Latest Acupuncture News
04 July 2012
Technorati New research concludes that
acupuncture improves heart rate variability (HRV). HRV is the variation
in time between heart beats and is an index of the body’s ability to
maintain control of the heart beat rate and rhythm through vagus nerve
activity. Reduced HRV is linked to mortality after myocardial
infarction, congestive heart failure and diabetic neuropathy. Based on
the HRV evidence, the researchers state that acupuncture may synchronize
the two branches of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) - the
sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. Acupuncture for HBPIn
other recent research, acupuncture at acupoint CV17 has been proven to
benefit the heart by increasing heart rate variability (HRV). This
research demonstrates that acupuncture at CV17 is able to activate the
autonomic nervous system to control the heart rate by increasing vagal
activity. Other recent research demonstrates that acupuncture has “an
antiarrhythmic effect” in the treatment of atrial fibrillation (A-fib).
In the study, acupuncture points P6 (Neiguan), HT7 (Shenmen) and UB15
(Xinshu) demonstrated clinical efficacy in the reduction of A-fib. In related current research from the
University of California, acupuncture has been shown to reduce high
blood pressure (hypertension), protect heart tissue from damage and to
reduce arrhythmias. Investigators from the University of California in
both Irvine and Los Angeles “have shown that electroacupuncture
stimulation activates neurons” in specific brain regions thereby
reducing hypertension. The researchers successfully mapped the brain
network stimulated by acupuncture and demonstrated that acupuncture
reduces high blood pressure (HBP) by downregulating pathological
excesses emitted by the sympathetic nervous system. The acupuncture
points in the study proven to have this effect are located on the arm:
P5, P6, LI10 and LI11. Heart disease is the number one cause
of death worldwide. These findings demonstrate that acupuncture is a
successful tool in benefitting the heart. Acupuncture has been proven to
prevent heart tissue damage, reduce arrhythmias such as atrial
fibrillation and acupuncture has been shown to reduce high blood
pressure. References:
Acupuncture
and heart rate variability: a systems level approach to understanding
mechanism. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 12 (Suppl 1),
P302. B Anderson, A Nielsen, B Kligler, and D McKee. Kurono Y, Minagawa M, Ishigami T,
Yamada A, Kakamu T, Hayano J. Auton Neurosci. Acupuncture to Danzhong
but not to Zhongting increases the cardiac vagal component of heart rate
variability. 2011 Apr 26;161(1-2):116-20. Epub 2011 Jan 7.
Evidence-Based Complementary and
Alternative Medicine. Volume 2012 (2012), Article ID 878673, 9 pages.
doi:10.1155/2012/878673. Neuroendocrine Mechanisms of Acupuncture in the
Treatment of Hypertension. Wei Zhou and John C. Longhurst. Department
of Anesthesiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of
California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA. Department of Medicine,
University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA. |