Clinical Impact of Abdominal Acupuncture as a Primary Technique: Case Series Study
Clinical Impact of Abdominal Acupuncture as a Primary Technique: Case Series Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51473/rcmos.v1i2.2025.1751Keywords:
Abdominal acupuncture. Traditional chinese medicine. Musculoskeletal pain. Clinical cases. Holistic health.Abstract
Abdominal acupuncture is a therapeutic microsystem based on the representation of the entire body in the abdomen, acting through the harmonization of the Zang-Fu organs, the modulation of Qi and Xue, and the action at the level of various body systems, which makes it especially relevant in the context of integrative medicine.This study aimed to analyze the immediate clinical effects of abdominal acupuncture in a series of clinical cases monitored in the context of a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) clinical internship. Fourteen adult patients with heterogeneous complaints were included, including musculoskeletal pain, anxiety, insomnia, digestive disorders, menstrual changes, and sensory disturbances. All patients received individualized treatment, with abdominal acupuncture as the central technique.Clinical efficacy was assessed using the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) and the Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC) scale. The results showed an average reduction of 84.3% in the NRS immediately after the session. All participants showed an improvement of 30% or more, and 92.9% recorded a reduction of 50% or more. The average PGIC was 6, reflecting a high subjective perception of benefit.The ability of abdominal acupuncture to generate rapid clinical responses, with minimal invasiveness and multisystemic impact, reinforces its potential as a global and comprehensive intervention, consistent with the fundamental principles of medicine. Despite the limitations inherent in a series of cases, these results support the clinical value of abdominal acupuncture and suggest the need for controlled studies to further investigate its therapeutic impact.
Downloads
References
ATTILIO D’ALBERTO; KIM, EUNKYUNG. An interview with Zhiyun Bo, inventor of abdominal acupuncture. Acupuncture Today, v. 6, n. 8, 2005.
BIRCH, STEPHEN; IDA, JUNKO. Japanese acupuncture: a clinical guide. Brooklyn: Paradigm Publications, 1998.
BO, ZHIYUN. Abdominal acupuncture, v. 1. Beijing: Chinese Science Technology Publishing Press, 1999.
BO, ZHIYUN. The importance of the acupoints “shenque” in the study of abdominal acupuncture. Journal of Beijing Traditional Chinese Medicine, n. 4, p. 13–14, 1993.
CHEN, Y. Y.; WANG, Y. J.; HUANG, Y. Observation on therapeutic effects of abdominal acupuncture plus body acupuncture for moderate depression. J. Acupunct. Tuina. Sci., v. 10, p. 14–17, 2012. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11726-012-0561-5
ACUPUNTURA ABDOMINAL. Livro eletrônico. S.l.: s.n., 2025.
FEELY, R. A. Yamamoto new scalp acupuncture: principles and practice. Stuttgart: Thieme, 2006.
GERSHON, M. D. The enteric nervous system: a second brain. Hospital Practice, v. 34, n. 7, p. 31–42, 1999. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3810/hp.1999.07.153
GRANDJEAN, MICHAEL. New abdominal acupuncture: description with clinical examples. Medical Acupuncture, v. 22, n. 3, p. 197–202, 2010. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1089/acu.2009.0733
GUO, J. et al. Acupuncture for adults with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome or functional diarrhea: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Neural Plasticity, v. 2020, p. 1–16, 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/8892184
HELLING, R.; FELDMEIER, M. Aurikulomedizin nach Nogier. S.l.: Georg Thieme Verlag, 1999.
HURST, H.; BOLTON, J. Assessing the clinical significance of change scores recorded on subjective outcome measures. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, v. 27, n. 1, p. 26–35, 2004. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmpt.2003.11.003
JENSEN, M. P.; KAROLY, P.; BRAVER, S. The measurement of clinical pain intensity: a comparison of six methods. Pain, v. 27, n. 1, p. 117–126, 1986. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-3959(86)90228-9
LORE, R. Abdominal acupuncture: a practical introduction. n. 83, p. 29–32, 2007.
MAGOVERN, P. Koryo hand acupuncture: a versatile and potent acupuncture microsystem. Acupuncture in Medicine, v. 13, n. 1, p. 10–14, 1995. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/aim.13.1.10
MCMILLIN, D. L. et al. The abdominal brain and enteric nervous system. Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, v. 5, n. 6, p. 575–586, 1999. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.1999.5.575
SERRITELLA, EMANUELA; GALLUCCIO, GABRIELLA; DI PAOLO, CARLO. Abdominal acupuncture for non-responding TMD patients: a retrospective observational study in general practice. Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies, v. 16, n. 2, p. 56–64, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.51507/j.jams.2023.16.2.56
WEBER, M.; FUSSGÄNGER-MAY, T.; WOLF, T. “Needles of light”: a new therapeutic approach. Medical Acupuncture, v. 19, n. 3, p. 141–150, 2007. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1089/acu.2007.0539
YANG, YUAN; LIU, YUNXIA. Bo’s abdominal acupuncture for obese type-2 diabetes mellitus. Zhongguo Zhen Jiu (Chinese Acupuncture & Moxibustion), v. 35, n. 4, p. 330–334, 2015.
YAN, Y. et al. Research progress in diagnosis and treatment of postpartum depression by traditional Chinese medicine. Current Research in Medical Sciences, v. 2, n. 1, p. 12–20, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.56397/CRMS.2023.03.03
YU, HONGJUAN; ZHANG, WEI; WANG, XIAOGUANG. Abdominal acupuncture for treatment of 68 cases of postpartum depression. Shanghai Journal of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, v. 34, n. 3, p. 251–252, 2015.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Vera Lúcia Branco Quaresma (Autor)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.




