Can Cannabis Improve the Benefits of Acupuncture?

Is cannabis and acupuncture a good combination therapy?

The system that acupuncture manipulates is, in fact, the endocannabinoid system.

Overview

Acupuncture is a form of alternative medicine in which thin needles are inserted into the body. It is a key component of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

There is a diverse range of acupuncture theories based on different philosophies, and techniques vary depending on the country.

It is most often used for pain relief, though it is also used for a wide range of other conditions.

Acupuncture is generally used only in combination with other forms of treatment.

also see Pain and Cannabis Studies.

Various 'Acupuncture' Global Medical Journal Articles Related to Cannabis

*All links are Open Access .pdf files whenever possible.
British Medical Acupunture Society.

Neurobiology of Disease.

IScience (Open Access)

Translational Neuroscience.

Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism.

Frontiers in Neuroscience.

Explore Journal.


2021 - Abstract (China) ~ Protection of Intestinal Barrier in Uremic Mice by Electroacupuncture via Regulating the Cannabinoid 1 Receptor of the Intestinal Glial Cells.
Journal of Biomedical Nanotechnology.

Neurotherapeutics.

Current Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Reports.

Brain, Behaviour, and Immunity.

Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews.

Pharmacological Reports.

Review.

Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology.


2013 - Full Study ~ Electroacupuncture inhibition of hyperalgesia in rats with adjuvant arthritis: involvement of cannabinoid receptor 1 and dopamine receptor subtypes in striatum.

eCAM.


2013 - Abstract ~ On the g-protein-coupled receptor heteromers and their allosteric receptor-receptor interactions in the central nervous system: focus on their role in pain modulation.

eCAM.


2012 - Abstract ~ Electroacupuncture reduces the expression of proinflammatory cytokines in inflamed skin tissues through activation of cannabinoid CB2 receptors.

European Journal of Pain.


2012 - Abstract ~ Electroacupuncture inhibits CB1 upregulation induced by ethanol withdrawal in mice.

Neurochemistry International.


2011 - Abstract ~ Effects of repeated electroacupuncture on gene expression of cannabinoid receptor-1 and dopamine 1 receptor in nucleus accumbens-caudate nucleus region in inflammatory-pain rats.

Zhen Ci Yan Jiu = Acupuncture Research.


2011 - Abstract ~ Electroacupuncture reduces the expression of proinflammatory cytokines in inflamed skin tissues through activation of cannabinoid CB2 receptors.

European Journal of Pain.


2011 - Full Study ~ Activation of Epsilon Protein Kinase C-Mediated Anti-Apoptosis Is Involved in Rapid Tolerance Induced by Electroacupuncture Pretreatment Through Cannabinoid Receptor Type 1.

Research Gate.


2010 - Abstract ~ Involvement of ERK 1/2 activation in electroacupuncture pretreatment via cannabinoid CB1 receptor in rats.

Brain Research.


2009 - Full Study ~ Pretreatment With Electroacupuncture Induces Rapid Tolerance to Focal Cerebral Ischemia Through Regulation of Endocannabinoid System.

Qiang Wang, MD, PhD*.

2009 - Study ~ Endogenous anandamide and cannabinoid receptor-2 contribute to electroacupuncture analgesia in rats.   

America Pain Society.

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