Study Progress on Acupoint Specificity / 上海针灸杂志

ABSTRACT

It’s still controversial whether there is specificity of acupoints, because numerous studies showed that stimulation to acupoints and sham acupoints produced parallel clinical efficacies. For example, acupoint specificity was not detected when Visual Analogue Scale was adopted to evaluate pain, while hemodynamic and neuroimaging studies suggested the existence of acupoint specificity. This article reviewed and summarized relevant studies that supported or didn’t support acupoint specificity. Further researches are required to prove the existence of specificity of acupoints.