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Journal of Affective Disorders Sep 2023Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) is used for treating depression but the efficacy and safety have not been well assessed. This study was... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
The efficacy and safety of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation in the treatment of depressive disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
BACKGROUND
Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) is used for treating depression but the efficacy and safety have not been well assessed. This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of taVNS in depression.
METHODS
The retrieval databases included English databases of PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, the Cochrane Library and PsycINFO, and Chinese databases of CNKI, Wanfang, VIP and Sino Med, and the retrieval period was from their inception to November 10, 2022. The clinical trial registers (ClinicalTrials.gov and Chinese Clinical Trial Registry) were also searched. Standardized mean difference and the risk ratio were used as the effect indicator and the effect size was represented by the 95 % confidence interval. Revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials and the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation system were used to assess the risk of bias and quality of evidence respectively.
RESULTS
Totally, 12 studies of 838 participants were included. taVNS could significantly improve depression and reduce Hamilton Depression Scale scores. Low to very low evidence showed that taVNS had higher response rates than sham-taVMS and comparable response rates compared to antidepressants (ATD) and that taVNS combined with ATD had comparable efficacy to ATD with fewer side effects.
LIMITATIONS
The number of studies in subgroups was small and the evidence quality was low to very low.
CONCLUSIONS
taVNS is an effective and safe method for alleviating depression scores and had a comparable response rate to ATD.
Topics: Humans; Vagus Nerve Stimulation; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation; Antidepressive Agents; Vagus Nerve; Depressive Disorder
PubMed: 37230264
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.05.048 -
Medicine Jun 2018To evaluate the efficacy and safety of dry needling (DN) for treating low back pain (LBP). (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
To evaluate the efficacy and safety of dry needling (DN) for treating low back pain (LBP).
METHODS
Nine databases were searched from inception to October 2017. Eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving DN for treating LBP were retrieved. Two reviewers independently screened the articles, extracted data, and evaluated the risk of bias among the included studies using the risk of bias assessment tool by Cochrane Collaboration.
RESULTS
Sixteen RCTs were included and the risk of bias assessment of them was "high" or "unclear" for most domains. Meta-analysis results suggested that DN was more effective than acupuncture in alleviating pain intensity and functional disability at postintervention, while its efficacy on pain and disability at follow-up was only equal to acupuncture. Besides, DN was superior to sham needling for alleviating pain intensity at postintervention/follow-up and functional disability at postintervention. Additionally, qualitative review revealed that DN combined with acupuncture had more significant effect on alleviating pain intensity at postintervention and achieved higher response rate than DN alone. However, compared with other treatments (laser, physical therapy, other combined treatments, etc.), it remained uncertain whether the efficacy of DN was superior or equal because the results of included studies were mixed.
CONCLUSIONS
Compared with acupuncture and sham needling, DN is more effective for alleviating pain and disability at postintervention in LBP, while its effectiveness on pain and disability at follow-up was equal to acupuncture. Besides, it remains uncertain whether the efficacy of DN is superior to other treatments. Nevertheless, considering the overall "high" or "unclear" risk of bias of studies, all current evidence is not robust to draw a firm conclusion regarding the efficacy and safety of DN for LBP. Future RCTs with rigorous methodologies are required to confirm our findings.
DETAILS OF ETHICS APPROVAL
No ethical approval was required for this systematic review and meta-analysis.
Topics: Acupuncture Therapy; Humans; Low Back Pain; Myofascial Pain Syndromes; Pain Measurement; Physical Therapy Modalities
PubMed: 29952980
DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000011225 -
BioMed Research International 2020Osteoarthritis is the most common musculoskeletal disease. Extracorporeal shockwave therapy had shown an effect on osteoarthritis in both some animal experiments and... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Osteoarthritis is the most common musculoskeletal disease. Extracorporeal shockwave therapy had shown an effect on osteoarthritis in both some animal experiments and clinical studies, but there was no systematic review to confirm the value of shockwave therapy in the treatment of all types of osteoarthritis and compare it with other traditional therapies (especially traditional Chinese medicine).
