Research trends on acupuncture for neuropathic pain: A bibliometric analysis from 1979 to 2023.

BACKGROUND: Acupuncture has drawn increasing attention as a complementary and alternative therapy for neuropathic pain (NP). The present study aimed to summarize the current status and research trends on acupuncture for NP over the past several decades. METHODS: The publications on acupuncture for NP in the database of Web of Science Core Collection from 1979 to 2023 were searched. VOSviewer (1.6.15) and CiteSpace software (5.5.R2) were applied to identify active authors, journals, countries and institutions, co-cited references and hot keywords. RESULTS: A total of 642 publications were finally included, and the quantitative trend of annual publications on acupuncture for NP have shown overall upward from 1979 to 2023. Peoples R China was the most productive and influential country, while Kyung Hee University from South Korea was both the first in publications and citations. Fang JQ ranked the first productive author and Han JS was the first 1 among the co-cited authors. The first productive journal was Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, while the first co-cited journal was Pain. The high-frequency keywords were divided into 9 clusters, and the frontier topic focused on "Chronic pain". CONCLUSION: This present study visually showed the research status and trends of acupuncture for NP from 1979 to 2023 on the basis of bibliometric analysis, which may in some way help researcher discovery and explore some new research directions and ideas in the future.

The Role of Acupuncture Improving Cognitive Deficits due to Alzheimer's Disease or Vascular Diseases through Regulating Neuroplasticity.

Dementia affects millions of elderly worldwide causing remarkable costs to society, but effective treatment is still lacking. Acupuncture is one of the complementary therapies that has been applied to cognitive deficits such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular cognitive impairment (VCI), while the underlying mechanisms of its therapeutic efficiency remain elusive. Neuroplasticity is defined as the ability of the nervous system to adapt to internal and external environmental changes, which may support some data to clarify mechanisms how acupuncture improves cognitive impairments. This review summarizes the up-to-date and comprehensive information on the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment on neurogenesis and gliogenesis, synaptic plasticity, related regulatory factors, and signaling pathways, as well as brain network connectivity, to lay ground for fully elucidating the potential mechanism of acupuncture on the regulation of neuroplasticity and promoting its clinical application as a complementary therapy for AD and VCI.

Acupuncture Medical Therapy and its Underlying Mechanisms: A Systematic Review.

As a traditional Chinese alternative health care approach, acupuncture is gaining increasing attention and reputation in China and overseas. While becoming increasingly popular globally, some consumers and professionals still know little about the therapy and underlying mechanisms of acupuncture. Due to local superiority, there are large numbers of both clinical applications and mechanistic studies performed in China compared to countries overseas. Herein, this review attempts to give a comprehensive profile of the development, application, and mechanisms of acupuncture in treating major diseases. The number of clinical publications concerning acupuncture-treated neurological diseases, endocrine and metabolic diseases, circulatory diseases, respiratory diseases, etc. is first counted, and then, the application and therapeutic mechanisms of acupuncture on the predominant diseases in each category, including obesity, facial paralysis, sciatica, depression, hypertension, asthma, etc., are specifically discussed in this paper. The evolution of acupuncture tools and the rationality of acupoints are also discussed. This review not only summarizes the mechanisms of acupuncture but also provides useful information, such as specific acupoints and acupuncture procedures, for treating common diseases. Therefore, the current study provides useful information for both investigators and acupuncturists.

Efficacy of Acupuncture/Acupressure in the Prevention and Treatment of Nausea and Vomiting Across Multiple Patient Populations: Implications for Practice.

Nausea and vomiting are complex symptoms related to many disease processes. With many pharmacologic interventions noted to have adverse effects, many patients are turning to alternative therapies, including acupuncture and acupressure. Their efficacy has been proven for nausea and vomiting related to pregnancy, in patients receiving chemotherapy, and in postoperative, pediatric, and female patients. There are minimal to no side effects with the use of acupuncture and acupressure for the treatment of nausea and vomiting. Providers should be encouraged to discuss the efficacy, benefits, and side-effect profile of acupuncture and acupressure with patients who suffer from nausea and vomiting.

Effectiveness comparisons of catgut implantation at acupoint for obese type 2 diabetes: A protocol for systematic review and meta analysis.

