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 In Chinese medicine enhanced longevity is seen as a goal
of therapy and within the purview of practitioners. There
are herbal treatments (see
facial rejuvenation section),
lifestyle suggestions and acupuncture prescriptions to
benefit the "anti-aging" agenda which is part and parcel
of acupuncture treatment.
Evidence:
Scientific evidence is sparse because to
quantify the actual benefit of acupuncture on longevity
would require large scale cohort studies looking at
comparison populations of similar demographics, one
receiving acupuncture and one not. Though many Chinese
seniors attribute their healthy old age to acupuncture,
the evidence is only anecdotal.
Science:
Physiological studies may shed some light on the
possibilities of acupuncture treatment in its role in
promoting longevity. There was a landmark study in the
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences looking at
the length of a structure in subjects' cells called
"telomeres" in two populations of mothers. Accelerated
telomere shortening may reflect stress-related oxidative
damage to cells and accelerated aging, and severe
psychosocial stress has been linked to telomere
shortening. One group of mothers had normal children, the
other had handicapped children. The stress of raising and
caring for a handicapped child led to increased stress
which showed up as shortened cellular telomeres. Though it
seems intuitive that stress could shorten one's lifespan,
this demonstrated the effect at a cellular level (1).
My own research (2) and others' (3) has shown that
acupuncture can attenuate the stress response. Perhaps
this is how acupuncture might lead to longevity. There was
an additional study from China (4) comparing three groups.
One took Vitamin E, one received traditional acupuncture
points thought to enhance longevity and one received
moxibustion on the navel (a traditional method to increase
immunity and energetically nourish the whole body.) The
patients receiving moxibustion and acupuncture had
increased SOD levels and decreased MDA levels. SOD
(superoxide dismutase) is an antioxidant enzyme and MDA (malondialdehyde)
is parameter of oxidative stress. This would reinforce the
possibility that acupuncture can be beneficial in
decreasing oxidative stress and its accompanying ills
including accelerated aging.
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1. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 'ProcNatl Acad Sci U S A2004
Dec 7;101(49):17312-5. Epub 2004 Dec Accelerated telomere
shortening in response to life stress
2.
Analysis of Heart Rate Variability in Acupuncture Practice:
Can it improve outcomes?
3. Auton n Neurosci. 2007 Feb 2Specific acupuncture
sensation correlates with EEGs and autonomic changes in
human subjects
4. Zhongguo Zhen Jiu. 2007 Jun;27(6):398-402.Clinical
observation on drug-separated moxibustion at the navelfor
anti-aging]
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