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BackgroundTension-type headache (TTH) is one of the most common primary headaches. Several studies have confirmed the efficacy of acupuncture therapies for TTH, but it is uncertain which treatment is most effective.ObjectiveThis study aimed to compare the effectiveness and safety of different acupuncture therapies for TTH using Bayesian Network Meta-analysis to provide new ideas for treating TTH.MethodsNine databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) about different acupuncture therapies for TTH up to December 1, 2022. The outcome indicators analyzed in our study were total effective rate, visual analog scale (VAS), headache frequency, and safety. Pairwise meta-analysis and risk of bias assessment were performed using Review Manager 5.4. Stata 15.0 generated a network evidence plot and detected publication bias. Finally, a Bayesian network meta-analysis of the data was used by RStudio.ResultsThe screening process resulted in 30 RCTs that met the inclusion criteria, including 2,722 patients. Most studies failed to report details of trials and were therefore assessed as unclear risks. Two studies were considered high risk because they did not report on all pre-specified outcome indicators or had incomplete data on outcome indicators. The NMA results showed that for total effective rate, bloodletting therapy had the most considerable SUCRA value (0.93156136), for VAS, head acupuncture combined with Western medicine ranked first (SUCRA = 0.89523571), and acupuncture combined with herbal medicine was the most effective in improving headache frequency (p > 0.05).ConclusionAcupuncture can be used as one of the complementary or alternative therapies for TTH; bloodletting therapy better improves the overall symptoms of TTH, head acupuncture combined with Western medicine is more effective in reducing VAS scores, and acupuncture combined with herbal medicine seems to reduce headache frequency, but the difference is not statistically significant. Overall, acupuncture for TTH is effective with mild side effects, but future high-quality studies are still necessary.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, PROSPERO [CRD42022368749].

Background: Acupoint selection is a key factor in the treatment of diseases and has not been well studied. The aim of this trial is to explore the differences in efficacy between compatible acupoints and a single acupoint for patients with functional dyspepsia (FD).Methods: This randomized controlled trial will be conducted in the First Affiliated Hospital of Changchun University of Chinese Medicine in China. Two hundred and sixteen FD patients will be randomly assigned to the compatible acupoints group, single acupoint group, or sham acupuncture group. This trial will include a 1-week baseline period, a 4-week treatment period, and a 4-week follow-up period. During the 4-week treatment period, patients will receive 20 sessions of acupuncture (weekly cycles of one session per day for 5 consecutive days followed by a 2-day break). The primary outcome will be a change in the Nepean Dyspepsia Life Quality Index from baseline to after the 4-week treatment period. Secondary outcome measures will include the dyspeptic symptom sum score, Overall Treatment Effect questionnaire, and 36-item Short Form survey. Adverse events also will be recorded. Ultraweak photon emission and metabolomics tests will be performed at baseline and at the end of treatment to explore the mechanisms of the differences between compatible acupoints and a single acupoint. Discussion: The results of this trial will allow us to compare the difference in efficacy between compatible acupoints and a single acupoint. The findings from this trial will be published in peer-reviewed journals.