BACKGROUND: With the change of people's life style, many more people are suffering from obese type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Acupoint catgut embedding is one of the acupuncture treatment principles in traditional Chinese medicine, which is widely used in the treatment of obese T2DM. However, there is no systematic review of the therapeutic effect of acupoint catgut embedding on obesity T2DM. Therefore, this article aims at the meta-analysis of acupoint catgut embedding in the treatment of obese T2DM, to clarify its curative effect. METHODS: A structured and systemic literature search was conducted in the following databases up to December 1, 2019: PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Web of Science, EMBASE, CNKI, Wanfang Database. We will use the Review Manager 5.3 software provided by Cochrane collaborative network for statistical analysis. Then we assessed the quality and risk of the included studies and observed the outcome measures. RESULTS: This meta-analysis will further determine the beneficial efficacy of acupoint catgut embedding on obesity T2DM. CONCLUSION: The purpose of this meta-analysis is to explore the effect of acupoint catgut embedding intervention on obese T2DM patients, and provide more options for clinicians and patients to treat obese T2DM. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This systemic review will evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupoint catgut embedding in the treatment of obesity T2DM. Since all the data included are published, the systematic review does not need ethical approval. REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020160801.

Clinical Events Associated with Acupuncture Intervention for the Treatment of Chronic Inflammation Associated Disorders.

Acupuncture is a key component of Chinese medicine. It describes a series of procedures involving the stimulation of skin through penetration of fine, single-use, sterile needles that result in the release of neurotransmitters. Although its use is on the growing trend, considerable controversy surrounds its value as a therapy. Standard randomized controlled trials that adhere to the accepted criteria should be conducted in the future to ensure the effectiveness of acupuncture. This article summarizes the current evidence regarding the use of acupuncture. It includes a description of the history, mode of operation, treatment of a variety of chronic disorders related to inflammation, and future directions for acupuncture use. Published clinical trials support the view that acupuncture is a possible candidate for the treatment of several chronic inflammation-related disorders.

Intractable or persistent hiccups treated with extracranial acupuncture: Two case reports.

RATIONALE: Hiccups are a common clinical symptom, and persistent hiccups and intractable hiccups severely impair the individual's quality of life. To date, there has been no effective treatment specifically for hiccups. Herein, we report 2 cases with intractable or persistent hiccups that were successfully treated with extracranial acupuncture. PATIENT CONCERNS: The first case is a 46-year-old woman who presented with a 7-year history of intractable hiccups that had worsened over the past 3 years. She also complained of chest tightness, dyspnea, palpitations, dreaminess, dysphoria, intolerance of cold, and hypohidrosis. The second case is a 75-year-old man who presented with a 7-day history of persistent hiccups and hematemesis for 3 hours. The patient's persistent hiccups were treated using traditional Chinese acupuncture, but the patient reported no remarkable benefit. DIAGNOSES: They were diagnosed as intractable or persistent hiccups. INTERVENTIONS: They were treated with extracranial acupuncture. OUTCOMES: The hiccups completely disappeared. During the follow-up period, the hiccups did not reappear. LESSONS: According to neural balance theory, an episode of the hiccups is caused by an imbalance of the nervous system. Extracranial acupuncture in the area adjacent to the external occipital protuberance affects the intracranial nervous system, which can effectively control the hiccups. Our study provides a new approach to the treatment of hiccups.

Combined effect of laser acupuncture and electroacupuncture in knee osteoarthritis patients: A protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a common degenerative joint disorder that affects 250 million people globally. KOA can lead to disability and is often associated with cardiovascular disease, poor quality of life, and mortality. The most common treatment for KOA is non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug administration. However, the analgesic effect is limited and often accompanied by multiple side effects. Hence, many KOA patients opt for complementary and alternative medicine. Acupuncture is one of the most popular complementary treatments with great analgesic effect and minimal side effect. Electroacupuncture (EA) and laser acupuncture (LA) have been known to reduce pain in KOA patients. However, to date, no study has assessed the benefits of combining these two therapies. METHODS: Fifty participants diagnosed with KOA, aged 50 years or older, and with consistent knee pain for more than 3 months were recruited and randomly assigned to the treatment group (EA plus LA) or control group (EA plus sham LA without laser output). All subjects in the treatment group will undergo a combined EA and LA treatment thrice a week for 4 weeks. The acupuncture will be performed on GB33, GB34, SP9, SP10, and ST36 sites. The treatment group will receive acupuncture with a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator at GB33, GB34, SP9, and SP10 sites and with LA at EX-LE5, ST35, and BL40 sites. The subjects in the control group will undergo the same treatment modality as the treatment group, except these subjects will not be exposed to laser output. Outcome measurements will include visual analog scale, Western Ontario McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index, Knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome, body composition analysis, knee range of motion, quadriceps muscle stiffness, one-leg standing with eyes open test, and the 30-s chair stand test before and after 4 weeks of intervention. OBJECTIVES: This protocol aims to investigate the combined effect of EA and LA in KOA patients.

