ABSTRACT
Borrowing the open system interconnection (OSI) model of internet protocol and the 5W theory in communication studies, the links in the international communication of acupuncture-moxibustion can be classified into seven layers: physical layer, data link layer, network layer, transport layer, session layer, presentation layer and application layer, therefore it is built an OSI model of international communication system of acupuncture-moxibustion. It is pointed out that present international communication system of acupuncture-moxibustion is similar to the user datagram protocol (UDP) in internet technology. Evidence-based medicine (EBM) plays a key role to modernize acupuncture- moxibustion theory based upon its clinical effects. According to phenomenon-taking by classified analogy, it is found that the PICO model of EBM agrees pretty well with the "three-way handshakes" mechanism of the internet transmission control protocol (TCP), which is promising to construct an international discourse of acupuncture-moxibustion compatible with western medicine. Thus it will benefit to explore the scientific connotation of acupuncture-moxibustion theory and significantly improve the international prestige of acupuncture-moxibustion.