A New Theory for Acupuncture:

Promoting Robust Regulation

Xu Y, Guo Y, Song Y, Zhang K,
Zhang Y, Li Q, Hong S, Liu Y, Guo Y

J Acupunct Meridian Stud 2018;11(1):39e43

Presentan : Prinsa Raudha Anca & Rina Nurbani

Pembimbing: DR, dr. Adiningsih Srilestari
M.Epid, M.Kes, Sp.Ak(K)
 Introduction
• Robustness: an ability of biological networks to
maintain their functions in the face of
perturbations, is a key characteristic of all living
systems
• The human body has the following
characteristics:
1. It includes many systems (nervous system,
endocrine system, and immune system.
2. It can exchange materials, energy, and
information with the surrounding environment.
3. Its systems are not independent; they interact and
exchange information
 Introduction
• Acupuncture is a procedure in which fine
needles are inserted into an individual at
discrete points and then manipulated, with
the intention of preventing and curing
diseases
 2. Acupuncture has the ability to regulate
robustness
• robustness vs acupuncture
– Robustness enables the system to maintain its
functionalities against external and internal
perturbations
– the ability of acupuncture to regulate robustness
indicates that it can be used to promote the
human body’s self-regulation so that it can
maintain homeostasis.
 2. Acupuncture has the ability to regulate
robustness
• robustness vs acupuncture
– System control is a prominent implementation
mechanism of robustness (negative and positive
feedback including the cell cycle, the circadian clock,
and chemotaxis
– Acupuncture has a similar bidirectional feedback
regulation to maintain homeostasis
– Redundancy generally refers to a situation in which
several identical or similar components/modules can
replace one another when one of the components
fails
 3. Acupuncture regulates robustness
under pathological conditions
3.1. Preventing Disease
A RCT confirmed the effectiveness of acupuncture in
preventing or reducing the
– Uncomplicated recurrent lower urinary tract infections in
adult women
– postoperative nausea and vomiting after gynecological or
breast surgery
– atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence after electrical
cardioversion
– Stroke in patients with traumatic brain injury and
emergence
– agitation in children
 3. Acupuncture regulates robustness
under pathological conditions
3.1. Preventing Disease
In TCM, a correlation exists between the nerve
segments of the human meridians and the visceral
organs to which they correspond
– acupuncture at PC-6 (Neiguan), HT-7 (Shenmen), and
BL-15 (Xinshu) has been shown to have an
antiarrhythmic effect (effect on the autonomic
nervous system.
– Compared with the side-effects of drugs, acupuncture
are very few (a noninvasive treatment).
 3. Acupuncture regulates robustness
under pathological conditions
3.2. Treating diseases
Pathways when acupuncture is used to treat patients with
persistent pain.
1. The sympathetic nerve pathway:
• acupuncture activates sympathetic nerve fibers to
enhance the expression of intracellular adhesion
molecule-1 in the blood vessels of inflamed tissue to
promote migration of b-endorphin and met-encephalin-
containing polymorphonuclear leukocytes and
mononuclear cells.
• acupuncture activates sympathetic neuron-derived
norepinephrine, which stimulates the adrenergic
receptors in inflammatory cells to release b-endorphin,
leading to a reduction in the level of pain
 3. Acupuncture regulates robustness
under pathological conditions
3.2. Treating diseases
Pathways when acupuncture is used to treat
patients with persistent pain.
2. The endocrine and immunity pathway:
• acupuncture activates the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal
axis to increase plasma corticosterone levels significantly,
• downregulate cyclooxygenase-2, upregulate endogenous
anandamide
• increase the number of endogenous cannabinoid CB2
receptors to upregulate immune cell opioids in inflamed skin
tissue
• decreasing tumor necrosis factor-a, interleukin-1b, and
interleukin-6 expressions ↓ level of pain.
 3. Acupuncture regulates robustness
under pathological conditions
3.3. Rehabilitation
Research using modern neuroimaging techniques
– acupuncture can effectively enhance connectivity
between the cerebellum and the primary
sensorimotor cortex in patients during stable stroke
recovery
– Acupuncture at GB34(Yang lingquan) may increase
motor cognition connectivity while decreasing
compensation of the unaffected motor cortex and
homolateral synkinesis, which can definitely promote
rehabilitation in patients suffering from hemiplegia
and spasms
 4. Conclusion
• Acupuncture is a regulatory way of stimulating
the complex systems in the body.
• In the disease prevention phase, acupuncture has
the ability to enhance self-adjustment to
maintain homeostasis in the system.
• In the disease-treatment phase, acupuncture can
promote the correction of a pathological state,
and induce the other functions to compensate for
the damaged function of the body
 4. Conclusion
• Disease rehabilitation phase, acupuncture can
promote the reconstruction of homeostasis in
an organ after disease