Acupuncture hope for blood pressure patients
March 29
March 29 – Acupuncture may be able to achieve remarkable success in lowering blood pressure levels, researchers reported yesterday. Researchers from the University of California, USA, said they were now getting close to a scientific basis for the Chinese treatment. The findings come from a study of rats rather than humans – although since the rats would not have known the object of the tests. The acupuncture was applied to sites on the forelimbs of rats, equivalent to the human forearm. The acupuncture was enhanced by means of electric currents. The acupuncture treatment reduced the animals’ excess blood pressure by as much as half – an effect that lasted for up to two hours, according to the report in the Journal of Applied Physiology.
Researchers have now begun a human study. Researcher Professor John Longhurst, a specialist in heart medicine at the University’s Irvine campus, said: “This type of electro-acupuncture is only effective on elevated blood pressure levels, such as those present in hypertension, and the treatment has no impact on standing blood pressure rates. “Our goal is to help establish a standard of acupuncture treatment that can benefit everyone who has hypertension and other cardiac ailments.” He added: “This study suggests that acupuncture can be an excellent complement to other medical treatments, especially for those treating the cardiac system. “The Western world is waiting for a clear scientific basis for using acupuncture, and we hope that this research ultimately will lead to the integration of ancient healing practices into modern medical treatment.”
source: Journal of Applied Physiology March 2005