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A new discovery reveals insights into the
secret of acupuncture's modus operandi. The finding, reported in
the American Journal of Physiology, contradicts the assumption
that acupuncture functions through the body's meridians. In a
collaborative study between Dr. John Longhurst of the University
of California-Irvine and Li Peng of Shanghai Medical University,
the ability of acupuncture to lower blood pressure was
successfully manipulated by controlling the brain's ability to
produce endorphins. It appears that the power of acupuncture, at
least in regulating blood pressure, operates through the endorphin
system.
The researchers' next step, according to a report distributed by
the Scripps Howard News Service, is to determine which nerve cells
in the endorphin system are being stimulated by acupuncture and
whether any other parts of the nervous system may contribute to
acupuncture's effects on the cardiovascular system.
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