METHOD
PubMed, Medline, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, WANFANG database, and VIP database were searched up to December 10, 2019, to identify randomized controlled trials comparing shockwave therapy and other treatments for osteoarthritis. Visual analogue scale and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index were extracted and analyzed by RevMan and STATA software as outcomes of pain reduction and functional improvement. Adverse reactions were recorded to evaluate the safety of shockwave therapy.
RESULTS
Shockwave therapy had significant improvement in both pain reduction and functional improvement compared with placebo, corticosteroid, hyaluronic acid, medication, and ultrasound ( < 0.05). In functional improvement, shockwave therapy showed statistical improvement compared with kinesiotherapy and moxibustion ( < 0.05) but not with acupotomy surgery ( = 0.24). A significant difference between shockwave therapy and platelet-rich plasma was observed in pain reduction ( < 0.05) but not in functional improvement ( = 0.89). Meanwhile, a statistical difference was found between shockwave therapy and fumigation in functional improvement ( < 0.05) but not in pain reduction ( = 0.26). Additionally, there was no statistically significant difference between shockwave therapy and manipulation in both pain reduction ( = 0.21) and functional improvement ( = 0.45). No serious adverse reaction occurred in all of studies.
CONCLUSIONS
Extracorporeal shockwave therapy could be recommended in the treatment of osteoarthritis as a noninvasive therapy with safety and effectiveness, but the grade of recommendations needs to be discussed in a further study.
Topics: Animals; Databases, Factual; Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy; Humans; Hyaluronic Acid; Injections, Intra-Articular; Medicine, Chinese Traditional; Osteoarthritis; Osteoarthritis, Knee; Pain; Pain Measurement; Placebos; Platelet-Rich Plasma; Ultrasonic Therapy
PubMed: 32309424
DOI: 10.1155/2020/1907821 -
Complementary Therapies in Medicine Sep 2023This study aimed to examine the effect of acupuncture on symptoms and health-related quality of life in patients with endometriosis.
OBJECTIVES
This study aimed to examine the effect of acupuncture on symptoms and health-related quality of life in patients with endometriosis.
METHODS
Nine biomedical databases were searched to April 2022 to identify randomized controlled trials of acupuncture and/or moxibustion used alone or as adjunct to guideline-recommended pharmacotherapy for the treatment of endometriosis. One reviewer extracted data and another verified the data. A random effects model was used to calculate mean differences.
RESULTS
Fifteen trials involving 1018 patients met the inclusion criteria, but diversity in comparisons and outcome measures prevented meta-analysis. Compared to sham acupuncture, manual acupuncture was more effective at reducing dysmenorrhea VAS pain score (mean difference [MD] - 2.40, 95 % CI [- 2.80, - 2.00]; moderate certainty evidence), pelvic pain VAS score (MD - 2.65, 95 % CI [- 3.40, - 1.90]; high certainty evidence) and dyspareunia VAS scores (MD - 2.88, [- 3.83, - 1.93]), lessened the size of ovarian cyst (MD - 3.88, 95 % CI [- 7.06, - 0.70]), and improved quality of life. Compared to conventional therapy, manual acupuncture plus conventional therapy and warm needle alone resulted in greater improvements in quality of life than conventional therapy. Among the six studies that reported safety, fewer adverse events were reported in participants who received acupuncture or moxibustion.
CONCLUSIONS
Low to moderate certainty evidence from single studies showed that manual acupuncture may improve pain-related symptoms and quality of life; however, there is insufficient evidence on the overall effectiveness of acupuncture and moxibustion for endometriosis.
