Patients with high blood pressure who are taking anti-hypertensive medication may benefit from adjunctive acupuncture treatment, according to a small study carried out in Turkey. Investigators studied 34 patients who had been on anti-hypertensive drug therapy for at least 24 months and who were experiencing side-effects such as fatigue, dizziness, weakness, headache, joint pain, sleeping problems, oedema and depression. The participants underwent 15 acupuncture sessions (every two days for one month), without alteration to their diet, physical activity or use of anti-hypertensive drugs. Points needled were Taixi KID-3, Taichong LIV-3, Yinlingquan SP-9, Hegu L.I. 4, Shenmen HE-7, Zusanli ST-36, Sanyinjiao SP-6, Fuliu KID-7 and Taiyuan LU-9. After one month researchers found significant reductions in both systolic (from 163 to 129 mm/Hg) and diastolic (from 94 to 79 mm/Hg) blood pressure measurements. (The effect of acupuncture on high blood pressure of patients using antihypertensive drugs. Acupunct Electrother Res. 2013;38(1-2):1-15).
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