Eficacia de la acupuntura en las enfermedades reumáticas que afectan el raquis: revisión sistemática / Efficacy of acupuncture in rheumatic diseases with spine involvement: Systematic review

Las enfermedades reumáticas de afectación axial que cursan con dolor cervical y lumbar son muy prevalentes y conllevan un importante consumo de recursos sanitarios. La acupuntura es un procedimiento médico avalado por la Organización Mundial de la Salud con un amplio abanico de indicaciones. Nuestro objetivo fue revisar la evidencia sobre la eficacia de la acupuntura en estas enfermedades. Se realizó búsqueda sistemática: MEDLINE, CENTRAL y EMBASE (mayo de 2017): 535 citas, incluimos 4 revisiones globales (45 revisiones sistemáticas) y 3 revisiones sistemáticas (70 ensayos clínicos).La acupuntura mejora el dolor cervical y la funcionalidad de forma inmediata y a corto plazo. También es eficaz en lumbalgia aguda y crónica como primera línea terapéutica, comparada con placebo, y como coadyuvante de otros tratamientos convencionales. Es una intervención segura. Los resultados no son concluyentes en radiculopatías (cervicales y lumbares), estenosis canal lumbar y espondilitis anquilosante. Faltan estudios bien diseñados con evaluación a medio y largo plazo

Rheumatic diseases involving the spine, mainly cervical and lumbar spine, are highly prevalent, and consume considerable health resources. Acupuncture is a medical procedure endorsed by the WHO, with a wide spectrum of medical applications. The aim of this study was to review the evidence on acupuncture efficacy in these diseases. A literature search was performed in MEDLINE, CENTRAL and EMBASE (May 2017): 535 citations. We included four global reviews(45 systematic reviews) and three Systematic Reviews(70 clinical trials). Acupuncture improved cervical pain and functionality both immediately and in the short term. It also proved effective in the treatment of acute and chronic low back pain as the first therapeutic line, compared with placebo, and as an adjunct to other conventional treatments. Acupuncture is a safe intervention. However, acupuncture efficacy in radiculopathies (cervical, lumbar), lumbar spinal stenosis and ankylosing spondylitis is still inconclusive. Well-designed studies with medium and long-term evaluation are required

The effects of acupuncture and electroacupuncture on Parkinson's disease: Current status and future perspectives for molecular mechanisms.

Among the progressive neurodegenerative disorders, Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common. Different factors have critical role in pathophysiology of PD such as apoptosis pathways, inflammatory cytokines, oxidative stress, and neurotransmitters and its receptors abnormalities. Acupuncture and electroacupuncture were considered as nondrug therapies for PD. Although numerous studies has been conducted for assessing the mechanism underlying electroacupuncture and acupuncture, various principal aspects of these treatment procedures remain not well-known. There have also been few investigations on the molecular mechanism of acupuncture and electroacupuncture therapy effects in PD. This review evaluates the effects of electroacupuncture and acupuncture on the molecular mechanism in PD.

Acupuntura y moxibustión para embarazadas con presentación no cefálica. Estrategias de intervención y revisión de la literatura / Acupuncture and moxibustion for pregnant women with non-cephalic presentation. Intervention strategies and literature review

Objetivo: Realizar una evaluación de la evidencia científica publicada y explorar las estrategias e intervenciones más adecuadas en la presentación no cefálica con acupuntura o moxibustión. Método: Búsqueda bibliográfica realizada entre los años 2003 y 2018 con las palabras clave «acupuntura», «moxibustión», «presentación de nalgas» y «presentación no cefálica» en las bases de datos PubMed, Cinahl, WoS, Medline y CENTRAL. Resultados: Finalmente se seleccionaron 15 artículos que cumplían con los criterios de inclusión. La moxibustión es eficaz para conseguir la versión a cefálica en las embarazadas con feto en presentación no cefálica en el tercer trimestre de gestación. Los países asiáticos son los que obtienen resultados con mayor éxito (96,7%), respecto a los países occidentales (53,6-75,4%). Discusión: La revisión de la bibliografía nos ofrece una buena evidencia científica en relación con la efectividad de la moxibustión en el punto de acupuntura V67, en la versión del feto a una presentación cefálica. En la gran mayoría de los estudios se ha observado una mejora en la versión del feto en los grupos que aplicaron la técnica de moxibustión en V67 respecto al grupo control, en que no se había aplicado la técnica. Conclusión: En la actualidad, el uso de la moxibustión para la versión cefálica de una presentación no cefálica es un procedimiento de interés tanto para los profesionales sanitarios como para las gestantes, ya que es una técnica efectiva, segura y de fácil aplicación

