BLOOD PRESSURE/HYPERTENSION RESEARCH © JCM Ltd

TAI CHI REDUCES BLOOD PRESSURE
A systematic review of the literature on the effect of tai chi exercise on blood pressure (BP) suggests that it may reduce BP and serve as a practical, non-pharmacological adjunct to conventional hypertension management. Of the 26 studies that met the inclusion criteria, 22 (85%) reported reductions in BP with tai chi (3-32 mm Hg systolic and 2-18 mm Hg diastolic BP reductions). (The effect of tai chi exercise on blood pressure: a systematic review. Prev Cardiol. 2008 Spring;11(2):82-9).

ACUPUNCTURE PROMISING FOR HYPERTENSION CARE
The effects of acupuncture as an add-on to conventional antihypertensive management methods (medication and/or lifestyle modification) were investigated. A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial recruited 41 hypertensive or pre-hypertensive volunteers and assigned them to real or sham acupuncture. All those already receiving hypertensive medication continued to take it. Acupuncture prescriptions were partially individualised (based on Korean Saam acupuncture principles). Measurements of blood pressure (BP), overall health and pain were performed at baseline and again at four and eight weeks. The sham acupuncture group showed no significant change in mean BP, while the real acupuncture group showed a significant decrease in mean BP after eight weeks of intervention (from 136.8/83.7 to 122.1/76.8 mmHg). (Acupuncture, a promising adjunctive therapy for essential hypertension: a double-blind, randomized, controlled trial. Neurol Res. 2007;29 Suppl 1:S98-103).

ACUPUNCTURE AS GOOD AS DRUGS FOR HYPERTENSION
A rigorous, randomised, single-blind, Western trial comparing acupuncture with sham needling suggests that acupuncture may decrease blood pressure in hypertensive patients by a similar amount to that achieved using pharmaceutical therapy. The German study randomised 160 outpatients (mean age 58) with uncomplicated, mild to moderate hypertension to six weeks of acupuncture performed by Chinese medicine practitioners (trained in China), or to a sham procedure. Those on hypertensive medication continued taking it. Patients were assigned to one of four patterns of hypertension, based on TCM diagnosis. Those in both trial arms underwent 22 30-minute treatment sessions over a six-week period. During each session, three acupuncture points were needled bilaterally for 20 minutes. In the active treatment group, the points were chosen according to TCM diagnosis. Sham treatment consisted of needling points without relevance for lowering blood pressure, according to traditional concepts. Twenty-four hour ambulatory systolic and diastolic blood pressures were significantly reduced from baseline in the acupuncture-treated patients (by 5.4 mmHg and 3.0 mmHg, respectively). No significant decrease was seen in the sham-treated patients. The extent of blood pressure reduction observed was comparable to that seen with ACE-inhibitor monotherapy or aggressive lifestyle changes. However, blood pressure returned to pretreatment levels within 12 weeks of treatment cessation, leading investigators to conclude that ongoing acupuncture treatments would be required to maintain the beneficial effects. (Randomized trial of acupuncture to lower blood pressure. Circulation. 2007 Jun 19;115(24):3121-9).

ACUPUNCTURE & HYPERTENSION
In a trial of 192 subjects with hypertension (between 140/90 and 179/109 mmHg), given up to twelve acupuncture treatments over six to eight weeks, no difference in effect was found between standardised (formula) acupuncture, individualised acupuncture and invasive sham acupuncture (needling non-points). The average drop in blood pressure was 3.7mm Hg for systolic and 3.5mm Hg for diastolic pressure. (Acupuncture for Hypertension: Can 2500 Years Come to an End? Hypertension 2006;48:838-845.

KAMPO MEDICINE FOR HYPERTENSION SYMPTOMS
A kampo (traditional Japanese herbal medicine) made from four herbs: Huang Lian (Coptidis Rhizoma), Huang Qin (Scutellariae Radix), Zhi Zi (Gardeniae Fructus) and Huang Bai (Cortex Phellodendri) was found to be significantly more effective than placebo in controlling hypertension symptoms in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Although the herbal medicine had no apparent effect on lowering blood pressure, it helped relieve hot flushes, facial suffusion, anxiety, sleep disturbance, headache, heavy-headedness, shoulder stiffness, dizziness and malaise). (Improvement of accessory symptoms of hypertension by TSUMURA Orengedokuto Extract, a four herbal drugs containing Kampo-Medicine Granules for ethical use: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Phytomedicine. 2006 Jan;13(1-2):1-10).