Acupuncture Regulation of Gastrointestinal Function by Selection of Homotopic and Heterotopic Acupoints

Abstract

Functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, especially motor dysfunction of the GI tract are common in general population. Acupuncture has been widely adopted in the treatment of GI symptoms in China for thousands of years. During the last decades, the effects and mechanisms of acupuncture on gastrointestinal function have been investigated by numerous studies. In this chapter, we review studies on acupuncture regulating GI functions under normal or pathological conditions, including clinical observations and basic researches in experimental animals and put forward neurophysiological mechanisms. The concept of homotopic and heterotopic acupoints is raised by our research team to illustrate how to select acupoints for visceral disorders. In addition we clarify that stimulation of homotopic and heterotopic acupoints may produce sympathomimetic and parasympathomimetic regulations on GI motilities, thus providing a potential discipline on acupoints selection for GI dysfunctions.