The results of a pilot study show that patients who are already taking medication (anti-hypertensives) for high blood pressure, may benefit from the addition of acupuncture to their treatment plan.
Researchers in Turkey gathered a sample of 34 patients who had been on anti-hypertensive drugs for at least two years, and who were experiencing side-effects such as dizziness, fatigue, headaches, depression, joint pains, oedema and sleep disturbance. Patients were given 15 acupuncture treatments over a one month period, equating to one session every two days. Patients’ diet, physical activity and drug doses were left unchanged. At the end of the trial, the participants’ blood pressure showed significant reductions: mean systolic (always quoted as the first and higher number) dropped from 163 to 129mmHg; mean diastolic dropped from 94 to 79mmHg.
(The effect of acupuncture on high blood pressure of patients using antihypertensive drugs. Acupuncture Electrother Research, 2013.)