Acupuncture for high blood pressure
Since times immemorial, acupuncture has been a unique treatment for reducing high blood pressure in human beings.
High blood pressure refers to a situation where blood starts exerting pressure against the walls of arteries, veins and also the chambers of the heart. Over a specified time period, this heavy rush of blood starts damaging the lining of the blood vessels. It can also lead to arteriosclerosis, meaning hardening of the arteries.
Symptoms of high blood pressure are often acute in human beings. They include sudden dizziness, flushed faces, nervousness, severe headaches, restlessness, difficult breathing, nose bleeding, insomnia, intestinal complaints, depression, short temper and emotional instability.
The diagnosis of high blood pressure is done when the normal pressure tends to repeatedly rise. The other physical symptoms of high blood pressure include constant tendency to urinate, decrease in eye vision and muscle weakness.
How Acupuncture May Work for High Blood Pressure
Acupuncture combined with electric stimulation, or electro-acupuncture, can lower elevations of blood pressure in human beings. When the research was conducted for the first time, acupuncture needles were inserted on the inside of the forearm just above the wrist, but to no avail. Researchers then started adding electric stimulation to the needles, which means that electricity would start flowing from the needles to the body. While high frequencies of stimulation had no effect, low frequencies of electro stimulation reduced blood pressure effectively. A thorough research on acupuncture shows that the inserted needles excite brain cells, causing them to release neurotransmitters that always heighten the heart’s activities.
To cure high blood pressure, acupuncturists insert needles on certain points on the wrist, forearm or leg, to excite the opioid chemicals in the brain and reduce excitatory responses of the cardiovascular systems. This eventual decrease in heart activity and need for oxygen can lower blood pressure to a great extent. It also helps in the healing of other heart-related conditions like myocardial ischemia and hypertensions.
While you are undergoing acupuncture treatments for curing high blood pressure, you can also use herbs like Tian Ma [Gastrodia Rhizome], Xia Ku Cao [Prunella] and Shan Zha. A unique and natural acupuncture treatment for high blood pressure also includes pressing of the skin on the back of your hand in between the thumb and index finger.