Acupuncture and moxibustion therapy in the management of Crohn's disease: opportunities and challenges
10.3760/cma.j.cn101480-20250116-00012
- VernacularTitle:针灸疗法在克罗恩病治疗中的应用：机遇与挑战
- Author:
Chunhui BAO
1
;
Jinrong ZHANG
;
Xinyi ZHU
;
Zhou HAO
;
Luyi WU
;
Huirong LIU
;
Huan'gan WU
Author Information
1. 上海市针灸经络研究所，上海 200030
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Crohn's disease;
Acupuncture and moxibustion;
Clinical application;
Mechanistic studies;
Individualized treatment
- From:
Chinese Journal of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
2025;09(4):286-291
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
With the increasing global recognition of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), acupuncture, as a non-pharmacological treatment, has demonstrated promising potential in alleviating symptoms, improving quality of life, and modulating immune and neurological system functions in patients with Crohn's disease (CD). This review summarizes the theoretical foundations and recent research progress on acupuncture for CD, and introduces a personalized "Three Discriminations" diagnostic and therapeutic strategy based on syndrome differentiation, meridian differentiation, and acupoint selection. It also identifies the target patient populations and clinical application value of acupuncture in CD treatment. Despite preliminary progress, acupuncture treatment for CD still faces multiple challenges, including limited high-quality clinical research evidence, uneven resource distribution, non-standardized efficacy evaluation systems, insufficiently standardized treatment strategies, and an incomplete understanding of its underlying mechanisms. Future efforts should focus on establishing high-quality evidence systems, optimizing integrative treatment strategies combining acupuncture with conventional medicine, and conducting deep exploration of multi-dimensional mechanisms, with the goal of promoting the standardized integration of acupuncture into the management of CD and providing patients with safer, more precise, and sustainable therapeutic options.