Topics: Female; Humans; Moxibustion; Quality of Life; Endometriosis; Acupuncture Therapy; Dysmenorrhea
PubMed: 37453585
DOI: 10.1016/j.ctim.2023.102963 -
The Cochrane Database of Systematic... Nov 2021Crohn's disease is a remitting and relapsing disorder that can affect the whole gastrointestinal tract. Active disease symptoms include abdominal pain, fatigue, weight... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Crohn's disease is a remitting and relapsing disorder that can affect the whole gastrointestinal tract. Active disease symptoms include abdominal pain, fatigue, weight loss, and diarrhoea. There is no known cure; however, the disease can be managed, and therefore places a huge financial burden on healthcare systems. Abdominal pain is a common and debilitating symptom of Crohn's and other inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), and is multifaceted. Abdominal pain in Crohn's disease could be a symptom of disease relapse or related to medication adverse effects, surgical complications and strictures or adhesions secondary to IBD. In the absence of these factors, around 20 to 50% of people with Crohn's in remission still experience pain.
OBJECTIVES
To assess the efficacy and safety of interventions for managing abdominal pain in people with Crohn's disease and IBD (where data on ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease could not be separated).
SEARCH METHODS
We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, three other databases, and clinical trials registries on 29 April 2021. We also searched the references of trials and systematic reviews for any additional trials.
SELECTION CRITERIA
All published, unpublished, and ongoing randomised trials that compared interventions for the management of abdominal pain in the setting of Crohn's disease and IBD, with other active interventions or standard therapy, placebo, or no therapy were included. We excluded studies that did not report on any abdominal pain outcomes.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Five review authors independently conducted data extraction and 'Risk of bias' assessment of the included studies. We analysed data using Review Manager 5. We expressed dichotomous and continuous outcomes as risk ratios and mean differences with 95% confidence intervals. We assessed the certainty of the evidence using GRADE methodology.
MAIN RESULTS
We included 14 studies (743 randomised participants). Five studies evaluated participants with Crohn's disease; seven studies evaluated participants with IBD where the data on ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease could not be separated; and two studies provided separate results for Crohn's disease participants. Studies considered a range of disease activity states. Two studies provided intervention success definitions, whilst the remaining studies measured pain as a continuous outcome on a rating scale. All studies except one measured pain intensity, whilst three studies measured pain frequency. Withdrawals due to adverse events were directly or indirectly reported in 10 studies. No conclusions could be drawn about the efficacy of the majority of the interventions on pain intensity, pain frequency, and treatment success, except for the comparison of transcranial direct current stimulation to sham stimulation. The certainty of the evidence was very low in all but one comparison because of imprecision due to sparse data and risk of bias assessed as unclear or high risk. Two studies compared a low FODMAP diet (n=37) to a sham diet (n=45) in IBD patients. The evidence on pain intensity was of very low certainty (MD -12.00, 95% CI -114.55 to 90.55). One study reported pain intensity separately for CD participants in the low FODMAP group [n=14, mean(SD)=24 (82.3)] and the sham group [n=12, mean(SD)=32 (69.3)]. The same study also reported pain frequency for IBD participants in the low FODMAP group [n=27, mean(SD)=36 (26)] and sham group [n=25, mean(SD)=38(25)] and CD participants in the low FODMAP group [n=14, mean(SD)=36 (138.4)] and sham group [n=12, mean(SD)=48 (128.2)]. Treatment success was not reported. One study compared a low FODMAP diet (n=25) to high FODMAP/normal diet (n=25) in IBD patients. The data reported on pain intensity was unclear. Treatment success and pain frequency were not reported. One study compared medicine-separated moxibustion combined with acupuncture (n=51) versus wheat bran-separated moxibustion combined with shallow acupuncture (n=51) in CD patients. The data reported on pain intensity and frequency were unclear. Treatment success was not reported. One study compared mindfulness with CBT (n=33) versus no treatment (n=33) in IBD patients. The evidence is very uncertain about the effect of this treatment on pain intensity and frequency (MD -37.00, 95% CI -87.29 to 13.29). Treatment success was not reported. One study compared soft non-manipulative osteopathic treatment (n=16) with no treatment besides doctor advice (n=14) in CD patients. The evidence is very uncertain about the effect of this treatment on pain intensity (MD 0.01, 95% CI -1.81 to 1.83). Treatment success and pain frequency were not