針鎮痛の機序

Mechanism of acupuncture analgesia

　針鎮痛の機序には，針刺激によつて生理的な痛覚閾が高まる作用と，病態で発生した疼痛に対し，施針が鎮痛を現わす作用などがあってその機序は異なる。前者には針麻酔の鎮痛があり，後者には局所疼痛に対する鎮痛作用などがある。

Abstract

The mechanisms of acupuncture analgesia are different depending the kind of acupuncture stimulation and the source of the pain. One kind of acupuncture elevates the physiological pain threshold and the other kind relieves local patho-logical pain. Even in the former of these acu-puncture analgesias, differences can be produced by stimulus frequency. Low frequency stimulation (1~2 Hz) causes analgesia which develops grad-ually and lasts for long time after cessation of stimulation. Since this analgesia is completely antagonized by naloxone, endogenous morphine like factors (MLF) might be involved in its pro-duction.