School of Acupuncture and Tuina, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China.
Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine Orthopedics, Neck-Shoulder and Lumbocrural Pain Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China.
Biosci Trends. 2022 Mar 11;16(1):73-90. doi: 10.5582/bst.2022.01039. Epub 2022 Feb 10.
Acupuncture has been used to treat various disease for more than 3,000 years in China and other Asian countries. As a complementary and alternative therapy, it has gained increasing popularity and acceptance among public and healthcare professionals in the West. Over the past few decades, basic and clinical research on acupuncture has made considerable progress. Internationally recognized evidence from clinical studies has been published, a preliminary system to clinically evaluate acupuncture has been created, and some clinical guidelines have been formulated. Moreover, scientists have strived to explore the physiological and biological mechanisms of acupuncture. Some basic studies have indicated that acupuncture has various actions, such as analgesic, muscle relaxing, anti-inflammatory, mild anxiolytic, and antidepressant actions, with possible biological mechanisms such as central sensitization, neurotransmitters, the intestinal flora, immune regulation, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation. The current review describes the common indications for acupuncture recommended by the WHO and the use of acupuncture in China, the United States, Australia, and several other countries. This review then summarized the mechanisms by which acupuncture treats common conditions including lower back pain (LBP), ischemic stroke, depression, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and it also cited specific acupuncture points for treating these conditions. The hope is that this review will provide useful information for both acupuncturists and researchers to better understand the mechanisms of acupuncture and reasons for its usage.
针刺在中国和其他亚洲国家已经被用于治疗各种疾病超过 3000 年。作为一种补充和替代疗法，它在西方的公众和医疗保健专业人员中越来越受欢迎和认可。在过去的几十年中，针刺的基础和临床研究取得了相当大的进展。已经发表了国际公认的来自临床研究的证据，创建了初步的临床评估针刺的系统，并制定了一些临床指南。此外，科学家们还努力探索针刺的生理和生物学机制。一些基础研究表明，针刺具有多种作用，如镇痛、肌肉松弛、抗炎、轻度抗焦虑和抗抑郁作用，可能的生物学机制包括中枢敏化、神经递质、肠道菌群、免疫调节、氧化应激和神经炎症。
本篇综述描述了世界卫生组织推荐的针刺常见适应证，以及在中国、美国、澳大利亚和其他几个国家的针刺应用。本文还总结了针刺治疗常见疾病（包括腰痛、缺血性中风、抑郁和肠易激综合征）的机制，并列举了治疗这些疾病的特定穴位。希望这篇综述能为针灸师和研究人员提供有用的信息，以帮助他们更好地了解针刺的机制和使用原因。
