Acupuncture-moxibustion in treating irritable bowel syndrome: How does it work?

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional intestinal disease characterized by abdominal pain or discomfort and altered bowel habits. It has drawn great attention because of its high prevalence, reoccurring symptoms, and severe influence on patients’ lives. Many clinical studies have demonstrated the efficacy of acupuncture-moxibustion in treating IBS. Increasing attention has been paid to research regarding the action mechanisms of acupuncture-moxibustion for IBS, and the adoption of modern techniques has achieved some progress. This article reviews the latest advances among action mechanism studies from the perspectives of gastrointestinal motility, visceral hypersensitivity, the brain-gut axis, the neuroendocrine system, and the immune system. It is shown that acupuncture-moxibustion can effectively regulate the above items, and thus, this treatment should have a high efficacy in the treatment of IBS. This article also identifies existing problems in current mechanism research and raises several ideas for future studies. Further revelations regarding these action mechanisms will promote the application of acupuncture-moxibustion in treating IBS.

NOTICE TO CONTRIBUTORS OF WORLD JOURNAL OF ACUPUNCTURE-MOXIBUSTION

World Journal of Acupuncture-Moxibustion is an English academic journal sponsored by World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies.It is published quarterly worldwide.The focus of the journal includes,but is not confined to,clinical researches,summary of clinical experiences。

World Journal of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Announcement of Compiling the Special Issue of Acupuncture in the Whole World——Global Events Record of Acu-Moxi

Commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the Foundation of World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies (WFAS)ABSTRACT During the past 30 years, acupuncture has developed a lot in the whole world. The international group of acupuncture has been enlarged and a new page was created in the cause of human health and medicine. At the eve of "The 20th Anniversary of the Foundation of WFAS—International Acupuncture Congress", in order to show the achievements in the circle of acupuncture and set up a new image of global acupuncture circle, expand the influence of acupuncture, promote international cooperation, World Journal of Acupuncture-Moxibustion will print a Special Issue in large scale, Acupuncture in the Whole World—Global Events Record of Acu-Moxi and calling for articles starts from now on.

World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies(WFAS)Technical Benchmark of Acupuncture and Moxibustion:Scalp Acupuncture

World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies(WFAS)Technical Benchmark of Acupuncture and Moxibustion:Scalp Acupuncture,was approved by WFAS,issued on October 9,2023,and officially implemented on December 31,2023.This technical benchmark specifies terms and definitions,scope of application,operation steps and requirements,security requirements,etc.In the development process,the actual clinical conditions of acupuncture and moxibustion in various countries have been fully considered.This technical benchmark is applicable to global acupuncture medical institutions,conducive to the standardized use of scalp acupuncture in clinical practice,and can promote the international dissemination of scalp acupuncture in a certain degree.

World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies(WFAS)Technical Benchmark of Acupuncture and Moxibustion:Cupping

World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies(WFAS)Technical Benchmark of Acupuncture and Moxibustion:Cupping,developed under the leadership of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine,was approved by WFAS.This technical benchmark was issued on October 9,2023,and implemented on December 31,2023.The main contents include the scope,normative references,terms and definitions,procedures and rules,and safety.This article focuses on the above contents,an outlook on the application,popularization,and update plan of this technical benchmark is proposed.

Discussion on Collection of Clinical Questions in International Clinical Practice Guidelines of Acupuncture-Moxibustion

The clinical questions of acupuncture-moxibustion(Acup-Mox)guidelines are complicated,including not only the curative effect of Acup-Mox intervention measures,but also the operational elements of Acup-Mox.This paper aimed to put forward the idea and process of collecting clinical questions in developing international acupuncture clinical practice guidelines.The experience was collected and the idea of collecting clinical questions of Acup-Mox was formed through expert consultation and discussion in combination with expert opinions.Based on the characteristics of Acup-Mox discipline.This paper put forward the thinking of collecting elements of clinical questions following the intervention-population-outcome-control(I-P-O-C)inquiry process,according to the discipline of Acup-Mox.It was emphasized that in the process of collecting clinical questions,"treatable population"and"alleviable outcome indicators"for a specific Acup-Mox intervention with certain therapeutic effect should be focused on,so as to highlight the pertinence of clinical questions of AcupMox guidelines in terms of population and outcome elements.