Objective: To carry out an evaluation of the published scientific evidence and to explore the most appropriate strategies and interventions in the non-cephalic presentation with acupuncture or moxibustion. Method: Bibliographic search was carried out between 2003 and 2018 with the keywords «acupuncture», «moxibustion», «breech presentation», «non-cephalic presentation», in the databases PubMed, Cinahl, WoS, Medline and CENTRAL. Results: Finally, 15 articles were selected that met the inclusion criteria. Moxibustion is effective to achieve the cephalic version in pregnant women with a fetus in non-cephalic presentation in the third trimester of pregnancy. The Asian countries have the most successful results (96.7%) in relation to those in the West (between 53.6 and 75.4%). Discussion: The review of the literature offers us good scientific evidence regarding the effectiveness of moxibustion in V67, in the fetus version of a cephalic presentation. In the vast majority of studies, an improvement in the version of the fetus was observed in the groups that applied the moxibustion technique in V67 in relation to the control group, which had not applied the technique. Conclusion: At present, the use of moxibustion for the cephalic version of a non-cephalic presentation is a procedure of interest for health workers and pregnant women, since it is an effective, safe and easy to apply technique whenever it is indicated

The efficacy and safety of acupuncture in women with primary dysmenorrhea: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: This systematic review aimed to evaluate the current evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of acupuncture on primary dysmenorrhea. METHODS: Ten electronic databases were searched for relevant articles published before December 2017. This study included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of women with primary dysmenorrhea; these RCTs compared acupuncture to no treatment, placebo, or medications, and measured menstrual pain intensity and its associated symptoms. Three independent reviewers participated in data extraction and assessment. The risk of bias in each article was assessed, and a meta-analysis was conducted according to the types of acupuncture. The results were expressed as mean difference (MD) or standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: This review included 60 RCTs; the meta-analysis included 49 RCTs. Most studies showed a low or unclear risk of bias. We found that compared to no treatment, manual acupuncture (MA) (SMD = -1.59, 95% CI [-2.12, -1.06]) and electro-acupuncture (EA) was more effective at reducing menstrual pain, and compared to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), MA (SMD = -0.63, 95% CI [-0.88, -0.37]) and warm acupuncture (WA) (SMD = -1.12, 95% CI [-1.81, -0.43]) were more effective at reducing menstrual pain. Some studies showed that the efficacy of acupuncture was maintained after a short-term follow-up. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that acupuncture might reduce menstrual pain and associated symptoms more effectively compared to no treatment or NSAIDs, and the efficacy could be maintained during a short-term follow-up period. Despite limitations due to the low quality and methodological restrictions of the included studies, acupuncture might be used as an effective and safe treatment for females with primary dysmenorrhea.

[Research progress of acupuncture and moxibustion for endometrial receptivity in recent 10 years].

The research of acupuncture and moxibustion for endometrial receptivity in recent 10 years was reviewed. CNKI and PubMed databases were retrieved with "acupuncture" "moxibustion" and "endometrial receptivity" as key words. The retrieving time was from January of 2007 through December of 2016. As a result, 63 relevant papers were collected and 28 papers regarding clinical and experimental researches of acupuncture for endometrial receptivity were included into analysis. It was found that acupuncture and moxibustion could improve endometrial morphology (including the expression of pinopodes, endometrial thickness and the rate of endometrial type A), reduce the endometrial microcirculation (including endometrial pulsatility index, resistance index and hemodynamic index), increase the levels of estrogen and progesterone and the expressions of their receptors, and regulate the expression of molecular biological regulator (such as integrin, leukemia inhibitory factor, vascular endothelial growth factor and HOXA10). As a result, the endometrial receptivity was improved to provide good environment for embryo implantation and improve the pregnancy rate, which had significant advantage in the field of assisted reproductive technology. However, detections of pinopodes and integrin were invasive. Its application for clinical use had limitations. In addition, the evidence of acupuncture improving endometrial receptivity was still insufficient. By reviewing related research result, this paper further summarized and analyzed the action mechanism of acupuncture for endometrial receptivity to provide references for the clinical treatment.

[Progress of fMRI-based deqi research in recent 10 years].

