Bone of contention TCM – Acupuncture

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Aktualisiert – Januar 7, 2025

TCM as a bone of contention? Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is often the subject of controversy, especially among Christian clientele. The main reason given is that it is based on assumptions of Taoist philosophies and contradicts today's facts of physiology and anatomy. TCM should therefore be rejected as anti-Christian.

Anything that supposedly cannot be explained and is also of Far Eastern origin quickly ends up in the esoteric, if not occult, corner. This is completely irrespective of the fact that this view quickly throws the baby out with the bathwater.

So what to do? TCM for Christians, yes or no?

As TCM encompasses many areas, it is important, as is so often the case, to differentiate carefully. However, this can be difficult, namely to find the boundary between what is philosophy and what is science. Science, which has been verified by scientists around the world, is probably the lowest common denominator of what is acceptable from a Christian point of view.

To counter critics of this view: no, I do not approve of anything that contradicts biblical teaching. But I do accept medicine, regardless of which culture it comes from, as long as its effect is reproducible and also considered valid in e.g. double-blind studies, such as acupuncture.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30335320/

acupuncture

Some people know it from their own experience: stick a few needles into the skin, let them linger and remove them. This is supposed to solve one health problem or another. What is behind it?

Field report

Needles are not everyone's cup of tea, including mine. My GP was the first port of call when I used up two packs of paper tissues within ten minutes, sitting in the car at 30 °C with all the windows closed, bathed in my own sweat because I was suffering from a severe case of hay fever. I had called beforehand, described the situation and was offered acupuncture. When I objected that there were no needles, they said they used a LASER.

He used a red helium-neon LASER, pressed the tip from which the red light was emitted onto five points in succession, waited a few seconds in each case and released me after a few minutes. The automatic reach for the rapidly diminishing paper tissues soon stopped and I was able to complete the return journey without itching, burning and sniffling.

The next time, two days later, three or four times in total, he asked me if I could build him such a LASER device with battery operation, because as a GP he didn't want to have to keep looking for a socket at people's homes. He knew about my knowledge of electronics, hence his question.

Less than ten weeks later, he had the prototype in his hands, which he immediately bought and ordered a second one a few days later. When he was out and about, the doctor's assistant (that was still the job title at the time), who had the appropriate training, could also treat patients.

The second appliance had an optimized design, but was functionally identical. When he bought this second appliance, he immediately ordered the third: he had sold the first one to his brother.

Now it was time to think about approval procedures, permits, etc. etc. The TÜV certificate came first and was immediately approved. The Medical Device Ordinance (MedGV) was still pending. This required, among other things, a clinical report. The Medical LASER Center Lübeck, at that time still affiliated with the Lübeck University Hospital, received the device for a six-month period, during which tests, measurements and a study were carried out in order to finally obtain MedGV approval.

In the meantime, I had attended congresses in Hamburg and got to know acupuncture and its functionality. The direct contact with the medical profession also gave me deeper access to details, because I wanted to know WHY it is the way it is. Why does it work in this place but not in that place? And anyway: how do you know THAT it works there but can't work there?

Functionality

I found out what the LASER does through a study by the Medical LASER Center. The wavelength of the highly focused, intense red light of the helium-neon LASER (HeNe-LASER) is 632.8 nm (corresponding to the spectral line of atomic oxygen https://www.itp.uni-hannover.de/fileadmin/itp/emeritus/zawischa/static_html/atome.html), the power 5 mW.

When the LASER light hits a cell, it normalizes its potassium-sodium balance and thus enables a more effective metabolism and the removal of waste products, such as those that cause scars to harden because they are prevented from being removed by the cut. If the cell can fully resume its work, these waste products are removed, the scar heals faster and remains softer. In the case of extensive skin damage, e.g. radiation as part of cancer therapy polarized light which has the same therapeutic properties.

Points

If you can't find THE point in acupuncture straight away, you can use a skin resistance meter, usually a built-in one. You can also use an ordinary multimeter, switch the measuring range to resistance measurement, hold one measuring tip between your moistened thumb and index finger and use the other to feel the area between the base of your thumb and index finger, for example. If you imagine the two spread fingers with an imaginary elongated line towards the wrist, the point of intersection is approximately the "point" that has a very low resistance of only a few hundred kilo-ohms compared to the surrounding area. The other areas are well into the high mega-ohm range.

