As medical research advances and technology rapidly develops, auricular acupuncture has emerged as a point of growing interest. This paper delves into the intricate anatomy of auricular points, their significance and therapeutic principles in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and the underlying mechanisms of auricular acupuncture in contemporary medicine. The aim is to delve deeply into this ancient and mysterious medical tradition, unveiling its multi-layered mysteries in the field of neurostimulation. The anatomical structure of auricular points is complex and delicate, and their unique neurovascular network grants them a special status in neurostimulation therapy. Through exploration of these anatomical features, we not only comprehend the position of auricular points in TCM theory but also provide a profound foundation for their modern medical applications. Through systematic review, we synthesize insights from traditional Chinese medical theory for modern medical research. Building upon anatomical and classical theoretical foundations, we focus on the mechanisms of auricular acupuncture as a unique neurostimulation therapy. This field encompasses neuroregulation, pain management, psychological wellbeing, metabolic disorders, and immune modulation. The latest clinical research not only confirms the efficacy of auricular stimulation in alleviating pain symptoms and modulating metabolic diseases at the endocrine level but also underscores its potential role in regulating patients’ psychological wellbeing. This article aims to promote a comprehensive understanding of auricular acupuncture by demonstrating its diverse applications and providing substantial evidence to support its broader adoption in clinical practice.

Introduction The therapeutic needs of women with diminished ovarian reserve (DOR), coupled with the increasing application of acupuncture in improving ovarian function, have highlighted the need to verify the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for DOR. This study aims to provide high-quality evidence by evaluating both ovarian reserve and in vitro fertilisation (IVF) outcomes. Methods and analysis A large-scale, multicentre, randomised controlled trial will be carried out across seven hospitals in China. 400 women with DOR will be randomised in a 1:1 ratio to an acupuncture group or a sham acupuncture group. Acupuncture or sham acupuncture will consist of 36 sessions per participant over 12 weeks. The primary outcome will be the change in antral follicle count (AFC) at week 12 from baseline. Secondary outcomes are AFC at week 24, the serum levels of basal follicle-stimulating hormone and anti-Mullerian hormone at weeks 12 and 24, the scores of the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale at weeks 12 and 24, clinical pregnancy rate, and IVF embryo transfer related outcomes. Any adverse events during treatment will be documented. Ethics and dissemination The study protocol has been approved by all the participating institutions. Written informed consent will be obtained prior to participant enrolment. The results of this study will be published in peer-reviewed publications. Trial registration number ChiCTR2200062295 Protocol version V2.0-20220317

