School of Pharmaceutical Science, Hunan University of Medicine, Huaihua 418000, P. R. China.
School of Pharmacy, Hunan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Changsha 410208, P. R. China.
Am J Chin Med. 2021;49(1):1-23. doi: 10.1142/S0192415X21500014. Epub 2020 Dec 26.
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.
作为一种传统的中医保健方法，针灸在中国和海外越来越受到关注和赞誉。虽然在全球范围内越来越受欢迎，但一些消费者和专业人士对针灸的疗法和潜在机制仍知之甚少。由于地域优势，与海外国家相比，中国开展了大量的临床应用和机制研究。在此，本文试图对针灸治疗主要疾病的发展、应用和机制进行全面介绍。首先统计了针灸治疗神经系统疾病、内分泌和代谢疾病、循环系统疾病、呼吸系统疾病等方面的临床文献数量，然后具体讨论了针灸在肥胖症、面瘫、坐骨神经痛、抑郁症、高血压、哮喘等各分类中主要疾病的应用和治疗机制。本文还讨论了针灸工具的演变和穴位的合理性。本综述不仅总结了针灸的作用机制，还为治疗常见疾病提供了有用的信息，如具体的穴位和针灸程序。因此，本研究为研究人员和针灸师提供了有用的信息。
