Transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation potentiates analgesic effect of morphine.
Pain is the major complaint of patients who choose acupuncture treatment. Transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) provides a safe, standardized technique without needle insertion. TEAS can be tested with the cold-pressor test, a simple, reliable, and widely used model in humansfor the induction of tonic pain. In this controlled study, the effects of TEAS on cold-pressor-induced pain were evaluated in 20 healthy human subjects. Electrical stimulation electrodes were applied to He-Gu (LI 4) and Nui-Guan (P 6) acupoints. The effects of saline plus no TEAS, 15-minute TEAS alone, 0.05 mg/kg morphine alone, and 15-minute TEAS plus morphine were assessed. Pain score ratings were evaluated at four time points from 30 to 170 seconds during the cold-pressor test. The authors observed analgesic effects in both TEAS-alone and morphine-alone sessions, and pain score rating reductions were statistically significant compared to unstimulated control (both p < 0.01). The degree of TEAS analgesia combined with 0.05 mg/kg morphine was significantly higher than TEAS alone (p < 0.01). The results support the efficacy of TEAS analgesia and suggest that combination of TEAS with low-dose morphine can achieve better pain control in a variety of clinical settings.
Yuan
Chun-Su
CS
Tang Center for Herbal Medicine Research, Department of Anesthesia & Critical Care, University of Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
Attele
Anoja S
AS
Dey
Lucy
L
Lynch
James P
JP
Guan
Xiongfe
X
D019050:Acupressure / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D015669:Acupuncture Points; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003080:Cold Temperature; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009020:Morphine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013997:Time Factors; D004561:Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation / Q000009:adverse effects
D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D009020:Morphine