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Acupuncture Relieves Stress by Regulating Hormones: A New Study Shows Exciting Results

A recent study, “Acupuncture Relieves the Excessive Excitation of Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Cortex Axis Function and Correlates with the Regulatory Mechanism of GR, CRH, and ACTHR,” has revealed promising findings about how acupuncture can help manage stress.

Led by Dr. S.J. Wang, this research, published in the journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine (Volume 2014, Article ID 495379), explores how acupuncture affects the body’s stress response.

Understanding Stress

Stress is a common issue that affects both physical and mental health. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal cortex axis (HPAA) is crucial in how our body responds to stress. While previous research suggested acupuncture could calm the overactive HPAA, the specific effects on glucocorticoid receptors (GR) were unclear until now.

Study Goals

The main goal of this study was to see how acupuncture changes the protein levels of key stress-related components in the HPAA, including corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH), adrenocorticotropic hormone receptor (ACTHR), and GR, both in normal and stressed conditions.

Key Findings

The study found some fascinating ways acupuncture affects stress:

  1. Under Stress:

    • Acupuncture increased GR protein in the brain’s hippocampus and hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), and in the pituitary gland.
    • It reduced GR protein in the adrenal cortex, leading to lower glucocorticoid (GC) production, a major stress hormone.
    • Acupuncture decreased CRH and ACTHR protein levels, reducing the stress response.

  2. Under Normal Conditions:

    • Acupuncture boosted GR protein in the hippocampus and CRH in the hippocampus and PVN.

Conclusion

The study suggests acupuncture helps manage stress by improving the interaction between GCs and GR, which affects GR protein levels. This interaction creates a feedback loop that reduces CRH and ACTHR overexpression, lowering GC levels and GR protein in the adrenal cortex.

These groundbreaking findings bring us closer to understanding how acupuncture can be a powerful tool for stress relief. For a deeper dive into the study, check out the full article in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine.