|
High Blood Pressure
New
Research
On April 4, 2001
Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the New
England Research Institute received a five-year
multi-million-dollar cooperative agreement from the
National Institutes of Health's National Center for
Complementary and Alternative Medicine to look at
the efficacy of acupuncture in treating
High Blood Pressure.
Just about everyone
knows of someone who has high blood pressure (HBP)
(also referred to as hypertension). Perhaps this is
because an estimated 50 million Americans have this
chronic condition which is classified by having a
blood pressure of 140/90mmHg or higher. Blood
pressure is determined by the amount of blood your
heart pumps and the resistance in your arteries to
that blood flow. Uncontrolled, HBP can lead to an
increased risk of heart attack, stroke, kidney
failure and heart failure. Aside from Western
pharmaceuticals, proper diet, weight loss, smoking
cessation and stress management are current forms of
treatment for this silent killer. Americans face a
90% chance of developing the condition, according to
a new report in the Journal of the American Medical
Association. The drugs to treat it must be taken
daily and usually for a lifetime. They may also have
side effects such as fatigue, depression or
dizziness Randall Zusman, MD. is director of
Hypertension and Vascular Medicine at MGH. As quoted
on MGH's website, he states, "The studies already
reported in the medical literature are very
encouraging and we anticipate that a significant
number of participants will respond to the
treatment." The study will be conducted on 180
individuals who will receive 12 acupuncture
treatments over a six-week period. Treatments will
be based on Traditional Chinese Medical diagnosis
and treatment protocols. Dr. Zusman stated, "There
is extensive literature from Asian and Russian
communities that acupuncture does indeed lower blood
pressure." ABC news.com reported that American
researchers have already shown acupuncture can
stimulate nerves that reach up into the brain to
affect the cells in the brain that control blood
pressure. Dr. John Longhurst professor of medicine
at the University of California Irvine says,
"There's evidence from our laboratory and many other
laboratories to suggest that cells quiet down after
acupuncture."
The study at MGH is not yet complete. This is the
end of the first year, but the outcomes are very
encouraging. "A substantial number of our patients
have responded with significant reductions in blood
pressure," says Dr. Zusman, "The implication is that
12 acupuncture treatments over a six-week period
will produce a cure." A cure is defined by this
study as maintaining normal blood pressure for one
year without medication.
The acupuncturists at FirstHealth have seen first
hand that acupuncture can be used to lower blood
pressure and decrease stress. We believe that in
combination with proper diagnosis, acupuncture can
be an effective tool in helping you to keep your
blood pressure under control.
|
