TREATABLE CONDITIONS
Hypertension /High Blood Pressure
According the American Heart Association in the United States, about 77.9 million (1 out of every 3) adults have high blood pressure. High blood pressure or hypertension can lead to serious life-threatening health issues such as heart attack or stroke. Fortunately, there are many ways to lower your blood pressure including incorporating acupuncture into your treatment plan.
Acupuncture can improve circulation and reduce inflammation. It also relieves stress, all of which have a detrimental effect on blood pressure levels. Some of the current research is promising in suggesting that acupuncture may benefit patients with high blood pressure and lower their risk for stroke and heart disease.
A single-blind trial, conducted at the University of California-Irvine (UCI), and later published in
the journal Medical Acupuncture concluded that acupuncture is beneficial for patients with mild
to moderate hypertension. The findings suggest that with regular use, electroacupuncture could
help people manage their blood pressure and reduce their risk of heart disease and stroke in
the longer term. This clinical study comes after nearly 10 years of bench research into the effect
of acupuncture on high blood pressure.
In the World Health Organization’s (WHO) landmark study “Acupuncture: Review and Analysis
of Reports on Controlled Clinical Trials” made the following statement with regards to
acupuncture and the treatment of hypertension:
“Acupuncture is suitable for treating primary hypotension and early essential hypertension. It
has been reported that the influence of acupuncture on hypertension might be related to its
regulatory effect on the level of serum nitrogen monoxide. For Primary hypotension,
acupuncture seems to be more effective than general tonics. For mild and moderate essential
hypertension, the hypotensive effect of acupuncture is much more potent than that of placebos
and is comparable with that of certain conventional hypotensive agents. In addition,
acupuncture is often effective for relieving subjective symptoms, and it has not side-effects.”
At Eastern Shore Acupuncture we can get to the root of your health issues by taking into
account all the factors that may be contributing to determine the underlying causes of your
issue. If you have further questions or would like to discuss your health concerns with our
acupuncturist, please feel free to call or email for an initial consultation.
