To make an induction and conclusion on related literatures on acupoint-acupuncture effects published at home and abroad in recent years. The important links and laws influencing the acupuncture effects were analyzed from the following 3 aspects: the specificity of acupoints, the stimulatory methods of acupoints, and acupuncture dose-effect relationship, thus providing possible clues for studies on acupoint-acupuncture effect, and enriching the theoretical bases for acupoint-acupuncture effect study.
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; methods

The paper introduces the placebo acupuncture simulation devices commonly used in clinical trial of acupuncture therapy. These devices are composed of Streitberger, Park, Takakura, Foam and Phantom acupuncture. Because acupuncture therapy is a kind of complex intervention, there are the controversies in methodology for the acupuncture placebo control of clinical trial. Placebo acupuncture may be an effective control, with a certain of specific therapeutic effect. The blinding effect of placebo acupuncture is highly questioned, specially, the sensation of deqi is hardly imitated during acupuncture. On these grounds, in this research, the suggestions has been proposed on the selection and the setting of placebo control in clinical trial of acupuncture therapy.
Acupuncture ; Acupuncture Therapy/methods* ; Sensation

Some results of clinical trials from the West on traditional acupuncture with modern research design have puzzled the acupuncture community. These include (1) what is the implication of acupuncture, (2) whether acupuncture point has its specificity, and 3) why practical experience in the East is quite different from research observations in the West. Three hypotheses, namely, Acupuncture Healing Effect, Pan-acupoint Phenomenon, and Hard Acupuncture and Soft Acupuncture, are proposed here to explain these sensitive issues. Further investigation with scientific approach may prove or reject these hypotheses. The resolving of these issues will shed light on the re-evaluation of traditional acupuncture and promote the maturation of modern acupuncture theory.
Acupuncture Therapy ; methods ; Humans

Acupuncture Therapy ; methods ; Humans

OBJECTIVETo resolve the contradictory in expounding of reinforcing and reducing by lifting and thrustion the needle and slow-rapid reinforcing and reducing method.

METHODSIn a certain condition,the relationship between the external force (the joint force of both the pressing on the force pressing on the needle and the force arresting the needle's moving) and the speed of needle's moving is deduced by means of kinetic energy theorem, so, when the needle is heavily thrust or lifted, the speed of its moving will be increased.

CONCLUSIONIn the reinforcing and reducing method by lifting and thrusting the needle, "heavily"and "gently" of heavily thrustiing and gently lifting or gently thrusting and heavily lifting should be considered as differences of the amplitudes of lifting and thrusting the needle; "slow-rapid" of slow-rapid reinforcing and reducing method should be considered as difference of the speeds.

Through in-depth excavation and analysis of the pricking blood therapy mentioned in , it is found that -'s pricking blood theory is mainly derived from . Innovative development has been carried out on the basis of "brave innovation and careful verification", and at the same time, it has been practiced and summarized clinically to form its own unique pricking blood therapy. This article systematically summarizes formation of the theory, clinical application, characteristics, and influence on later generations of pricking blood therapy in , with a view to inspiring scholars to have a more comprehensive understanding on the pricking blood therapy in , and providing new ideas and reference for clinical application.
Acupuncture Therapy ; methods ; Humans

Acupuncture, a therapeutic treatment defined as the insertion of needles into the body at specific points (ie, acupoints), has growing in popularity world-wide to treat various diseases effectively, especially acute and chronic pain. In parallel, interest in the physiological mechanisms underlying acupuncture analgesia, particularly the neural mechanisms have been increasing. Over the past decades, our understanding of how the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system process signals induced by acupuncture has developed rapidly by using electrophysiological methods. However, with the development of neuroscience, electrophysiology is being challenged by calcium imaging in view field, neuron population and visualization in vivo. Owing to the outstanding spatial resolution, the novel imaging approaches provide opportunities to enrich our knowledge about the neurophysiological mechanisms of acupuncture analgesia at subcellular, cellular, and circuit levels in combination with new labeling, genetic and circuit tracing techniques. Therefore, this review will introduce the principle and the method of calcium imaging applied to acupuncture research. We will also review the current findings in pain research using calcium imaging from in vitro to in vivo experiments and discuss the potential methodological considerations in studying acupuncture analgesia.
Calcium ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Acupuncture ; Acupuncture Analgesia/methods* ; Acupuncture Points ; Technology

By summarizing and exploring the theoretic connotation, key of functions and effect mechanism of acupoint compatibility, the effect of acupoint compatibility is concluded as the increase of "effect value" and the expansion of "effect domain". The increase of "effect value" is the concrete embodiment by the value of medical assessment scale, the value of objective index detection in clinical trial and the value of index detection in experiment research. The expansion of "effect domain" is the increase of effect target and the extension of effect scope. The paper interprets the scientific connotation of acupoint compatibility therapy from a new perspective, and emphasizes the innovative approaches to research while bringing forth new ideas on the research method. It is anticipated that a novel breakthrough can be achieved in the study of acupoint compatibility and the improvement of acupuncture-moxibustion efficacy.
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy/methods* ; Moxibustion/methods* ; Acupuncture ; Research Design

OBJECTIVETo summarize clinical application of acupoint sticking therapy in various fields of Chinese medicine.

METHODSReview acupoint selection, drug selection and problems of clinical studies in acupoint sticking therapy.

CONCLUSIONAcupoint sticking therapy has a good therapeutic effect with no adverse effect, safety and convenient manipulation.

OBJECTIVETo study on characteristics and application of key acupoints in Elongated Needle Therapy.

METHODSProbe into method of determining key acupoints and their clinical application from characteristics of channels, characteristics of acupoints, position of diseases, pathogenesis, syndromes and other aspects.

CONCLUSIONEstablishment of the theory of key acupoints of enlongated needle therapy reflects the principle of "fewer but better" in acupoint selection of enlongated needle therapy, which can reduce pain of the patient and increase the therapeutic