Effectiveness of non-pharmacological therapies in complementary and alternative medicine on improving fatigue, oxidative stress, inflammation . . 2026

[Mij]

Effectiveness of non-pharmacological therapies in complementary and alternative medicine on improving fatigue levels. oxidative stress inflammation, and endocrine levels in animal models of chronic fatigue-like conditions: a systematic review and network meta-analysis, 2026, Shumeng Ren et al

Abstract
Objective:

To systematically evaluate the effects of various complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) non-pharmacological therapies on fatigue levels, oxidative stress, inflammation, and endocrine indicators in chronic fatigue-like conditions animal models, and to rank the efficacy of these interventions.

Methods:

A computerized search was conducted across databases including PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, and CBMdisc, to collect animal experiments on fatigue-like conditions treated with CAM non-pharmacological therapies published from the establishment of the databases to January 14, 2026. Two researchers independently screened the literature, extracted data, and assessed risk of bias. Stata 16.0 software was used for network meta-analysis, and SYRCLE’s risk of bias tool was employed to evaluate the quality of the included studies.

Results:

A total of 77 studies involving nine types of CAM non-pharmacological therapies were included. In terms of improving fatigue levels, compared to the control group, electroacupuncture (MD = 347.00 s, 95% CI [144.70, 549.29]) and moxibustion (MD = 311.28 s, 95% CI [146.36, 476.20]) significantly prolonged exhaustive swimming time. In terms of improving oxidative stress damage, fire acupuncture (MD = -13.15 nmol/ml, 95% CI [-18.06, -8.24]), manual acupuncture (MD = -3.85 nmol/ml, 95% CI [-5.12, -2.58]), needle-pricking (MD = -11.43 nmol/ml, 95% CI [-16.54, -6.32]), and moxibustion (MD = -479.16 nmol/ml, 95% CI [-567.05, -391.27]) significantly reduced MDA levels. In terms of improving inflammatory damage, Tuina (MD = -552.03 pg/ml, 95% CI [-700.81, -403.25]) and electroacupuncture (MD = -156.59 pg/ml, 95% CI [-259.85, -53.34]) can significantly reduce the level of IL-1β. In terms of regulating endocrine, electroacupuncture (MD = -9.91 pg/ml, 95% CI [-14.77, -5.05]) and Tuina (MD = -16.96 pg/ml, 95% CI [-25.37, -8.55]) can significantly reduce the level of CRH.

Conclusion:

Non-pharmacological therapies in complementary and alternative medicine have great potential in improving fatigue-related phenotypes, oxidative stress damage, inflammatory damage, and regulating endocrine levels in animal models of fatigue-like conditions. Future research should focus on developing animal models that better replicate the pathogenesis and core characteristics of CFS, and then extend them to randomized controlled trials involving CFS patients to verify the transformation potential.
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[rvallee]

This is the inevitable future of psychobehavioral ideology and the degradation of so-called evidence-based medicine to make it pass through fake checkpoints. It's the house they built, one in which the alternative medicine clinic moved from down the road to down the hall, to possibly in a multidisciplinary group.

The alternative medicine industry could easily explode in size if they seized the opportunity, it would be so easy. They can easily publish papers showing how their treatments are just as 'good' as what decades of evidence-based medicine has produced. Which is simply a true statement, in a 0=0 way. Here it's TCM, and they have every incentive to follow this easy roadmap.

Although all of this is made so much more incompetent when you consider that chronic fatigue is explicitly defined as not being the result of exertion, and literally all animal models are explicitly doing that. But of course it all be overlooked, delusional fantasies are fun like that. Good grief, the mediocrity.