OBJECTIVE: The research regarding the central mechanism of acupuncture deqi (arrival of qi) based on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in recent 10 years was analyzed to summarize existing research achievements and experience. METHODS: The literature regarding fMRI-based deqi research published from January of 2007 through December of 2016 in CNKI and PubMed databases was collected. The research content and methods, including research design, inclusion criteria, acupoint selection and deqi evaluation, were analyzed. RESULTS: Totally 18 articles regarding the central mechanism of acupuncture deqi based on fMRI was included. According to research content, the literature was divided into two categories: deqi research and deqi sensation research. In deqi research, the differences of deqi and not deqi on brain functional activity were compared to summarize the central response pattern of deqi; in deqi sensation research, the differences of different sensations and intensities of deqi on central response were compared to explore the effects of different sensations and intensities of deqi on brain functional activity. In recent 10 years, the number of research gradually increased, and the type of design was various, mainly RCT and paired design. The majority of participants was healthy people, and single acupoint was the focus of researches, including Zusanli (ST 36), Waiguan (TE 5), Hegu (LI 4), etc. The evaluation of deqi was based on visual analogue scale (VAS). The research contents were mainly the effects of deqi and not deqi and different deqi sensations on brain function activities. The present studies confirmed that deqi and not deqi as well as different deqi sensations had different impacts on brain functional effects, and different acupoints had specific activated brain areas. There was a positive correlation between the degree of deqi and the intensity of the activation of brain regions. Furthermore, tingling sensation was not included to deqi sensations. CONCLUSION: The number and quality of fMRI-based deqi research need to be improved; the research content is simple, and research method is in exploratory stage. The results obtained in the literature are the phenomena of deqi in the central level, and it is imperative to summarize the essential link between deqi and the central effect through these phenomena to reveal the mechanism of deqi. The specific impact of deqi for brain function needs more clinical exploration.

[Statistics and analysis on acupuncture and moxibustion projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China of traditional Chinese medicine universities and colleges in recent 10 years: taking the General Program and National Science Fund for Young Scholars as examples].

To analyze statistically the situation of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) from 2007 to 2016 in the field of acupuncture and moxibustion for supporting the national Universities colleges of traditional Chinese medicine on the General Program (GP) and the National Science Fund for Young Scholars (NSFYS). In view of five aspects, named fund, supporting units, key words, method, disorder and signal path, the differences were compared between GP and NSFYS, the following characteristics were summarized. ① The fund aid was increased from 2007 through 2013 and down-regulated from 2013 through 2016. In recent ten years, the funding condition was fluctuated, but increasing in tendency generally. ② The relevant projects of the same research direction had been approved continuously for over 3 years in a part of TCM universities, in which, the research continuity was the hot topic. ③ Regarding the therapeutic methods, acupuncture was the chief therapy; electroacupuncture, moxibustion and acupoints were involved as well. ④ The disorders involved in the research were cerebral ischemia, myocardial ischemia and reperfusion injury. It is suggested that the ischemic disorder is predominated in the research. ⑤ The signal path occupied the main research index system, including cell proliferation, metabolism, immune, apoptosis and autophagy. The researches on the other aspects were less.

Trends in use of acupuncture among adults in Taiwan from 2002 to 2011: A nationwide population-based study.

In recent years, acupuncture has gained in popularity worldwide. However, recent epidemiological studies are lacking. We conducted this study to investigate the trends in acupuncture utilization among adults in Taiwan from 2002 to 2011. We analyzed data from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000 (LHID 2000), which contains all original claims data for 1 million beneficiaries randomly sampled from the registry of all beneficiaries enrolled in the National Health Insurance (NHI) program in 2000. The one-year prevalence of acupuncture use among adults increased from 7.98% in 2002 to 10.9% in 2011. Acupuncture use significantly increased yearly (incidence rate ratio = 1.04, 95% CI = 1.03-1.05, p<0.001). Patients who were female, were middle-aged, resided in highly urbanized areas and suffered from injury or disorders of the musculoskeletal system were prone to more frequent acupuncture use. Our study revealed that the utilization of acupuncture became increasingly popular in Taiwan from 2002 to 2011. Our findings may provide useful information for clinical practice and research as well as for health policy decision making.

Review: Statutory regulation of invasive complementary therapies, such as hijama and acupuncture, is the only effective way of ensuring both patient safety and good practice.

The development of statutory regulation of healthcare professionals first emerged in the 15th century in the UK. However, it was not until the 20th century that statutory regulation of complementary therapies emerged with the Osteopath and Chiropractors Acts. However, during that period, acupuncture failed to gain statutory regulation but was rather subject to the equivalent of trading standards. This review explores the background to this failure and the present need for statutory regulation. It draws comparisons with the need for regulation of hijama, another invasive therapy, for which there is at present no regulation. The benefits of the negative licensing model developed in Australia are considered.