Bibliometric analysis of acupuncture research through the Web of Science database from 1990 to 2019

Background: The main points of focus of bibliometric analysis of acupuncture treatment of diseases include pain (headache, low back pain), insomnia, and knee osteoarthritis, for example. In this paper, we analyze the frontiers, hotspots, and research trends of acupuncture over the past 30 years and compare them for each of three 10-year periods. Methods: All the studies on acupuncture research in three different periods (1990-1999, 2000-2009, 2010-2019) were collected from the Web of Science database. The evolution of the research, hotspots, and trends in acupuncture were explored intuitively by analyzing the frequency, betweenness centrality, and subject word clustering of the three periods. Results: (1) 1990-1999, the main content relating to research was the mechanism of research of acupuncture treatment of pain. Naloxone was the high-frequency subject word, and centrality included, for example, the spinal cord, enkephalin, smoking cessation, and detoxification. The results of keyword cluster analysis showed that the main research content included capsaicin-induced neurogenic edema, chemical dependency treatment, afferent fiber, and sufferers from xerostomia. (2) 2000-2009, during this stage, the frequency of keywords appeared in new research content such as randomized controlled trials of acupuncture and low back pain, but pain still dominated the main research content. From the perspective of intermediary centrality, along with the rise in randomized controlled trials, there were many important meta-analyses, as well as the management of acupuncture treatment. The main elements of the keyword cluster analysis included, for example, systematic review, randomized controlled pilot study, add-on therapy, brief overview, and ovarian morphology. (3) 2010-2019, during this period, compared with the previous two stages, there was increased frequency of keywords, a growth in clinical randomized controlled trials, and distribution of centrality was evident in the emergence of acupuncture in care, osteoarthritis treatment, and breast cancer research. The keyword clustering covered, for example, neural specificity, inflammatory reaction, chronic pain, sleep pattern, and consort statement. Conclusion: This article summarizes the trend of development of acupuncture from 1990 to 2019 and compares the main research categories and hotspots in each of three different 10-year periods within this span, thereby helping elucidate the research direction within the field.