Acupuncture may have a positive impact on clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate in women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF), although the results are limited by the heterogeneity of the current evidence.

2023 Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine Pregnancy Benefit of Acupuncture on in vitro Fertilization: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Zhang H, Zhang C, Ma P, Sun C, Sun C, Liu X, et al.

Systematic Review IVF

This study aimed to assess the efficacy of acupuncture on embryo transfer in women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF). A total of 49 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 9422 women were analyzed. The results indicated that acupuncture had a significant positive impact on the clinical pregnancy rate (CPR) and live birth rate (LBR) compared to the control groups (odds ratio [OR]=1.65 for CPR, 1.34 for LBR). Subgroup analyses showed that traditional acupuncture was more beneficial for women aged < 35 years, those receiving ≥ 3 sessions, and those with lower baseline CPR rates in the control group. However, significant heterogeneity was observed among the studies. In conclusion, while there were some benefits of acupuncture in improving CPR and LBR in IVF, the results should be interpreted with caution due to the variability in the current evidence.

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Traditional Chinese medicine therapies, like acupuncture and moxibustion, effectively alleviate irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea symptoms, and reduce recurrence rates.

2022 Frontiers in Medicine External therapy of traditional Chinese medicine for treating irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea: A systematic review and meta-analysis Wei X, Wen Y, Wei Y, Liang X, Ma X, Zhang B, et al.

Systematic Review Diarrhoea Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Adhering to the guidelines for systematic reviews, multiple databases including PubMed and Cochrane Library, and several Chinese databases were thoroughly searched. The focus was randomized controlled trials that compared traditional Chinese external therapies with western medicine for irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea up until the end of 2021. Two authors were independently responsible for screening, data extraction and study assessment. Study quality assessment involved both the Jadad scale and Cochrane Collaborative's risk of bias tool. Meta-analysis was performed on the data collated using Review Manager software.

The gathered data revealed that of the twenty-one studies examined, including a total of 1,862 subjects, acupuncture and moxibustion were the most prevalent external therapies. The results of the meta-analysis indicated that in comparison to the control group, the experimental group demonstrated marked improvement. Notably, the experimental group had superior clinical effectiveness rates, better clinical cure rates, and reduced recurrence. Additionally, there was significant improvement in irritable bowel syndrome related quality of life within the experimental group. Despite these promising results, the publication bias of the included studies was noted as a potential limitation.

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Acupuncture appears to be beneficial to women with poor ovarian reserve or with previous unsuccessful attempts of in vitro fertilization with embryo transfer.

2019 Journal of Gynecology Obstetrics and Human Reproduction The effects of acupuncture on pregnancy outcomes of in vitro fertilization with embryo transfer: An interdisciplinary systematic review Gu, Y.-E., Zhang, X., Zhang, Q., et al.

Systematic Review IVF

The present systematic review is designed to summarize the evidence concerning the effect of acupuncture on pregnancy outcomes in vitro fertilization with embryo transfer (IVF-ET). We searched MEDLINE, the Wanfang Database, the China Academic Journal Electronic Full-text Database in the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and the Index to Chinese Periodical Literature. Randomized controlled trials with intervention groups using acupuncture and control groups consisting of no acupuncture or sham (placebo) acupuncture in IVF-ET treatment were selected. Study characteristics were examined from these studies and an intention-to-treat approach was used to extract outcome data from each study. In total, 31 articles including 4450 women passed our selection criteria. The legitimacy, characteristics, and IVF outcomes of the included trials were summarized. Additional Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory-based, standardized, large-size, randomized, and multicenter trials are necessary prior to any conclusions being drawn on whether TCM can improve IVF outcomes.

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Acupuncture may have a significant effect on clinical pregnancy rates, independent of comparator group, when used in women who have had multiple previous IVF cycles, or where there was a low baseline pregnancy rate.

2019 Reproductive BioMedicine Online Acupuncture performed around the time of embryo transfer: a systematic review and meta-analysis Smith, C. A., Armour, M., Shewamene, Z., et al.

Systematic Review Embryo Transfer Female Fertility IVF

Evidence suggests acupuncture may be effective when compared with no adjunctive treatment, with increased clinical pregnancies and live births, but is not an efficacious treatment when compared with sham controls. Future research should focus on different dosing acupuncture regimens, and exploration of the components of acupuncture that are contributing to improved reproductive outcomes. Increased understanding of these components may have broader application to the care and treatment modalities provided to women undergoing IVF. Further exploration of the effects of acupuncture for women with poorer IVF outcomes is warranted.

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Chinese herbal compounds can potentially treat cholelithiasis by improving biliary dynamics, protecting liver function, reducing cholesterol, and managing inflammation.

2019 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Mechanisms Underlying the Prevention and Treatment of Cholelithiasis Using Traditional Chinese Medicine Chen Q, Zhang Y, Li S, Chen S, Lin X, Li C, et al.

Review Article Gallstones Mechanism

In this research, various commonly used Chinese herbal compounds (CHCs) were assessed for their application in treating cholelithiasis. The investigation centered around understanding the mechanism through which these CHCs work. Critical to this understanding was the analysis of how CHCs influence biliary dynamics, liver functionalities, the levels of cholesterol and bilirubin, as well as the regulation of inflammatory responses.

Following this evaluation, it was discovered that traditional Chinese medicine-based treatments such as CHCs are effective in improving overall bodily functions. This enhancement of bodily function is integral in preventing the recurrence of cholelithiasis. The results point towards the possibility of the effective use of CHCs for patients with cholelithiasis, offering further choices in treatment besides merely surgical or medication options.

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