Xie, Shuolin, Deng, Fei, Fang, Fang et al. · Zhongguo zhen jiu = Chinese acupuncture & moxibustion · 2025 · DOI
This paper presents a traditional Chinese medicine approach to treating ME/CFS that combines acupuncture and moxibustion (heat therapy). The authors propose that ME/CFS involves imbalances in the body's physical health, energy circulation, and mental state, and suggest specific acupuncture points and techniques designed to address each of these areas. The recommended treatment focuses on relieving muscle pain, improving energy flow, and calming the mind.
This work contributes to the growing body of non-pharmacological approaches being explored for ME/CFS management and may inform integrated medicine practitioners. For patients interested in acupuncture as a complementary therapy, this paper articulates a coherent clinical rationale that aligns with traditional Chinese medicine principles, potentially helping guide treatment discussions with practitioners.
This paper does not provide clinical evidence that the proposed acupuncture protocol is effective for ME/CFS. It is a conceptual framework paper without controlled trials, outcome measurements, or comparative data. The proposed mechanisms are based on traditional Chinese medicine theory rather than biomedical mechanisms validated in ME/CFS research. No causal relationships between the proposed interventions and symptom improvement are established.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Xie, Shuolin, Deng, Fei, Fang, Fang, & Li, Min (2025). [Exploration on the treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome with acupuncture and moxibustion based on the "body-<i>qi</i>-mind trinity life view"].. Zhongguo zhen jiu = Chinese acupuncture & moxibustion. https://doi.org/10.13703/j.0255-2930.20250222-k0003
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-xie-2025-exploration-treatment,
author = {Xie, Shuolin and Deng, Fei and Fang, Fang and Li, Min},
title = {[Exploration on the treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome with acupuncture and moxibustion based on the "body-<i>qi</i>-mind trinity life view"].},
journal = {Zhongguo zhen jiu = Chinese acupuncture & moxibustion},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.13703/j.0255-2930.20250222-k0003},
note = {PubMed: 41261552},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/xie-2025-exploration-treatment},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-27. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/xie-2025-exploration-treatment
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