filariasis, amoebic dysentery).
• Fungal (Tinea pedis).
• Post-operative infection.

Clinical infections in animals: Animal AP, even in China, is much less well developed than human AP. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) also relies very heavily on the use of HERBAL Medicine, especially in the treatment of animal diseases. Thus, in veterinary practice, AP as a therapy to help fight clinical infections appears to be limited (at this time) to the treatment of enteric infections (such as E. coli) in pigs and dogs, uterine infections in cows and bitches, udder infections in cows, and a few other infections.

As will be seen later, the use of AP in experimental infections and in the treatment of many clinical and experimental conditions in animals suggests that it may have wide applications in animal infections.

Experimental infections: Animals have been infected with bacillary dysentery, poliomyelitis virus, trypanosomiasis and Erlich Ascites Tumour virus. In each of these conditions AP had complete or partial effect in combatting the infection. 

Further details of the antibiotic/antimicrobial effects of AP are given in Appendix 2.