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Acupuncture as a complex adaptive system: A theoretical reflection on therapeutic effectiveness and emergent healing
Salvador Quiroz-González1, Erika Elizabeth Rodríguez-Torres2
1Department of Acupuncture and Rehabilitation, State University of Ecatepec Valley, Ecatepec State of México, Mexico.
None:
Scientific understanding of acupuncture has advanced rapidly, yet its therapeutic effectiveness remains only partially explained by linear or reductionist models centered on neural or biochemical pathways. This article offers a theoretical reflection and conceptual proposal framing acupuncture as a complex adaptive system, in which healing emerges from dynamic interactions among practitioner, patient, and context. Drawing on systems theory and complexity science, the therapeutic process is conceptualized through an Input-Process-Output-Feedback (IPOF) model that captures biological, psychological, and relational dimensions of regulation. Within this framework, effectiveness is understood as an emergent property arising from recursive feedback loops that integrate sensory, cognitive, and emotional signals into systemic coherence. Acupuncture's outcomes thus transcend isolated mechanisms, reflecting the co-regulation of two living systems that evolve together across treatment sessions. This perspective encourages a shift from reductionist causality toward emergent functionality, in which effectiveness results from configuration rather than isolation. By reframing acupuncture within a systems-based paradigm, this reflection invites a more integrative understanding of therapeutic emergence, bridging experimental mechanisms with real-world effectiveness and fostering a science of dynamic healing.
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