20150822 - acupuncture/ high blood pressure

Acupuncture may reduce high blood pressure

Published: Friday 21 August 2015 at 12am PST

A new study suggests that a form of acupuncture may benefit patients with high blood pressure and lower their risk of stroke and heart disease.

The single-blind trial, conducted at the University of California-Irvine (UCI), is the first scientific confirmation that the ancient Chinese medical technique is beneficial for patients with mild to moderate hypertension.
In the journal Medical Acupuncture, the team describes finding how electroacupuncture can lower blood pressure for up to 6 weeks in patients with hypertension.
Electroacupuncture is a form of acupuncture that applies low-intensity electrical pulses through needles inserted at specific points on the body.
The researchers say their findings suggest that with regular use, electroacupuncture could help people manage their blood pressure and reduce their risk of heart disease and stroke in the longer term.
Senior author John Longhurst, a cardiologist and UCI professor of medicine, says the clinical study comes after nearly 10 years of bench research into the effect of acupuncture on high blood pressure. He adds:
"By using Western scientific rigor to validate an ancient Eastern therapy, we feel we have integrated Chinese and Western medicine and provided a beneficial guideline for treating a disease that affects millions in the US."


 http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/298376.php