Recent Advances in External Therapies of Traditional Chinese Medicine for Parkinson’s Disease
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: 帕金森病是常见的中枢神经系统退行性疾病，中医外治法在其治疗中显示出独特优势。本文系统梳理近五年相关文献，按疗法类型将中医外治法分为针刺类(体针、头针、电针、火针、温针灸)、手法类(推拿、穴位按摩、导引功法)、温热类(艾灸、穴位贴敷、中药熏蒸)及其他外治法(刮痧、拔罐、耳穴)，总结各类疗法的临床疗效证据、作用机制及存在问题。研究表明，针刺百会、四神聪、太冲等穴可显著改善运动及非运动症状，电针不同频率(2 Hz vs 100 Hz)对肌强直与步态障碍各有侧重；推拿可缓解肌肉僵硬，导引功法(太极拳、八段锦)能提升平衡能力；艾灸、贴敷对便秘、睡眠障碍等非运动症状疗效确切。现代机制涉及调节多巴胺能神经元、抗氧化应激、抑制神经炎症等多靶点。然而，现有研究多属小样本观察，缺乏统一操作标准，机制研究尚不深入。未来应聚焦于特定穴位与脑功能区(如基底节–运动皮层环路)的关联、电针最佳参数组合、推拿量化力度时长等关键问题，并开展大样本多中心随机对照试验，以推动中医外治法的标准化与国际化。Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder of the central nervous system. External therapies of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) have shown unique advantages in its treatment. This paper systematically reviews relevant literature over the past five years, categorizing TCM external therapies by type into acupuncture-like (body acupuncture, scalp acupuncture, electroacupuncture, fire needling, warm needling), manipulation-like (tuina, acupoint massage, Daoyin exercises), heat-like (moxibustion, acupoint application, herbal fumigation), and other external therapies (scraping, cupping, auricular therapy). It summarizes the clinical evidence, mechanisms, and existing problems of each therapy. Studies show that needling at Baihui (GV20), Sishencong (EX-HN1), Taichong (LR3) significantly improves motor and non-motor symptoms; different frequencies of electroacupuncture (2 Hz vs 100 Hz) have distinct effects on rigidity and gait disturbance. Tuina can relieve muscle stiffness, and Daoyin exercises (Tai Chi, Baduanjin) improve balance. Moxibustion and acupoint application are effective for constipation and sleep disorders. Modern mechanisms involve regulating dopaminergic neurons, anti-oxidative stress, and inhibiting neuroinflammation. However, most studies are small-sample observations, lacking unified operational standards and in-depth mechanistic research. Future studies should focus on the correlation between specific acupoints and brain functional areas (e.g., basal ganglia-motor cortex circuit), optimal electroacupuncture parameters, quantitative intensity and duration of tuina, and conduct large-scale multicenter randomized controlled trials to promote standardization and internationalization of TCM external therapies.
Source: Advances in Clinical Medicine
Author: 一旻 刘
Subfield: Complementary and alternative medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7203503200