Background: This study aimed to systematically evaluate the clinical effectiveness and safety of acupoint herbal patching in the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia. Methods: Eight databases including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wan-Fang Database, China Biomedical Literature Service System, and Chongqing VIP Chinese Science were searched. The search time was set to October 2023. Two researchers independently screened the literature according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria; extracted the basic information, acupoints, Chinese herbal medicine, pain score, sleep score, depression score, and other information of the subjects, and independently assessed the risk of bias by 2 researchers. Meta-analysis of the included studies was performed using the StataMP 16 software. Results: Fifteen studies with 1362 participants were included in this meta-analysis. Ashi is the acupoint frequency at the forefront, and Borneol is the Chinese herbal medicine frequency at the forefront. The acupoint herbal patching group showed significant improvements in visual analog score (SMD: −2.09; 95% Cl: −2.77, −1.42; P < .001), sleep score (SMD: −1.58; 95% Cl: −2.11, −1.05; P < .001), depression score (SMD: −1.61; 95% Cl: −2.22, −0.99; P < .001), Chinese medicine syndrome score (SMD: −2.32; 95% Cl: −2.84, −1.80; P = .06), dermatology life quality index (weighted mean differences: −4.11; 95% Cl: −4.58, −3.63; P = .98), and related laboratory indicators compared to the control group, and the total effective rate was significantly higher (relative risk: 1.20; 95% confidence interval: 1.15, 1.26; P = .99) than the control group. Two studies reported adverse reactions, but the 2 groups were not statistically significant. Conclusions: Acupoint herbal patching intervention in postherpetic neuralgia is effective in improving the pain, sleep, anxiety, depression, quality of life of patients, and related laboratory indicators.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture in improving ovulation rates in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and to identify optimal dosage parameters, including the number of acupoints, treatment frequency, and session duration, using integrated pairwise meta-analysis, network meta-analysis (NMA), and model-based dose-response modeling.Methods: Nine databases were searched up to January 2025, yielding 43 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 4,827 participants that compared acupuncture with sham acupuncture, pharmacotherapy, or conventional therapy control group. Pairwise meta-analysis, NMA, and model-based dose-response modeling were performed.Results: Acupuncture alone significantly increased ovulation rates compared with sham acupuncture (RR = 1.15, 95% CI: 1.04-1.27) and pharmacotherapy (RR = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.04-1.20). Additionally, acupuncture combined with herbal medicine outperformed pharmacotherapy (RR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.12-1.43). NMA ranked acupuncture combined with herbal medicine as the most effective intervention (SUCRA = 97.8%). Dose-response modeling identified the following optimal protocols: for acupuncture alone, 30 minutes per session, 29 acupoints, three sessions per week for 24 weeks; and for combined therapy, 19 minutes per session, 26 acupoints, four sessions per week for 24 weeks.Conclusion: Acupuncture is an effective non-pharmacological intervention for PCOS-related ovulatory dysfunction, with its efficacy dependent on precise dosing parameters. These findings highlight the need for standardized protocols in future trials to validate dose-response thresholds and to optimize personalized treatment strategies.Systematic review registration: www.crd.york.ac.uk, identifier PROSPERO (CRD420250651353).

Objective: Acupuncture is widely used as an adjunct to assisted reproductive technology (ART), but its effects and the influence of treatment timing, modality, and dose remain uncertain. This study evaluated acupuncture-related interventions in ART and explored potential timing- and dose-response patterns. Methods: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, and Ovid MEDLINE were searched from inception to January 19, 2026, with additional screening of eligible study and review reference lists. Randomized controlled trials of women undergoing in vitro fertilization, intracytoplasmic sperm injection, or embryo transfer were included when manual acupuncture, electroacupuncture, or transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation was used as an adjunctive ART intervention. Pairwise random-effects meta-analysis estimated overall effects; network meta-analysis compared intervention timing, modality, and needle-retention time; and model-based network meta-analysis examined dose-response associations by treatment sessions. Risk of bias was assessed using RoB 2, and certainty of evidence was rated with GRADE. Results: Forty-two trials including 9,390 women were included. Acupuncture was associated with higher clinical pregnancy rate [risk ratio (RR) = 1.25; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.14-1.37] and implantation rate (RR = 1.16; 95% CI, 1.02-1.31), whereas the effect on live birth was uncertain (RR = 1.14; 95% CI, 0.98-1.32). Certainty of evidence for all overall major outcomes was very low. Timing analyses suggested higher estimates for acupuncture during controlled ovarian hyperstimulation, or during both controlled ovarian hyperstimulation and embryo transfer, than for acupuncture limited to embryo transfer; however, timing was closely correlated with cumulative treatment sessions, and these findings should be interpreted as exploratory. Dose-response models suggested possible nonlinear associations between treatment sessions and reproductive outcomes, but these model-based estimates were limited by sparse data, clinical heterogeneity, and model uncertainty and should not be used as treatment-dose recommendations. Conclusions: Acupuncture as an adjunct to ART may improve clinical pregnancy and implantation rates, although the certainty of evidence is very low. The observed timing- and dose-response patterns provide exploratory, hypothesis-generating evidence regarding potentially beneficial treatment strategies but are insufficient to establish the superiority of a specific timing or number of sessions. Further well-designed trials are needed to confirm these findings. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk , identifier CRD420261291016.