Journal
PAIN MEDICINE
Volume 16, Issue 10, Pages 1905-1915Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1111/pme.12761
Keywords
Acupoints; Acupuncture; Local Effects; Systemic Effects; Review
Categories
Funding
- National Natural Science Foundation for Excellent Young Scholars of China [81222050]
- Beijing Natural Science Foundation [7132066]
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BackgroundAccording to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory, acupoints are specifically chosen sites of acupuncture manipulation, and also the basis for studying the mechanism of acupuncture. Stimulating different acupoints on the body surface could provide various therapeutic benefits. However, what is the acupoint? This question is not clear. Review SummaryWe focuse on examining the function of acupoints from different perspectives, including the local and the systemic effects of stimulating acupoints. For example, acupoints may release certain substances or incur some changes, which could adjust the function of organs, maintain homeostasis. Furthermore, the therapeutic effects of verum acupoints versus sham acupoints were discussed. However, due to insufficience in evidence and in current methodologies, research into mechanisms of acupuncture is still incomplete. ConclusionThis review might explain, to some extent, what an acupoint is. Further research into the identity of acupoints is warranted, and multidisciplinary methods using novel technologies may yield significant advances over existing knowledge.
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