Karmakar R, Kandalkar A, Wang HC, Mukundan A. Redefining pain and mental health management in cervical spondylosis: Electroacupuncture as a neuroinflammatory modulator and multimodal therapeutic innovation. World J Psychiatry 2026; 16(3): 114009 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v16.i3.114009]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Arvind Mukundan, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Chung Cheng University, No. 168 University Road, Min Hsiung, Chiayi 62102, Taiwan. arvindmukund96@gmail.com
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Medicine, Research & Experimental
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Editorial
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This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Mar 19, 2026 (publication date) through Feb 27, 2026
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World Journal of Psychiatry
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2220-3206
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Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
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Karmakar R, Kandalkar A, Wang HC, Mukundan A. Redefining pain and mental health management in cervical spondylosis: Electroacupuncture as a neuroinflammatory modulator and multimodal therapeutic innovation. World J Psychiatry 2026; 16(3): 114009 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v16.i3.114009]
World J Psychiatry. Mar 19, 2026; 16(3): 114009 Published online Mar 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v16.i3.114009
Redefining pain and mental health management in cervical spondylosis: Electroacupuncture as a neuroinflammatory modulator and multimodal therapeutic innovation
Riya Karmakar, Aditya Kandalkar, Hsiang-Chen Wang, Arvind Mukundan
Riya Karmakar, Hsiang-Chen Wang, Arvind Mukundan, Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi 62102, Taiwan
Riya Karmakar, Arvind Mukundan, School of Engineering and Technology, Sanjivani University, Sanjivani Factory, Singnapur, Kopargaon 423603, Maharashtra, India
Aditya Kandalkar, Department of Information Technology, Sanjivani College of Engineering, Kopargaon 423603, Maharashtra, India
Co-first authors: Riya Karmakar and Aditya Kandalkar.
Co-corresponding authors: Hsiang-Chen Wang and Arvind Mukundan.
Author contributions: Karmakar R and Kandalkar A made equal contributions to this work as co-first authors; Mukundan A, Kandalkar A, Karmakar R, and Wang HC contributed to conceptualization, review, and editing; Mukundan A and Wang HC contributed to formal analysis and project administration; Karmakar R and Kandalkar A contributed to investigation and software; Wang HC contributed to supervision; Kandalkar A wrote the original draft; Mukundan A and Wang HC contributed equally to the manuscript as co-corresponding authors; all authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest to disclose.
Corresponding author: Arvind Mukundan, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Chung Cheng University, No. 168 University Road, Min Hsiung, Chiayi 62102, Taiwan. arvindmukund96@gmail.com
Received: September 10, 2025 Revised: October 14, 2025 Accepted: December 12, 2025 Published online: March 19, 2026 Processing time: 171 Days and 6.5 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Cervical spondylosis is frequently comorbid with generalized anxiety disorder, creating a loop of pain-anxiety-inflammation that complicates therapy. This editorial proposes electroacupuncture (EA) as a possible treatment that can reduce pain, anxiety, and functional impairment in chronic stress patients with generalized anxiety disorder by influencing neural inflammation and the release of endogenous opioids. EA aids in regulating inflammatory signals and restoring brain function, complementing conventional therapy. Due to its superior safety profile and potential cost savings, EA offers a novel, evidence-based approach to enhance quality of life, decrease medication usage, and alleviate both physical and mental symptoms in these patients.
