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

c. SMOOTH MUSCLE DYSFUNCTION

Human conditions very often involve spasm of smooth muscle. Examples are pain in angina pectoris; biliary, renal, uterine and gastrointestinal colic; peripheral circulatory upsets; asthma etc. Factors which relieve smooth muscle spasm greatly reduce or eliminate the symptoms. AP of the correct points produces this result. Also, in obstruction of ducts (such as the bile duct and ureter), smooth muscle spasm not only causes pain but also prevents the obstruction from being expelled. AP often allows calculi to pass out of the gallbladder, bile duct, ureter or bladder by inducing relaxation of the smooth muscle and by increasing the fluid pressure proximal to the calculus. In children, ascaris worms in the bile duct often have been expelled after AP and even expulsion from the gut has been claimed. Many studies have shown that needling the correct points has marked effects on smooth muscle contractability, bile flow, peristalsis and gastrointestinal secretion.

Smooth muscle spasm in animals: The antispasmodic effects of AP are of use in treating colics and digestive upsets. They are also of use in treating bronchospasm.

In dystocia, relative oversize of the foetus and uterine atony are often present. Kothbauer and Westermayer used AP routinely in bovine dystocia. They found that pelvic relaxation occurred within 10 minutes of AP and the birth was greatly helped by this. Westermayer treated more than 200 cases of prolapsed uterus in cows by AP of the lumbosacral region. The uterus was easily put back in position and straining by the cow seldom occurred, making the procedure simple and very fast. Also in retention of the foetal membranes or in metritis + pyometra (in which uterine atony is involved) AP may help the condition.

d. TISSUE DAMAGE AND BLEEDING

These conditions often follow trauma. Other factors also cause tissue damage, for instance liver and kidney damage in many toxic conditions; heart and brain damage in circulatory disorders; muscle damage in Vitamin E and selenium deficiency etc. The effects of AP in traumatic pain has been mentioned earlier. However, AP also assists the recovery of damaged tissue, if tissue regeneration is possible. For instance, the skin and liver have marked regenerative capacity and AP stimulates this effect, by improving local circulation and its anti-inflammatory and anti- infectious effects.

Muscular injury in humans and animals is also greatly helped by AP. The best points are the tender spots (AHSHI points, trigger points) in the damaged muscles and the AP points which control the damaged area.

Where subcutaneous or intramuscular bleeding and oedema result from trauma, AP helps in the resorption of the fluid and in the resolution of the swelling.

Where tissue damage is severe (as in extensive burns or trauma) the main approach should be to control shock, haemorrhage, fracture and infection by conventional means. AP may be used later to relieve pain and to assist tissue healing.

AP cannot stimulate tissue regeneration if the tissues are incapable of regenerating, such as in severe neural, spinal, cardiac, pulmonary or renal damage. However, many cases of severe lameness in humans and animals are (wrongly) attributed to severe lesions in joints or in the spine, including prolapsed inter-vertebral discs. Many of these patients can be greatly helped by AP, but the lesion (other than soft tissue swelling, oedema etc) remains unaffected by the treatment. This suggests that many cases of such lameness are not due to the lesion, but to reflex muscle spasm triggered initially by the lesion. The clinical effects of AP in these cases are due to their effects on pain and muscle spasm.