High blood pressure, or hypertension, puts you at risk for heart disease and stroke if it stays too high for a long time. It is also one of the leading causes of death in the United States. In fact, 75 million American adults, or 1 in every 3 adults, have high blood pressure.
Meanwhile, only half of the people with high blood pressure have their condition under control. Prehypertension and diabetes symptoms also put people at risk for high blood pressure. This disease also costs the nation $48.6 billion each year, which includes the cost of medications, missed days at work, and health care services to treat high blood pressure.
There are studies that show that acupuncture for hypertension can be helpful in more ways than one. In acupuncture, practitioners work on meridians, or the invisible pathways that connect one body part to another. These meridians are along major nerve pathways that are the main points where needles will be inserted into. Consequently, stimulating the pathway activates different areas by sending impulses to the brain. There are various benefits that come with this, including the regulation of the cardiovascular system.
Studies About Acupuncture For Hypertension
Researchers at the Jiaozuo Tongren Hospital have found that acupuncture is as effective as nifedipine for hypertension treatment. They compared the blood pressure reduction effects of acupuncture and nifedipine in a group of hypertensive patients. Acupuncture induced a homeostatic regulation of blood pressure. It significantly reduced diastolic and systolic pressures in patients with extremely high blood pressure, and it moderately reduced diastolic and systolic pressures for patients with moderate levels of high blood pressure. In such cases, acupuncture provided a regulated lowering of blood pressure according to the clinical needs of patients.
Acupuncture therapy for hypertension also does not produce side effects such as hypotensive reactions, unlike other pharmaceutical drugs.
Initial studies are being done with animals, which show positive results in treating ischemia, high blood pressure, irregular heart beats, or heart arrhythmias. Researchers aim to know more about acupuncture as an alternative treatment to reduce the medication needed for patients with cardiovascular disorders.
Acupuncture Together With Other Medical Drugs
There’s promise in the study of integrative medicine. Integrative medicine is where eastern and western medical principles are combined for a deliberate approach in treating diseases. In a study conducted by the Shanxi College of Traditional Medicine, it showed that acupuncture plus taking the drug felopidine produced an 86.7% effective rate in treating primary hypertension. This integrative medicine method of approaching hypertension improves results by 13.4%.
As with everything, we can achieve optimum treatment with a healthy diet, regular exercise, and taking prescribed medications. Acupuncture complements these healthy lifestyle habits by maintaining low blood pressure and a healthy balance in the body.
Start Your Treatment with a Licensed Acupuncturist
Santa Barbara Herb Clinic offers natural holistic healing treatments, including acupuncture for hypertension. Your session with our licensed acupuncturist and Chinese medicine practitioner will include a thorough assessment of your symptoms and health concerns. A unique customized treatment follows which is specifically catered to your health needs. Book a consultation now to start your treatment. If you’re in the Santa Barbara and Goleta area, visit us in our clinic which you can find on this map. We also do phone and video consultations, plus shipment of medications to your area.
References:
Acupuncture Can Lower High Blood Pressure | WebMD –
https://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/news/20010611/acupuncture-can-lower-high-blood-pressure#1
Acupuncture Matches Drug For High Blood Pressure, Alex Wang – http://www.healthcmi.com/Acupuncture-Continuing-Education-News/1718-acupuncture-matches-drug-for-high-blood-pressure
Acupuncture Might Help Ease High Blood Pressure, Randy Dotinga – https://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/news/20150902/acupuncture-might-help-ease-high-blood-pressure#1
Division For Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention –
https://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fs_bloodpressure.htm
