Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26823672›Full record

ReviewEvidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM2015

The History, Mechanism, and Clinical Application of Auricular Therapy in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Pu-Wei Hou, Hsin-Cheng Hsu, Yi-Wen Lin, Nou-Ying Tang, Chin-Yi Cheng, Ching-Liang Hsieh

5 registry-linked trialsOpen access · hybridAbstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 5 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 88 papers, 10 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
88citing papers in PubMed, 10 pooled it
13.6field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT04208659 nacompletednot on this mapstarted 2020, after this paper: background citation

Self-Administration of Auricular Acupuncture Pilot Project

TypeinterventionalSponsorChillicothe VA Medical CenterRan2020 to 2021Enrolled12ConditionsChronic Pain Syndrome, Pain, Fibromyalgia, Low Back PainArmsSelf-administration of auricular acupuncture without prosthesis, Self-administration of auricular acupuncture with prosthesis
NCT05164302 nacompletednot on this mapstarted 2022, after this paper: background citation

Survey on Skin Surface's Temperature Change When Auricular Acupuncture at Jaw Point (LO1) and Tooth Point (LO3) on Heatlhy Volunteer: a Pilot Study

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh CityRan2022 to 2022Enrolled70ConditionsHealthyArmsAuricular acupuncture
NCT06169098 nacompletednot on this mapstarted 2023, after this paper: background citation

Changes in Skin Surface Temperature of the Lumbar Region During Auricular Acupressure at Kidney Point on Healthy Volunteers

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh CityRan2023 to 2024Enrolled34ConditionsTemperature Change, BodyArmsAuricular acupressure on the left ear, Auricular acupressure on the right ear, Sham auricular acupressure
NCT06323304 nacompletednot on this mapstarted 2024, after this paper: background citation

Evaluating Efficacy and Safety of Auricular Acupressure in Treating Allergic Rhinitis: A Randomized Controlled Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh CityRan2024 to 2024Enrolled90ConditionsItching, Runny Nose, Sneezing, Nasal CongestionArmsAuricular acupressure, Sham acupressure, Standard treatment
NCT06876077 nacompletednot on this mapstarted 2025, after this paper: background citation

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Auricular Acupuncture in Improving Dry Eye Symptoms in University Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh CityRan2025 to 2025Enrolled50ConditionsDry Eye SymptomsArmsAuricular acupuncture, Sham auricular acupuncture, Artificial Tears (AT)
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

88 citing papers in PubMed, 10 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 272 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Acupuncture for neonatal abstinence syndrome in newborn infants.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025
    Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Acupoint Sensitivity in Health and Disease: A Systematic Review.Journal of integrative and complementary medicine · 2024
    Pooled it
  6. Pooled it
  7. Pooled it
  8. Pooled it
  9. Pooled it
  10. Pooled it
  11. Trial
  12. Trial
  13. Trial
  14. Trial
  15. Trial
  16. Trial
  17. Article
  18. Review
  19. Application of auriculotherapy in cancer-related fatigue symptom cluster: a scoping review.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026
    Article
  20. Article

28 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Pu-Wei HouDepartment of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan.
Hsin-Cheng HsuDepartment of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan.
Yi-Wen LinGraduate Institute of Acupuncture Science, College of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan.
Nou-Ying TangSchool of Chinese Medicine, College of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan.
Chin-Yi ChengSchool of Chinese Medicine, College of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan.
Ching-Liang HsiehDepartment of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Integrated Medicine, College of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan.
China Medical University · TWChina Medical University Hospital · TW

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Auricular therapy includes acupuncture, electroacupuncture, acupressure, lasering, cauterization, moxibustion, and bloodletting in the auricle. For 2500 years, people have employed auricular therapy for treating diseases, but the methods have been limited to bloodletting and cauterization. Only after 1957, the international scientific community became aware that the map of the ear resembles an inverted fetus, its introduction has led to auricular acupuncture (AA) becoming a more systemic approach, and, following the identification and standardization of more precise points, AA has been employed in clinical applications. The mechanisms of AA are considered to have a close relationship with the autonomic nervous system, the neuroendocrine system, neuroimmunological factors, neuroinflammation, and neural reflex, as well as antioxidation. Auricular therapy has been applied, for example, for pain relief, for the treatment of epilepsy, anxiety, and obesity, and for improving sleep quality. However, the mechanisms and evidence for auricular therapy warrant further study.

Identifiers

PMID26823672
PMCPMC4707384
OpenAlexW2216259118

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.