Acupuncture Combined with Medication for Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting Based on the Theory of “Stomach Deficiency with Simultaneous Disease of the Zang-Fu Organs, Meridians, and Collaterals”: A Review of Research Progress and Mechanisms

Abstract

Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is a common adverse reaction in the digestive system during chemotherapy. Western medicine primarily relies on prophylactic antiemetic drugs, which have suboptimal efficacy against delayed vomiting, exhibit interpatient variability, and carry numerous adverse effects when excessively combined, thus presenting certain limitations. The theory of “Stomach Deficiency with Simultaneous Disease of the Zang-Fu Organs, Meridians, and Collaterals” originates from Huangdi Neijing (The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic), was systematically expounded by Li Dongyuan during the Jin-Yuan period in his Treatise on the Spleen and Stomach (Piwei Lun), and has been continuously innovated and developed by subsequent physicians, ultimately forming the distinctive traditional Chinese medicine theory of the spleen and stomach. Starting from the relationship between the theory of “Stomach Deficiency with Simultaneous Disease of the Zang-Fu Organs, Meridians, and Collaterals” and CINV, this paper posits that the theory of CINV is deficiency of original qi in the middle jiao and dysfunction of the ascending and descending movements of the spleen and stomach. Acupuncture Combined with Medication, integrating internal and external treatment, can externally regulate and unblock meridians, qi, and blood, and internally regulate Zang-Fu Organs, support healthy qi, and eliminate pathogenic factors. Its modalities mainly include Acupuncture combined with medication, Acupuncture-moxibustion combined with medication, Acupuncture-moxibustion combined with Chinese herbal acupoint application, and Acupoint injection. Its mechanisms of action may involve regulating neurotransmitters, promoting the repair of gastrointestinal mucosal injury, regulating gastrointestinal hormone levels, promoting gastrointestinal peristalsis, and inhibiting the chemoreceptor trigger zone and vomiting center. This paper reviews Acupuncture Combined with Medication in the treatment of CINV based on the theory of “Stomach Deficiency with Simultaneous Disease of the Zang-Fu Organs, Meridians, and Collaterals”, aiming to provide a reference for clinical research on CINV.