Acupuncture & Electro-Therapeutics Research: International Journal of Integrated Medicine

Acupuncture & Electro-Therapeutic Research (A&ETR) - International Journal of Integrated Medicine is a peer-reviewed scientific journal committed to advancing the scientific understanding and translational application of acupuncture, bioelectrical phenomena, and electromedicine within the broader framework of integrative medicine. On this basis, A&ETR is dedicated to advancing knowledge at the crossroads of traditional healing methods and modern biomedical sciences.

Founded on the pioneering intuition of Dr. Yoshiaki Omura and continuously evolving over four decades, the journal represents a unique platform where history, philosophy, and cutting-edge science converge to explore the mechanisms that govern human health and disease.

The journal’s vision reflects the integrative spirit of contemporary medicine. From the study of acupuncture and bioelectrical interactions to investigations on cellular microenvironment, hypoxia, redox biology, and more, A&ETR embraces a broad spectrum of research domains. This diversity mirrors the complexity of the human being, understood not only in its somatic dimension but also in its mental, social, and spiritual aspects—an indivisible unity, as the ancient concept of “átoma” reminds us.

Within this framework, it is increasingly recognized that the human being must also be understood as an holobiont: a consortium where microbial partners contribute to physiology and health. The microbiota communicates with host tissues through redox exchanges, bioelectric gradients, and metabolic signals, extending the field of bioelectrotherapeutics to include not only human cells but also our symbiotic communities. In this broader perspective, every living system can be described through its electrome, the self-generated architecture of voltages, fields, and oscillations that integrates biochemical and biophysical processes. Alongside it, the concept of the redoxome captures the ensemble of redox interactions shaping metabolism and signaling. Together, electrome and redoxome provide the foundations for electromics, a discipline that seeks to measure, map, and interpret the bioelectrical essence of life.

In this vision, A&ETR provides a rigorous scientific forum for exploring how electrical, chemical, and biological systems and signals interact within and beyond the human body. Contributions range from fundamental research on molecular and cellular processes to clinical studies addressing chronic inflammation, neurodegeneration, cancer biology, and aging. At the same time, the journal remains attentive to the philosophical and cultural roots of healing, acknowledging the relevance of ancient medical traditions in shaping innovative therapeutic strategies.

As medicine increasingly moves toward integration—between East and West, past and future, reductionism and holism—A&ETR stands as a bridge. Its mission is to foster dialogue among disciplines that too often evolve in isolation: biochemistry, electrophysiology, immunology, neuroscience, and traditional practices. To these we must now add microbiome science, which illuminates the deep interconnection between host bioelectricity and microbial ecosystems. Incorporating the study of the electrome and the redoxome into this framework further strengthens the One Health perspective, by demonstrating that the same bioelectrical and redox principles govern not only human cells, but also microbial partners, animals, and the environment. By offering a home for interdisciplinary contributions, the journal encourages original hypotheses, novel methodologies, and translational insights that can lead to more sustainable opportunities for health, longevity, and, ultimately, human flourishing.

Beyond disseminating knowledge, A&ETR welcomes researchers, clinicians, and scholars who wish to publish their work in an environment that values both scientific rigor and intellectual openness. Authors benefit from an international readership, rigorous peer review, and the opportunity to contribute to a journal with a longstanding reputation for bridging conventional and integrative medicine. In doing so, they become part of a global community committed to rethinking medicine in a way that is as precise as it is humane.

With its blend of tradition and innovation, Acupuncture & Electro-Therapeutic Research remains faithful to its founding mission while continuously opening new horizons. For readers, it offers an invaluable source of knowledge and inspiration. For authors, it represents an opportunity to shape the future of integrative medicine through science that does not shy away from complexity but embraces it as the true essence of life.

This journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

– Dr. Eugenio Luigi Iorio, Editor