The Treatment of High Blood Pressure with Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a highly effective therapy for curbing high blood pressure.

Hypertension is known as the “Silent Killer.” Did you know that 35% of hypertensive Americans are unaware they have high blood pressure? Be aware and have your blood pressure checked regularly by a Acupuncture physician to ensure that you are not on a blood pressure up-climb.
There are two types of high blood pressure. The first is known as Essential or Labile Hypertension. Here, there is no known cause (idiopathic), although stress is thought to be a major contributing factor. Stress is a natural biological function related to the adrenal glands, which regulate the heartbeat, kidney function, and elimination. Alcohol and caffeine consumption (stimulants), obesity, and genetic predispositions must also be addressed. Only when these factors (as well as diseases, cancers, and tumors of the heart, liver, kidneys, and hormonal system) that characterize Secondary Hypertension are ruled out as causations of high blood pressure, can a diagnosis of Essential Hypertension be made.

The second type of hypertension is called Organic or Secondary Hypertension. Diet, smoking, consumption of high fat foods and certain lifestyles contribute to this type of hypertension.

Traditional Chinese Medicine views hypertension as a state where there exists an imbalance of blood, Qi, and moisture being supplied to the organs of the body. Aside from measuring a patient’s blood pressure, an Acupuncture Physician can determine the root organ cause of high blood pressure by observing certain symptoms (headache, dizziness, eye disorders, palpitations, poor memory, insomnia, and ringing in the ears).

By inserting acupuncture needles into specific points, a neuro-chemical message is sent via the nervous and endocrine systems to the portion of the brain that corresponds to the unbalanced organ of the body. The brain then releases endorphins (natural pain killers) to various opioid receptors which signal the organ(s) to relax and return to normal functioning levels. As these organs return to normal function, the regulation of blood pressure follows. Acupuncture is highly effective when high blood pressure is detected in its early stages before the point at which arteries commence hardening, blood clots form (conditions that lead to heart attack or stroke). Regular treatments of acupuncture can reduce high blood pressure and stress in the long run.