Acupuncture and regulation of gastrointestinal function  

作　　者：Hui Li Tian He Qian Xu Zhe Li Yan Liu Fang Li Bo-Feng Yang Cun-Zhi Liu 

机构地区：[1]Acupuncture and Moxibustion Department, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Capital Medical University [2]Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine

出　　处：《World Journal of Gastroenterology》2015年第27期8304-8313,共10页世界胃肠病学杂志（英文版）

基　　金：Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.81222050 and No.81303122;Beijing Natural Science Foundation,No.7144215;Beijing Municipal Administration of Hospitals Clinical Medicine Development of Special Funding Support,No.ZYLX201412;financially supported by 973 Program under Grant,No.2014CB543203

摘　　要：In China, acupuncture has been considered an effective method for treating gastrointestinal(GI) dysfunction diseases for thousands of years. In fact, acupuncture has gained progressive acceptance from both practitioners and patients worldwide. However, the therapeutic effects and underlying mechanisms in treating GI dysfunction have not yet been established due to a lack of systematic and comprehensive review articles. Therefore, the aim of this review is to discuss the efficacy of acupuncture as a treatment for GI dysfunction and the associated underlying mechanisms. A search of Pub Med was conducted for articles that were published over the past 10 years using the terms "acupuncture", "gastrointestine", and other relevant keywords. In the following review, we describe the effect and underlying mechanisms of acupuncture on GI function from the perspectives of GI motility, visceral sensitivity, the GI barrier, and the brain-gut axis. The dual regulatory effects of acupuncture may manifest by promoting gastric peristalsis in subjects with low initial gastric motility, and suppressing peristalsis in subjects with active initial motility. In addition, the regulation of acupuncture on gastric motility may be intensitydependent. Our findings suggest that further studies are needed to investigate the effects and more systematic mechanisms in treating GI dysfunction, and to promote the application of acupuncture for the treatment of GI diseases.In China, acupuncture has been considered an effective method for treating gastrointestinal(GI) dysfunction diseases for thousands of years. In fact, acupuncture has gained progressive acceptance from both practitioners and patients worldwide. However, the therapeutic effects and underlying mechanisms in treating GI dysfunction have not yet been established due to a lack of systematic and comprehensive review articles. Therefore, the aim of this review is to discuss the efficacy of acupuncture as a treatment for GI dysfunction and the associated underlying mechanisms. A search of Pub Med was conducted for articles that were published over the past 10 years using the terms 'acupuncture', 'gastrointestine', and other relevant keywords. In the following review, we describe the effect and underlying mechanisms of acupuncture on GI function from the perspectives of GI motility, visceral sensitivity, the GI barrier, and the brain-gut axis. The dual regulatory effects of acupuncture may manifest by promoting gastric peristalsis in subjects with low initial gastric motility, and suppressing peristalsis in subjects with active initial motility. In addition, the regulation of acupuncture on gastric motility may be intensitydependent. Our findings suggest that further studies are needed to investigate the effects and more systematic mechanisms in treating GI dysfunction, and to promote the application of acupuncture for the treatment of GI diseases.

关 键 词：ACUPUNCTURE GASTROINTESTINAL MOTILITY Gastrointestinalbarrier VISCERAL sensitivity Brain-gut AXIS 

分 类 号：R246.1[医药卫生—针灸推拿学]