Cardiovascular and Endocrine Effects of Acupuncture in Hypertensive Patients

Abstract

It has been reported that acupuncture can decrease blood pressure in patients with hypertension, possibly by an endocrine mechanism. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of acupuncture on arterial blood pressure and the secretion of renin, vasopressin and cortisol in hypertensive patients. Acupuncture was performed in fifty untreated essential hypertensive patients resting in the supine position. Thirty min after acupuncture there were decreases in systolic pressure from 169 +/- 2 to 151 +/- 2 mm Hg, diastolic pressure from 107 +/- 1 to 96 +/- 1 mm Hg, and heart rate from 77 +/- 2 to 72 +/- 2 bpm (P < 0.01). Plasma renin activity decreased from 1.7 +/- 0.4 to 1.1 +/- 0.2 ng/ml/2h (P < 0.01), but there were no significant changes in plasma vasopressin or cortisol concentrations. These results confirm that acupuncture decreases blood pressure in hypertensive patients, and suggest that the decrease results, at least in part, from a decrease in renin secretion.

Stop Hypertension With the Acupuncture Research Program (SHARP)

“…Secondly, their participants may have been healthier. The patient sample studied by Yin et al 35 had lower mean baseline BP (135/ 83 mm Hg) and lower mean body mass index 25 relative to SHARP participants. Lastly and perhaps most importantly, Yin et al 35 compared active acupuncture to a noninvasive sham control.…”

“…19,20 Mechanistic studies have demonstrated effects of acupuncture on the activity and plasma concentrations of blood pressure modulators, including: renin, aldosterone, angiotensin II, norepinephrine, serotonin, enkephalins, and ␤-endorphins. [21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29] The efficacy of acupuncture for treating hypertension is suggested by a large number of published case series and uncontrolled trials. 22,23,25,30 -32 Three randomized trials [33][34][35] reported significant reductions in BP relative to randomly assigned control groups treated for 4 to 8 weeks, whereas 3 others did not report significant effects of acupuncture relative to control subjects.…”

Effects of electrical stimulation of acupuncture points on blood pressure

“…[16][17][18] A study funded by the National Institutes of Health "Stop Hypertension with the Acupuncture Research Program" enrolled 192 participants with untreated hypertension. 19 The study found that active acupuncture treatment, using both doctorselected points and study-assigned points, lowed blood pressure. However, the interesting finding of the study was that this blood pressure-lowering effect was not significantly different when compared with the control group with random needle insertion.…”

“…However, the interesting finding of the study was that this blood pressure-lowering effect was not significantly different when compared with the control group with random needle insertion. 19 Arterial hypertension is a major contributor to coronary arterial disease and increased morbidity and mortality in the general population. A recent study published in Circulation investigated the effect of acupuncture on hypertension in 140 outpatients with uncomplicated arterial hypertension in a single-blind fashion with a 6-week course of active acupuncture or sham acupuncture (22 sessions of 30 minutes' duration).…”

The Effect of Acupuncture on Blood Pressure in Hypertensive Patients Treated in a Complementary Medicine Clinic

“…Published reports have indicated that acupuncture has a benefi cial effect on blood pressure in studies of laboratory animals (Lee and Kim, 1994;Zhou et al 1993) and humans (Kalish et al 2004;Sainani, 2003;Guo and Ni, 2003;Chiu et al 1997;Smith, 1992). The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of acupuncture on blood pressure in hypertensive patients undergoing treatment in a complementary medicine clinic.…”