A general guideline to follow is that the pressure should be firm enough so that it hurts a little. The more developed the muscles are, the more pressure you should apply. If you feel extreme sensitivity or pain, gradually decrease the pressure until you find a balance between pain and pleasure. Do not continue to press a point that is excruciatingly painful. How to apply acupressure. Cautions: Do not use acupressure as self-care when pregnant without the guidance of a licensed acupuncturist.
Always discuss new treatment modalities with your local health care professional. Supplements, nutrition, and alternative therapies for the treatment of traumatic brain injury. Nutr Neurosci. The 5-HT concentration in the CNS can modulate nociceptive processing in either a facilitatory or inhibitory manner. In principle, a high concentration of 5-HT is inhibitory, whereas a low concentration of 5-HT is excitatory [ 14 ].
In this study, we hypothesized that acupuncture pretreatment would exert antinociceptive effects in recurrent migraine via the peripheral and central serotonin system.
To test this hypothesis, we chose a rat model of recurrent migraine induced by repeated electrical stimulation of the dura surrounding the superior sagittal sinus SSS , which is an established paradigm of migraine-associated pain [ 19 , 20 ]. We evaluated the antinociceptive effect of EA on the migraine-like behaviors, such as change in rest, freezing, grooming, and exploration behaviors.
In addition, we assessed the 5-HT level in the peripheral plasma and central regions of the descending pain modulatory pathway to determine the underlying mechanism of the EA-induced antinociceptive effect. All efforts were made to minimize the animals suffering and reduce the number of animals used. The number of rats used in each group was based on the power calculation of previous studies [ 21 , 22 ].
Based on previous study, we estimated that 10 animals per group would be required to detect Based on principles of safeguard animal welfare, we aimed to test the minimal number of animals required for upholding statistical power 10 animals per group and minimized animal suffering wherever possible. Parameters for resting, freezing, grooming, and exploration behaviors were analyzed by two-way repeated-measures ANOVA followed by a post hoc least significant difference multiple comparison tests.
A probability level of was set as the threshold of statistical significance. After one week of habituation, the rats underwent surgery to establish the migraine model. Subsequently, each rat was placed in a stereotactic frame. The scalp, which covers the dorsal surface of the skull, was incised, and the connective tissue and muscle were removed, exposing the parietal bone. Secondly, the inner layer of the skull was removed by using a curette to expose the intact dura.
Then two stainless steel screws M1. Finally, the obturator cap was placed over the external stimuli line interface to prevent clogging. All surgeries were performed under direct visual control by using an operating microscope. Penicillin 0. All the rats were housed separately at a constant temperature and a hour light-dark cycle with unrestricted access to food and water, to recover for 7 days before experiments began. After recovering from the surgery, 40 animals were randomly divided into four groups: an EA group, which received EA at GB20 Feng chi following dural electrical stimulation; a Sham acupuncture SA group, which received acupuncture without EA and manual manipulation at a distant nonacupuncture point following electrical stimulation of the dura; a Model group, which received electrical dural stimulation without EA; and a Control group, which received neither electrical dural stimulation nor EA only electrode implantation.
The experimental protocol diagram was depicted in Figure 1. The rats were placed into a tailored apparatus that exposed their heads and necks sufficiently.
GB20 is a commonly used acupuncture point for treating migraines [ 11 ]. In the EA group, two stainless steel acupuncture needles diameter 0. Correct placement of the needles at the acupoints was confirmed by observing slight repetitive auricle twitches during EA stimulation [ 27 ].
All rats were conscious during EA implementation. The aforementioned acupuncture points were shown in Figure 2. Then the obturator cap was removed from the electrode fixtures, and an internal delivery electrode tip was inserted, which was connected to the current external output port of an electrical stimulator YC-2 stimulator, Chengdu Instrument, Co.
On the basis of previous studies [ 19 , 20 , 26 ] and our own optimization of stimulation, effective dural stimuli consisted of monophasic square-wave pulses with a pulse duration of 0. The rats in the Control group were also connected to the stimulator, but they received no electrical stimulation.
Spontaneous behaviors were monitored by using automated behavioral acquisition and analysis software, HomeCageScan Clever Systems Inc. All the behaviors were verified and calibrated the preceding recording and analysis. During the test, rats were free to access food and water in the transparent observation cage, which contained sawdust bedding. Specific spontaneous nociceptive behaviors have been analyzed previously, and they were often observed in the analysis of experimental migraine models induced by dural nociception [ 23 ].
These behaviors are described as follows: 1 Resting behavior: resting the head on flexed forepaws, without rearing or hanging. The plasma 5HT concentrations were measured by the specific and sensitive radioimmunoassay RIA method.
High-performance liquid chromatography HPLC with electrochemical detector was used to assess the 5-HT level from the cerebral homogenate samples. Dissection of brain areas was performed on a frozen microtome.
Then we analyzed the average resting behavior among the four different groups on days 1, 3, and 5. Compared to the EA group, rats in the SA group spent more time resting on days 1, 3, and 5 , , and , resp. In contrast, there were no significant differences between the Model and SA groups on days 1 and 5 , , resp. Then we analyzed the average freezing behavior among the four different groups on days 1, 3, and 5.
The rats spent more time engaging in the freezing behavior on days 1, 3, and 5 , , and , resp. Then we analyzed the average grooming behavior among the four different groups on days 1, 3, and 5. Compared to the SA group, the EA group spent a significantly decreased amount of time on grooming on days 1 and 5 , , resp.
In contrast, there were no significant differences between the Model and SA groups on days 1, 3, and 5 , , and , resp. The dural stimulation-induced reduction in exploration behavior was significantly increased with EA pretreatment at GB20 on days 1, 3, and 5 compared to the SA group , , and , resp. The behavioral experimentation showed that the repetitive dural electrical stimulations produced an increase in spontaneous nociceptive behaviors, including resting, freezing, and grooming, whereas it decreased the exploration behavior Figure 3.
These behavioral results are in accordance with those of previous studies on clinical symptoms of migraineurs characterized by a reduction in routine physical activity and movement, and an increase in intense hemifacial touching [ 5 , 30 ]. Moreover, our results suggest that EA pretreatment can exert antinociceptive effects by relieving the migraine-like behaviors. I do this GB 20 30minutes after dinner or meal when I feel I need to.
Is it okay or maybe You recommend to wait longer? You can use up to three times per day with no problem. Cautions: Deep needling may damage the spinal cord.
Found This Information Helpful? Please rate this Please Rate This Post:. Share this: Facebook Twitter. Like this: Like Loading Adrian Larsen Adrian P. Larsen, D. Larsen is President of Miridia Technology Inc.
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