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In reply to Dr. Daniel Block's letter in the April 3 issue, I am glad acupuncture lowered his blood pressure. In my 30 years of acupuncture practice, I commonly see this favorable result. According to the latest research from China's Beijing Medical University, however, the "gate" acu-point stimulated on the hand is the motor point of the dorsal interosseus muscle. The modern technique of evidence-based neuroelectric stimulation has been shown to produce a beneficial gene expression of endorphins in the CNS. Several years ago I, too, would have explained this result in terms of manipulating "Qi" by twirling needles. It is that type of metaphysical explanation that has become "obsolete." Scientific explanations derived from studies of traditional Chinese medicine in no way deprecate the remarkable contributions of ancient China to the modern world.
Last year in the United States there were more than 10 million visits for acupuncture treatments. The question today for Western-trained physicians is not whether acupuncture works, but how does it work. Mainstream U.S. medicine is evidence based. Increased understanding of the neurobiology of pain has resulted in a scientific explanation for acupuncture analgesia. In China researchers have now developed and use the advanced method of evidence-based acupuncture, done with electrical stimulation and without needles. Studies have shown this to be more effective for controlling many types of pain, but it is also useful for treating addiction, depression, PTSD, and other conditions.
This method, devoid of metaphysical explanations, is easily learned by physicians. Details of the underlying neurobiology of acupuncture will shortly appear in Biological Psychiatry.
George A. Ulette, M.D.
St. Louis, Mo.