Advances in Acupuncture Regulation on the Autonomic Nervous System from 2013 to 2022

The effect of acupuncture on the autonomic nervous system has been my main interest and focus for years. As readers of my book know, a balanced autonomic nervous system leads to less inflammation. Inflammation underlies many chronic diseases including Depression, Cardiac Disease and even Cancer.

There are many ways to improve your autonomic balance (exercise, yoga, breathing, optimizing sleep) but acupuncture has the advantage that it does the work for you.

This is simply a review article that points out the increase in interest over the decades, with the most cited authors. Most are Chinese. The most studied conditions are inflammation, intestinal disorders, and cardiac disease. Mechanisms have been studied and need more work.

Yan-Qiu L, Jun-Peng Y, Xiang-Yun Y, Wen W, Yu-Peng Z, Lu Y, Yu-Jun H, Ying L. Advances in Acupuncture Regulation on the Autonomic Nervous System from 2013 to 2022: A Bibliometric Analysis via CiteSpace. Complement Ther Med. 2023 Dec 9:103009. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2023.103009. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38081432.

Objective: To understand research advances and frontiers of acupuncture regulation on the autonomic nervous system (ANS) over the past decade through a bibliometric analysis.

Methods: Publications related to acupuncture regulation on the ANS were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database. CiteSpace software was used to analyze the datasets and generate knowledge maps.

Results: A total of 445 relevant publications published between 2013 and 2022 were included in this bibliometric analysis. The number of annual publications fluctuated from 2013 to 2016 but increased gradually from 2016 to 2022. China produced the highest number of publications, while the USA established the most extensive cooperation relationships. China Academy of Chinese Medical Science was the most productive institution. Chen Jiande D.Z. was the most prolific author and Rong Peijing holds the most extensive cooperation network. Han Jisheng was the most co-cited author. Relevant research involved mechanism exploration and clinical efficacy research, and “anti-inflammatory effect” was the most active research topic, especially cholinergic anti-inflammatory mechanisms. The most cited references mainly focused on inflammation. Gastrointestinal and cardiovascular disorders were the most active medical conditions studied in this field.

Conclusions: Research related to acupuncture regulation on the ANS mainly focused on anti-inflammation, and regulating gastrointestinal and cardiovascular function over the past decade. However, the mechanisms of the autonomic effects of acupuncture need further investigation. High-quality clinical studies are required to determine the optimal parameters of acupuncture for clinical application.

Keywords: Acupuncture; Autonomic nervous system; Bibliometric analysis; CiteSpace.