reported. One study compared stress management (n=15) to self-directed stress management(n=15) and to standard treatment (n=15) in CD patients. The evidence is very uncertain about the effect of these treatments on pain intensity (MD -30.50, 95% CI -58.45 to -2.55 and MD -34.30, 95% CI -61.99 to -6.61). Treatment success and pain frequency were not reported. One study compared enteric-release glyceryl trinitrate (n=34) with placebo (n=36) in CD patients. The data reported on pain intensity was unclear. Treatment success and pain frequency were not reported. One study compared 100 mg olorinab three times per day (n=8) with 25 mg olorinab three times per day (n=6) in CD patients. Pain intensity was measured as a 30% reduction in weekly average abdominal pain intensity score for the 100mg group (n=5) and the 25mg group (n=6). The evidence is very uncertain about the effect of this treatment on pain intensity (RR 0.66, 95% CI 0.38 to 1.15). Treatment success and pain frequency were not reported. One study compared relaxation training (n=28) to a waitlist (n=28) in IBD patients. The evidence is very uncertain about the effect of this treatment on pain intensity (MD -0.72, 95% CI -1.85 to 0.41). Treatment success and pain frequency were not reported. One study compared web-based education (n=30) with a book-based education (n=30) in IBD patients. The evidence is very uncertain about the effect of this treatment on pain intensity (MD -0.13, 95% CI -1.25 to 0.99). Treatment success and pain frequency were not reported. One study compared yoga (n=50) with no treatment (n=50) in IBD patients. The data reported on treatment success were unclear. Pain frequency and intensity were not reported. One study compared transcranial direct current stimulation (n = 10) to sham stimulation (n = 10) in IBD patients. There may be an improvement in pain intensity when transcranial direct current is compared to sham stimulation (MD -1.65, 95% CI -3.29 to -0.01, low-certainty evidence). Treatment success and pain frequency were not reported. One study compared a kefir diet (Lactobacillus bacteria) to no intervention in IBD patients and provided separate data for their CD participants. The evidence is very uncertain about the effect of this treatment on pain intensity in IBD (MD 0.62, 95% CI 0.17 to 1.07) and CD (MD -1.10, 95% CI -1.67 to -0.53). Treatment success and pain frequency were not reported. Reporting of our secondary outcomes was inconsistent. The most adverse events were reported in the enteric-release glyceryl trinitrate and olorinab studies. In the enteric-release glyceryl trinitrate study, the adverse events were higher in the intervention arm. In the olorinab study, more adverse events were observed in the higher dose arm of the intervention. In the studies on non-drug interventions, adverse events tended to be very low or zero. However, no clear judgements regarding adverse events can be drawn for any interventions due to the low number of events. Anxiety and depression were measured and reported at the end of intervention in only one study; therefore, no meaningful conclusions can be drawn for this outcome.
AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
We found low certainty evidence that transcranial direct current stimulation may improve pain intensity compared to sham stimulation. We could not reach any conclusions on the efficacy of any other interventions on pain intensity, pain frequency, and treatment success. The certainty of the evidence was very low due to the low numbers of studies and participants in each comparison and clinical heterogeneity amongst the studies. While no serious or total adverse events were elicited explicitly with any of the treatments studied, the reported events were very low. The certainty of the evidence for all comparisons was very low, so no conclusions can be drawn.
Topics: Abdominal Pain; Colitis, Ulcerative; Crohn Disease; Humans; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases; Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
PubMed: 34844288
DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD013531.pub2 -
Medicine Aug 2022Research into acupuncture and moxibustion and their application for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) has been growing, but the findings have been inconsistent. (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Research into acupuncture and moxibustion and their application for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) has been growing, but the findings have been inconsistent.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the existing randomized clinical trials (RCTs), compare the efficacy of acupuncture, moxibustion and other traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatments.
DATA SOURCES
Three English-language databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and The Cochrane Library) and 4 Chinese-language biomedical databases (Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, VIP Database for Chinese Technical Periodicals, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang) were searched for RCTs published from database inception through August 2021.
