How Acupuncture and the Nervous System Connect
In my most recent continuing education class that took place in May, Sports Medicine Acupuncture for Low Back, Hip and Groin, we discussed the concept of AXONAL TRANSPORT. This was a new term to me, and perhaps it's new to you too. It triggered a massive lightbulb moment, helping me connect dots between biomedicine and the ancient world of Traditional Chinese Medicine (which I practice). This term, axonal transport, is essentially describing how acupuncture works, but also paints a scene of where acupuncture can be helpful.
Let me explain a little more. Note, this is neuroscience essentially, so please be patient as I try to make this short, sweet, exciting and correct.
But first, here is a photo of a neuron. Note the long spaghetti looking thing? That is the axon…
Neurons have a cell body and a long (varying length) axon (spaghetti looking thing) that connects one neuron to other neurons. Neurons are the magnificent messengers of the body. We want our neurons and axons to be healthy, happy and communicating effectively. Through the axons things like proteins, peptides, mitochondria (powerhouses of the cell that move energy) are transported transported from one cell to another.
This is AXONAL TRANSPORT. The movement of impulses and nutrients from one area of the body to another through nervous system cells.
One part of my lightbulb moment was the concept of how acupuncture sends signals and impulses from one area of the body to another through meridians. These meridians often line up beautifully with neural pathways, muscles line and fascial planes. Acupuncture often operates in the same way as our innate internal communication (axonal transport). This is really cool! Subtle communication within our system, below the conscious mind, is always happening, traveling through fascia, muscle, nerve, channels and meridians. It is beautiful to imagine the subtly of acupuncture working along those lines.
The second layer to the lightbulb moment was seeing how much acupuncture can support neural communication. Proper axon transportation of proteins, fats, peptides, etc is essential for normal growth, repair and nerve conduction through our body. However, in the cases of injury, as well as normal aging, our body's ability to transport these materials wanes. Let's look at back pain from disc degeneration as an example. If there is tension in the paraspinal muscles and this tension creates compression on the discs and subsequently the nerves, this compromises the ability of the nerves to communicate, exacerbating inflammation and reducing blood flow to the area. This stagnation, as we say in acupuncture, can take a toll of the health of the tissues and nerves leading to further disfunction, pain or degradation. With acupuncture we can relieve tension by relieving tight or spasmed muscles and fascia as well as stimulate proper blood flow to the tissue. The insertion of an acupuncture needle has also been shown to increase, and reignite stimulation to the neurons, reestablishing active communication. We can open-up the lines of communication, as well as use those neurons/meridians to further support connectivity throughout the body.
In addition to acupuncture, this concept of axonal transportation also speaks to my interest in red light therapy. RLT excites the mitochondria in the cell, helping them to move more efficiently through a cell/axon to stimulate surrounding nerves, improving the function and healing of surrounding muscles and tissues. I've seen such wonderful progress in the treatment room when I combine acupuncture with infrared light, and I love when I learn a new scientific term for why that may be the case.
Publications:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10627933/
https://www.jneurosci.org/content/34/17/5965
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2668149/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8402722/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/axoplasmic-transport
https://aucklandwellness.co.nz/blogs/blog/acupuncture-back-pain-auckland-guide?srsltid=AfmBOoq2Xp78I_wsR1NS5WjkdkPMm5SGoLqADWLIOxElGQl1vgPEcox3