Visual analysis of acupuncture point selection patterns and related mechanisms in acupuncture for hypertension
Li X, Chen F, Wang W, Liu Y, Han JQ, Ke Z, Zhu HH · Technology and Health Care · 2024 January
DOI 10.3233/THC-230581
Objective
To investigate acupuncture point combinations and treatment principles used for acupuncture treatment of hypertension through systematic big data mining.
Conclusions
Big data mining identified commonly used and strongly associated acupuncture points and treatment principles, including nourishing Yin and submerging Yang, pacifying the liver and submerging Yang, tonifying Qi and Blood, and calming the mind and restoring the pulse, providing a reference for clinical acupuncture point selection and grouping for hypertension.
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Insights
Acupuncture for high blood pressure consistently centres on a small set of limb points, especially a paired elbow-and-leg combination, revealing standardised treatment patterns.
The study systematically searched Chinese and international medical databases for published acupuncture prescriptions used to treat high blood pressure. It compiled the included prescriptions and applied association-rule mining to identify frequently paired points, network analysis to identify central point groups, and cluster analysis to infer overarching treatment principles.
The analysis found that practitioners most often selected points on the large intestine meridian and on the limbs, particularly the lower limbs. The elbow point known as Qu-chi and the lower-leg point known as Zu-san-li formed the strongest recurring pair, while several distinct core point groupings reflected approaches aimed at regulating bodily energy, blood, liver function, calming the mind, and balancing Yin and Yang.