STUDY SELECTION
RCTs include acupuncture, moxibustion, traditional Chinese herbal medicine, western medicine and no control.
DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS
Data were screened and extracted independently using predesigned forms. The quality of RCTs was appraised with the Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias tool. We conducted a random-effects network meta-analysis within a frequentist framework. We assessed the certainty of evidence contributing to network estimates of the main outcomes with the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) framework.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
The primary outcomes were the overall response rate and FS-14 scale.
RESULTS
A total of 51 randomized controlled trials involving 3473 patients with CFS were included in this review. Forty one studies indicate low risk or unknown risk, and the GRADE scores of the combined results show low levels. Among the main indicators, traditional Chinese medicine therapies have excellent performance. However, the overall response rate is slightly different from the results obtained from the Fatigue Scale-14 total score. Moxibustion and traditional Chinese medicine (Odds ratios 48, 95% CrI 15-150) perform better in the total effective rate, while moxibustion plus acupuncture (MD 4.5, 95% CrI 3.0-5.9) is better in the FS-14 total score.
CONCLUSIONS
The effect of acupuncture and moxibustion in the treatment of CFS was significantly higher than that of other treatments. Traditional Chinese medicine should be used more widely in the treatment of CFS.
Topics: Acupuncture Therapy; Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic; Humans; Medicine, Chinese Traditional; Moxibustion; Network Meta-Analysis
PubMed: 35945779
DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000029310 -
Cancers Dec 2023Constipation is a common symptom in patients receiving antitumoral treatment. The mechanisms underlying antitumoral agent-induced constipation (ATAIC) are poorly... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Constipation is a common symptom in patients receiving antitumoral treatment. The mechanisms underlying antitumoral agent-induced constipation (ATAIC) are poorly defined. This systematic review aimed to analyze and synthesize the available information related to the prevalence, etiology, and treatment of ATAIC.
METHODS
A systematic review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines was conducted. The review included human studies written in English, French, or Spanish involving patients with cancer and containing information about the prevalence, etiology, and treatment of ATAIC.
RESULTS
A total of 73 articles were included. The reported prevalence ranged from 0.8% to 86.6%. Six studies reported an ATAIC prevalence of over 50%. The prevalence rates of constipation of grades 3 and 4 ranged between 0 and 11%. The importance of enteric neuronal integrity in gastrointestinal function was reported. The articles with the highest levels of evidence in relation to ATAIC treatment obtained in this systematic review studied treatments with acupuncture, sweet potato, osteopath, probiotics, and moxibustion.
CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of constipation in patients undergoing antitumoral treatment is very diverse. Studies specifically designed to report the prevalence of antineoplastic treatment-induced constipation are needed. The importance of enteric neuronal integrity in gastrointestinal function was described. Thus, neuroprotection could be an area of research for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced gastrointestinal disorders.
PubMed: 38201526
DOI: 10.3390/cancers16010099 -
Evidence-based Complementary and... 2021This review aimed at systematically evaluating the efficacy and safety of moxibustion for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
This review aimed at systematically evaluating the efficacy and safety of moxibustion for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).
METHODS
Relevant trials were searched in seven digital databases up to January 2021. After literature screening, data extraction, and literature quality evaluation, the included studies were meta-analyzed using RevMan 5.4 software. The evidence level was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE).
RESULTS
Fifteen studies involving 1030 CFS participants were included. Meta-analyses showed a favorable effect of moxibustion on the total effective rate compared with acupuncture (OR = 4.58, 95%CI = [2.85, 7.35], < 0.00001) and drugs (OR = 6.36, 95%CI = [3.48, 11.59], < 0.00001). Moxibustion also appeared to significantly reduce fatigue severity measured by fatigue scale-14 (FS-14) (WMD = -2.20, 95% CI = [-3.16, -1.24], < 0.00001) and fatigue assessment instrument (FAI) (WMD = -16.36, 95% CI = [-26.58, -6.14], =0.002) compared with the control group. In addition, among the 15 included studies, only two studies reported adverse events related to moxibustion, and the symptoms were relatively mild. The quality of evidence based on the 15 included trials was assessed as moderate to very low.
