cupuncture and Hypertension

Sticking it to High Blood Pressurewith Acupuncture

Acupuncture

•Acupuncture is among the oldest healing practices in theworld - based on the concept that disease results fromdisruption in the flow of qi and imbalance in the forces of yinand yang.•High blood pressure cures are not part of traditionalacupuncture•Research into acupuncture techniques ashigh bloodpressure remediesprogresses.

Research into High Blood PressureRemedies

University of Texas Southwest MedicalCenter (2004) •Eleven patients with normal to mildhypertension received electricalacupuncture•No evidence of persistent, longterm blood pressure reduction.Stop Hypertension with theAcupuncture Research Program(SHARP) •192 participants with untreatedmoderate to severe hypertension•Three treatments: individualizedtraditional Chinese acupuncture,standardized acupuncture atpreselected points, or invasivesham acupuncture•No benefit was detected.