First of all, this is proof that there are "points" that differ from other areas. In martial arts, such points are also known, and you should avoid hitting them because they can have life-threatening consequences, as they initiate ad hoc processes that can lead to death in the worst case.

If one admits to the "ancient Chinese" that they found such "points" and began to systematically research what a stimulus of this or that point causes, how points interact with each other, how some trigger regional, others global actions by triggering other points (trigger points) with a stimulus of one point, then it becomes clear that there is a system.

For me it is therefore conclusive that if points can be measured and effects can be reproducibly triggered, then the Chinese cannot be completely wrong with their healing art in this respect ...

Why does acupuncture work?

At that time, the question of why the hay fever disappeared remained unanswered. Well, what does an antihistamine prescribed by a doctor for hay fever do? The active ingredient binds to receptors that are affected by pollen and trigger the well-known itching and tearing, or the popularly known runny nose. If these receptors are occupied by the active ingredient of the antihistamine, pollen can no longer dock and the allergenic stimulus is switched off.

Put simply, the stimulation of the points indicated for hay fever has the same effect. As the LASER does not have to be used repeatedly to stop the allergy, as is the case with antihistamines, which have undesirable side effects and often make people tired, it is reasonable to conclude that the allergy potential is reduced. This is confirmed by the following medical statements.

The stimulus can be provided by pressure (acupressure), heat (moxabustion, moxa needles), needles (acupuncture) or HeNe-LASER (LASER acupuncture). IR-LASER or LASER "pointers" cannot achieve these effects due to the different wavelengths and powers.

According to current medical knowledge, the following mechanisms of acupuncture are known:

1. Immunomodulation through neuroendocrine mechanismsAcupuncture can trigger the release of neurotransmitters such as β-endorphins, serotonin and noradrenaline by stimulating specific points along the meridians. These neurotransmitters can act on immune cells such as T lymphocytes and macrophages through various pathways, including neuronal and endocrine pathways. By modulating the neuroendocrine system, acupuncture can influence the balance between Th1 and Th2 cells, reducing the excessive allergic reaction typical of hay fever.
2. Neuroplasticity and central pain processingStimulation of acupuncture points can promote neuroplasticity in the central nervous system, particularly in the spinal cord and brain. These neuroplastic effects may help modulate pain processing by altering the activity of neurons in regions such as the nucleus raphe magnus and the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. These changes can modulate both peripheral and central pain signals associated with allergic symptoms such as nasal itching, sneezing and watery eyes.
3. Autonomic nervous system regulationAcupuncture can also influence the autonomic nervous system, particularly by activating the parasympathetic nervous system and inhibiting the sympathetic nervous system. These effects can lead to a reduction in the inflammatory responses associated with allergic conditions such as hay fever by inhibiting the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as histamine and leukotrienes.
4. Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis)Acupuncture can modulate the HPA axis by influencing the release of cortisol and other glucocorticoids from the adrenal cortex. These hormones have both immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties and can reduce the allergic reaction in hay fever through their effect on immune cells and inflammatory mediators.

Studies

The following are some of the relevant studies:

1. Acupuncture methods for allergic rhinitis: a systematic review and bayesian meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
   Exactly 39 studies with 3433 participants were covered in this meta-analysis. The meta-analysis demonstrated that all acupuncture types were superior to sham acupuncture in terms of total nasal symptom score and rhinoconjunctivitis quality of life questionnaire. Moxibustion was recommended as the most effective intervention as it reduced nasal symptoms in 6 treatments. On the other hand, manual acupuncture plus conventional medicine was recommended as the most effective intervention in improving the quality of life in 9 treatments. Notably, moxibustion was recommended as the most effective intervention that changed the content of IgE in 9 treatments. Furthermore, adverse events of these interventions were acceptable.
2. Meta-analysis by Li et al. (2015)This meta-analysis examined 13 randomized controlled trials with a total of 2,365 patients and concluded that acupuncture is more effective than conventional medication alone in the treatment of allergic rhinitis (including hay fever). The study also found that the combination of acupuncture with conventional treatment provided greater symptomatic relief than conventional therapy alone.
3. Acupuncture in patients with allergic rhinitis: analysis of the study intervention and syndrome patterns of the randomized multicenter study (ACUSAR - 2014)
   In the acupuncture group, the diagnoses made and the points selected corresponded to the clinical experience in the treatment of SAR. More acupuncture needles were used in the acupuncture group than in the sham acupuncture group. Both are possible reasons for the higher efficacy of verum acupuncture in this study.