Analysis and prospects of existing problems in acupoint compatibility research

In the past decade, there has been a significant increase in the number of studies related to the combination of acupoints for acupuncture, which has preliminarily revealed the effects and mechanisms of various acupoint combinations. However, there are still limitations. By searching and summarizing studies on the effects and mechanisms of acupoint combinations, it has been found that there are issues in this field that need to be improved, such as vague terminology definitions, uneven research interest in different methods of acupoint combinations, insufficient research on antagonistic effects, and a lack of diversity in outcome indicators for mechanism studies. This paper discusses the optimization direction for future research on acupoint combinations, aiming to effectively promote new progress in the field of formulating acupoint combinations and to facilitate the translation of research findings into clinical practice.