Electroacupuncture at two specific acupuncture points reduced migraine-like pain more effectively than one point by dampening inflammation-related immune activity.
Researchers induced repeated migraine-like episodes in rats through electrical stimulation of the dura mater, the membrane surrounding the brain. They compared untreated stimulated animals, sham-stimulated controls, and animals receiving electroacupuncture either at a non-acupuncture location, at one acupuncture point, or at two acupuncture points. Pain sensitivity was assessed in the face and hind paws, while immune cells in the dura mater and inflammatory substances in blood samples were measured after treatment.
Repeated electrical stimulation produced heightened pain sensitivity alongside increased mast cells, macrophages, and circulating inflammatory substances. Electroacupuncture reduced pain sensitivity and inflammatory activity, particularly when applied at the two selected acupuncture points. This suggests that acupuncture may lessen migraine-like pain by suppressing inflammation in the brain’s protective membranes and reducing inflammatory signals throughout the body.