Differences in Contents and Formation Methods of Clinical Questions in Chinese and Korean Clinical Practice Guidelines of Acupuncture-Moxibustion:Scoping Review

Objective:To analyze the differences in the needs of users and the value orientation of clinical practice guidelines(CPGs)by comparing the contents and formation methods of clinical questions in Chinese and Korean CPGs of acupuncture-moxibustion(Acup-Mox).Methods:The full text of CPGs was systematically searched from the official websites of Chinese and Korean traditional medicine societies and Acup-Mox associations,with the topic"Acup-Mox for treating diseases"and the retrieval time up to September 28,2022.Two researchers screened the CPGs independently,and extracted the guidelines'topics,content,quantity and formation methods of clinical questions.The quantitative data were collected by counting the frequency,and the qualitative data were classified and described by thematic analysis.Results:A total of 29 guidelines were included in this study,including 20 Chinese guidelines(305 questions)and 9 Korean guidelines(223 questions).The differences lie in the aspects of content and diversity,and formation method.As for content and diversity,Chinese guidelines focused mainly on the questions related to treatment such as the operation of specific intervention(86,28.2%),efficacy of intervention(78,25.6%),and also involving questions in diagnosis,prevention,and prognosis.While the clinical questions in Korean guidelines were concentrated to efficacy of intervention(218,97.8%).As for formation method,in Chinese guidelines,questions were usually collected directly from clinicians,and then determined and optimized by experts.In Korean guidelines,frequently used clinical Acup-Mox interventions would be screened first.Then the expert group would set up corresponding intervention control measures so as to form clinical questions related to treatment efficacy.Conclusions:The differences reflect the different needs of clinical practitioners,and the different aims or concepts in developing Acup-Mox guidelines between China and South Korea.Chinese guidelines emphasized promoting operation protocols and techniques of Acup-Mox for practical use,while Korean guidelines emphasized promoting the frequently used clinical intervention therapies.It is speculated that the guidelines from these two countries would play different roles in guiding clinical operation and supporting medical decision.In terms of formation methods of clinical questions,it is suggested to attach importance to optimizing process in formatting clinical questions to improve the clinical applicability of CPGs of Acup-Mox.

Acupuncture-moxibustion for exercise-induced fatigue:advances and review

The article has introduced research advances and clinical trials in recent years on treatment of exercise-induced fatigue with acupuncture, especially in its functions of scavenging oxygen free radicals and inhibiting lipid-peroxidation, regulating immunity, preventing exercise-induced dysfunction of hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis, improving energy metabolism, maintaining the stability of internal environment, alleviating delayed-onset muscle soreness （DOMS） and preventing mental fatigue and central fatigue etc. It is intended to explain that acupuncture has great potential against exercise-induced fatigue from the views of safety, less side-effects and not involving in stimulants etc. However, divergences still exist in acupoint selection, manipulations and selection of indicators in relative researches. Therefore, further studies are necessary to give a full play of advantages of acupuncture against exercise-induced fatigue.

Research on laws of effect of different acupuncture-moxibustion therapies based on data mining

Different acupuncture-moxibustion therapies can produce different clinical effects, that is, the effect has specificity, which is significantly important in obtaining acupuncture-moxibustion efficacy. In this study, the clinical application laws of fire needle, acupoint injection, catgut embedment, acupoint application, moxibustion therapy and filiform needle acupuncture were summarized in the aspects of category of disease, efficacy and related prescriptions （such as medication and acupoint selection） based on the result of data mining, and the general applicable categories of disease of acupuncture-moxibustion treatment methods were further screened, so as to guide the clinical application and give play to the best efficacy.

Thirty-six cases of postsurgical gastroparesis of abdominal cancer treated by comprehensive therapy of acupuncture-moxibustion

Objective To observe clinical efficacy of acupuncture-moxibustion combined with cupping on postsurgical gastroparesis of abdominal cancer. Methods Thirty-six cases of postsurgical gastroparesis of abdominal cancer were treated with （1） acupuncture at Weishiu （胃俞 BL 21）, Shangwan （上脘 CV 13）, Zhangwan （中脘CV 12）, Xiawan （下脘 CV 10） and Tianshu （天枢 ST 25） to dredging the meridians, （2） quick cupping on local area to promote gastrointestinal motility and （3） mild moxibustion at CV 12, Shanque （神阙 CV 8） and Zusanli （足三里 ST 36）. The treatment was given once a day, 5 times made a course. The clinical efficacy was assessed after two courses of treatment. Results After the treatment, 27 cases were cured, 6 cases were effective and 3 cases were failed, and the total effective rate was 91.7% （33/36）. Conclusion The acupuncture-moxibustion combined with cupping has remarkable clinical efficacy on postsurgical gastroparesis of abdominal cancer.