One in three adults worldwide suffers from high blood pressure. High blood pressure is one of the main risk factors for serious diseases such as stroke, heart attack, heart failure, aneurysms (e.g. aortic aneurysms) and peripheral artery disease. It is also a cause of chronic kidney disease. Even slightly elevated arterial blood pressure can shorten life expectancy.
Symptoms
Inner restlessness, nervousness
Sleep disorders
Headaches
Dizziness
Nausea
In traditional Chinese medicine, high blood pressure is considered together with dizziness, headaches and stroke. The most common causes are due to liver, spleen and kidney function and are closely related to wind, phlegm and deficiency. Various factors are related, such as hyperactivity of the Liver-Yang, deficiency of the Spinal Cord, Blood deficiency, Phlegm and Dampness.
Acupuncture is one of the most common clinical treatments for hypertension in China, as it has remarkable efficacy, and no side effects. The main acupuncture points include Renying, Quchi, Hegu, Zu Sanli and Taichong.
The principle of acupuncture for hypertension is to stimulate the acupoints to produce a blood pressure-lowering response in the adjacent afferent nerves. Certain vasodilatory elements are thereby released in the body to reduce peripheral resistance. Experimental studies have shown that acupuncture can cause a reduction in norepinephrine and renin concentrations. In addition, electroacupuncture can also lower the concentration of aldosterone.