CONCLUSIONS
Based on limited evidence, moxibustion might be an effective and safe complementary therapy for CFS, which can be recommended to manage CFS. Because of the limited level of evidence in this review, further high-quality trials are still needed to confirm these findings.
PubMed: 34804182
DOI: 10.1155/2021/6418217 -
Medicine Sep 2023To provide evidence for medical management of tinnitus based on an assessment of the evidence concerning the effectiveness of acupuncture as a treatment for tinnitus... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
OBJECTIVE
To provide evidence for medical management of tinnitus based on an assessment of the evidence concerning the effectiveness of acupuncture as a treatment for tinnitus using network meta-analysis (NMA).
METHODS
We conducted a systematic literature review by searching 8 national and international databases (inception to February 2023) for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for tinnitus. Only RCTs that recruited participants aged over 18 and diagnosed with tinnitus, and that evaluated acupuncture or acupuncture in combination with conventional western medical therapy were included. We used response rate and tinnitus handicap inventory (THI) to examine efficacy. We conducted NMA with random effects, and the rate ratio or mean difference with its 95% credible interval was calculated. In addition, we ranked all treatments via their SUCRA and assessed the quality of evidence according to the GRADE criteria.
RESULTS
A total of 2575 patients were included in the study. The main findings of the current NMA were that acupoint injection combined with warm acupuncture was the most effective for response rate, followed by warm acupuncture and acupoint injection combined with western medical treatment. Acupuncture combined with western medical treatment was the most effective for THI, followed by electroacupuncture combined with warm acupuncture and acupuncture combined with moxibustion.
CONCLUSION
Acupuncture seems to be a better trend treatment for tinnitus. Further rigorous RCT studies that include direct comparisons for different acupuncture-related treatments are encouraged to provide the most promising evidence for patients with tinnitus.
PROTOCOL REGISTRATION
CRD42023398745.
Topics: Humans; Adolescent; Adult; Tinnitus; Network Meta-Analysis; Acupuncture Therapy; Electroacupuncture; Moxibustion
PubMed: 37773876
DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000035019 -
Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine Sep 2022Moxibustion has been widely used in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. However, there is no systematic review of current topics and clinical findings on... (Review)
Review
UNLABELLED
Moxibustion has been widely used in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. However, there is no systematic review of current topics and clinical findings on moxibustion for COVID-19. We conducted this scoping review to systematically summarize and analyze the themes and findings of published articles, and to provide an overview of current knowledge and practice of moxibustion for COVID-19.
METHODS
PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, SinoMed, Wan Fang Data, and VIP databases were searched from inception until April 2022. The relevant data were presented through bar graphs, structured tables, and figures along with descriptive statistics and analysis. This scoping review was conducted based on the PRISMA-ScR Checklist.
RESULTS
A total of 76 articles were reviewed: 47 reviews, 19 clinical research studies, seven systematic reviews (all were protocols), and three guidelines. All the studies were conducted by Chinese researchers and published from January 1, 2020 to March 14, 2022. The feasibility of moxibustion in the prevention and treatment of mild or moderate COVID-19 is based on the consensus of therapeutic mechanisms and effectiveness. The most adopted approach was the suspended and gentle moxibustion, and the most frequently applied or recommended acupoints were found to be ST36, CV8, CV6, CV4, CV12, GV14, BL13, LI4, ST25, and LR3.
CONCLUSIONS
As a convenient and safe traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) therapy with its specific feature, moxibustion has been significantly effective at ameliorating mild or moderate symptoms among COVID-19 patients. Further large-scale, well-designed research and international cooperation are still warranted in clinical evaluations of moxibustion.
GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
http://links.lww.com/AHM/A35.
PubMed: 37808347
DOI: 10.1097/HM9.0000000000000044