Effect of acupuncture in patients with angina pectoris

Abstract

Twenty-one patients with stable effort angina pectoris were randomized in a crossover study to 4 weeks traditional Chinese acupuncture or placebo tablet treatment. The patients had at least five anginal attacks per week in spite of intensive treatment. Acupuncture was given three times per week at main points Neiguan (Pericardium 6), Tongli (Heart 5), Xinshu (Urinary Bladder 15), Pishu (Urinary Bladder 20) and Zusanli (Stomach 36). Previous antianginal treatment remained unchanged during the whole study. During the acupuncture period, the number of anginal attacks per week was reduced from 10.6 to 6.1 compared with placebo (P less than 0.01). Accordingly, the performance before onset of pain during exercise test increased from 82 W to 94 W (P less than 0.05). However, maximal performance did not increase after acupuncture. Intensity of pain at maximal workload decreased from 1.4 to 0.8 (scale 0-4, P less than 0.01). Further, ST-segment depressions at maximal comparable load decreased from 1.03 to 0.71 mm after acupuncture (P less than 0.01). A life quality questionnaire confirmed improved feeling of well-being. Thus, acupuncture showed an additional beneficial effect in patients with severe, intensively treated angina pectoris.

Reversal of Reflex-Induced Myocardial Ischemia by Median Nerve Stimulation

“…In addition, the results of the present study, taken together with the limited clinical studies of acupuncture treatment for angina or acute myocardial infarction patients in China, 2,7 Sweden, 5 and Denmark, 6 suggest that further clinical investigation of this relatively inexpensive therapeutic intervention is warranted.…”

“…1 Since then, clinical observations have suggested that acupuncture may have therapeutic effects on hypertension, coronary heart disease, certain dysrhythmias, and myocardial infarction. [2][3][4][5][6][7] Richter et al, 5 for instance, demonstrated that acupuncture administered three times per week for 30 minutes reduces the number of anginal attacks compared with placebo and increases the threshold for angina during exercise. Also, Ballegaard et al 6 observed that electroacupuncture, administered 20 minutes per day for 3 weeks, increased the maximal rate-pressure product for patients with severe, stable angina during exercise.…”

Neuromodulation of Thoracic Intraspinal Visceroreceptive Transmission by Electrical Stimulation of Spinal Dorsal Column and Somatic Afferents in Rats

“…transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), manual acupuncture or electroacupuncture, direct or percutaneous peripheral nerve stimulation, and massage therapy, have been commonly used for treatment and relief of some visceral pains. Acupuncture and TENS have beneficial effects for patients with cardiac arrhythmias, angina pectoris, syndrome X, myocardial infarction and hypertension, 2,3,8,30,32,45,48 and for painful esophageal peristalsis and gastroesophageal reflux diseases. 3, 20, 53 Percutaneous or subcutaneous peripheral nerve stimulation can successfully treat chronic abdominal pain and intractable pain syndromes.…”

Electroacupuncture modulates vlPAG release of GABA through presynaptic cannabinoid CB1 receptors

“…somatic afferents; sympathoexcitatory reflex; cannabinoid type 1 receptor; microdialysis ELECTROACUPUNCTURE (EA), a potent alternative to manual acupuncture, has been suggested to be effective in treating certain cardiovascular diseases including hypertension, arrhythmias, and angina pectoris (5,6,41). Clinically, EA at the NeiguanJianshi (P5-6) acupoints has been used to treat cardiovascular diseases in Eastern and, more recently, Western countries (5,21,41).…”

“…Clinically, EA at the NeiguanJianshi (P5-6) acupoints has been used to treat cardiovascular diseases in Eastern and, more recently, Western countries (5,21,41). We and others have demonstrated that EA at P5-6 acupoints overlying the median nerve on the wrist modulate blood pressure elevation evoked by gastric distension (GD) in rats (27) or by gallbladder stimulation in cats (50) through a long-loop neural pathway, extending from the arcuate nucleus (ARC) in the hypothalamus to the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (vlPAG) in the midbrain and, ultimately, to the rostral ventrolateral medulla (rVLM) (13,26,50,58).…”