Synergism between metoclopramide and electroacupuncture analgesia

Animal experiments revealed that the activity of the cholinergic system in certain brain areas enhanced acupuncture analgesia (AA) while that of the dopaminergic system attenuated it. Metoclopramide, having antidopamine and anticholinesterase actions, was found to be synergic with AA both in the laboratory and in the clinics. Patients having taken metoclopramide reported better analgesic effect during thyroidectomy under acupuncture anesthesia. The results suggest that metoclopramide can be used as an adjuvant to improve AA.

Inhibition of sympathetic nervous system by acupuncture

The central and peripheral sympathetic activities were measured both physiologically and biochemically in either human subjects or conscious rabbits. Acupuncture reduced NE levels in perfusates of certain brain areas as well as in blood circulation, accompanied with a rise of pain threshold, and changes of certain physiological indices (palm temperature, fingerplethysmogram and pain tolerance threshold) which are related with functions of sympathetic nervous system. These results suggest that the NE neurons of NE ascending dorsal fasciculus has some antagonizing effect on acupuncture analgesic effect, acupuncture inhibits sympathetic activities, and such inhibition plays a favorable role in acupuncture analgesia.