the role of acupuncture and moxibustion in the management of functional and related upper gastrointestinal disorders

The purpose of this narrative review is to synthesize and critically evaluate the evidence for acupuncture and moxibustion in the management of functional and related upper gastrointestinal disorders, and to consider their integration into conventional gastroenterological practice. the review encompasses a range of conditions, including achalasia, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (gord), functional dyspepsia (fd), gastroparesis, hyperemesis gravidarum, and nausea and vomiting associated with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. current evidence indicates that acupuncture is a highly effective intervention for hyperemesis gravidarum, demonstrating superiority to conventional antiemetics, and should be routinely offered to affected pregnant women. the evidence for significant benefit is also robust in gord, where its efficacy is comparable to, and in some cases may surpass, that of proton pump inhibitors. for functional dyspepsia, acupuncture not only improves clinical symptoms but is also shown to regulate central processing and gastric motility via the brain-gut axis. the analysis confirms that a core set of acupoints, particularly st36, pc6, and cv12, are frequently utilized across these conditions, suggesting a shared neuro-gastroenterological mechanism. this consistency underscores the potential to train gastroenterologists and obstetricians in the application of this therapy. core acupoints for such training would include st36, pc6, cv12, sp4, and li4.