To provide precise treatment protocols for tension-type headaches (TTH) and to establish a transferable methodological framework for the digitization of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

Literature was retrieved from seven electronic databases using MeSH terms and relevant keywords to identify clinical studies on TCM external treatment methods with acupoint prescriptions. Descriptive statistics of acupoint usage frequency and meridian attribution were analyzed using Excel. Association rules of acupoints were identified using the Apriori algorithm. Association networks were visualized, and systematic cluster analysis was performed. Equipment testing was conducted according to standards YY 9706.102-2021 and GB/T 25000.51-2016 to confirm the stability and safety parameters of the Shangyi-4 (SY-4) miniaturized meridian regulation robot miniaturized meridian regulation robot.

A total of 126 studies were analyzed, comprising 102 acupoints used 843 times. The most frequently used acupoints were Baihui (GV 20), Fengchi (GB 20), Taiyang (EX-HN 5), and Taichong (LR 3). At the meridian level, the bladder, gallbladder, and Governor Vessel had the highest acupoint representation. Acupoints were predominantly located in the head and neck regions (62.75%). Association rule analysis identified “GV 20 to GB 20” with the highest support (67.46%) and “GB 20 to Touwei (ST 8)” with the highest confidence (94.29%). System clustering categorized the 102 acupoints into four major groups. The SY-4 met all requirements for electromagnetic compatibility and software quality. The safety parameters included a magnetic field strength of 50–150 Gs, force control of 0.5–6 N, and vibration frequency of 50–70 Hz.

This study defines a quantitative digital prescription for robotic treatment of TTH, identifying a core therapeutic regimen that targets the Governor Vessel, gallbladder meridian, and bladder meridian, principally GV 20, EX-HN 5, ST8, and GB 20, and specifying execution parameters of 50–150 Gs magnetic field intensity, 0.5–6 N force control, and 50–70 Hz vibration frequency.

This study aimed to determine the correlation between the incidence of acute mountain sickness (AMS) and the body constitution of Tibetan medicine and other relevant factors to provide a reference for the prediction and prevention of AMS.

A case–control study was conducted to recruit participants who experienced or did not experience AMS after entering a plateau. The data was collected through online questionnaires for convenient sampling. Demographic characteristics, body constitution, and related states or behaviors were investigated before and after entering the plateau. The participants were divided into case and control groups based on the incidence of AMS. The distributions of relevant factors were compared. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to screen for risk and protective factors.

There were 167 participants who completed the questionnaire. A total of 54 cases were excluded, and 113 participants were included, including 52 in the case group and 61 in the control group. In the case group, 37, 13, and 2 patients had mild, moderate, and severe AMS, respectively. In terms of the Tibetan medicine constitution, the case group had the highest proportion of Bad-rlung (25.0%) and Rlung types (21.2%), whereas the control group had the highest proportion of Bad-rlung (29.5%) and Mkhris-bad types (24.6%). There was no significant difference in the distribution of the constitutional types between the two groups. Insomnia or insufficient sleep within the week prior to entering the plateau and fatigue after arrival were risk factors for AMS, with odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of 5.012 (1.871–13.426) and 3.387 (1.393–8.236), respectively. A history of short-term plateau travel is a protective factor for AMS (OR:0.32, 95% CI:0.129 to 0.792).

Insomnia or lack of sleep before ascending to a plateau and fatigue after arrival are risk factors for AMS. The Rlung constitution might be related to the incidence of AMS; however, this still needs to be verified in large-sample observational studies. The risk factors identified in this study can provide a reference for the prevention practice and research of AMS.

To evaluate the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for preventing acute mountain sickness (AMS).

We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) which evalueded the effect of TCM for preventing AMS, compared with a placebo, no treatment or acetazolamide. The literature was searched in 6 major databases. RevMan 5.4 software was used for the meta-analysis. The relative risk for discrete variables and the mean difference for continuous variables with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were applied to express the effect size. The risk of bias in the included studies was evaluated using the Cochrane risk assessment tool 2.0 (RoB 2.0), and the evidence certainty was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment and the Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach.

Twenty RCTs involving 3015 participants and 16 TCM patent drugs were included. The overall risk of bias in the majority of studies (15/20) was of some concerns. In terms of the AMS incidence, Rhodiola rosea (R. rosea, Hong Jing Tian) and Ginkgo biloba (G. biloba, Yin Xing Ye) were equivalent to the placebo/no treatment [RR (95% CI): 0.66 (0.43–1.01), 0.82 (0.63–1.06), respectively]. The AMS incidence in the G. biloba group was higher than that in the acetazolamide group [RR (95% CI): 2.92 (1.69–5.06)]. In terms of improving the AMS symptom score on days 1 and 3 in the plateau, R. rosea and G. biloba were superior to the placebo or no treatment [MD (95% CI): -0.98 (-1.71, -0.25), -2.05 (-3.14, -0.95), respectively]. The other 14 Chinese patent medicines were evaluated in a single trial, and the majority of the results were negative. The subgroup analysis showed that the effect of R. rosea was related to the intervention time, way of ascending, and altitude.

R. rosea and G. biloba were effective in improving AMS symptoms but had no effect in reducing the AMS incidence. There was insufficient evidence to support the use of other TCM patent drugs to prevent AMS. More randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trials are warranted to evaluate and screen effective Chinese patent medicines for AMS prevention.