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Blood Pressure Lowered by Acupuncture

By: Sam Gaines, Staff Writer

A 2005 study conducted at the Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of California, Irvine found that acupuncture treatments that used low levels of electrical stimulation can lower blood pressure elevations by as much as 50 percent.

Researchers tested laboratory rats with electro-acupuncture and found that the animals found temporary relief from hypertensive states. By applying acupuncture needles at specific sites along the wrist, inside the forearm or in the leg, researchers stimulated the rats™ bodies to release opioids, which decrease the heart™s activity and thus its need for oxygen. This, in turn, lowers blood pressure.

The researchers caution that this technique is only effective in elevated blood pressure levels, such as those typically found in hypertensive patients.

Source: UC Irvine, March 28, 2005

Ask The Acupuncturist

Q: I have always had a problem when it comes to my gag reflex. As a kid I even had a problem wearing a mouth piece and going to the dentist. but it still has not gone away, even today if i go to the dentist it is very hard for me to allow anything in my mouth without gagging and eventually vomiting. I also have a problem when shirts are tight around my neck. Is there any hope in acupuncture?

A: There are some very simple acupuncture points that have been proven to calm down the gag reflex. Acupuncture point: Ren 24 The first point i... Read More