Treating High Blood Pressure with Acupuncture

High blood pressure can be treated using acupuncture.
There are a wide variety of therapies and treatments, including medicines, various forms of natural treatment, and a myriad of alternative therapies that have been used to attempt to treat high blood pressure, one of the most common medical conditions today. However, acupuncture is the most widely used and trusted of all the alternative high blood pressure treatments.

High blood pressure, technically referred to as hypertension, is among the most widespread health conditions today, and primarily results from stress, poor diet, lack of activity, and genetic influences. However, it is also invariably connected with the process of aging, being overweight, smoking cigarettes, and drinking too much alcohol.  It can also have a higher rate of occurrence in conjunction with having other particular health problems and disorders..

High blood pressure is a health issue which is caused by the flow of blood through the veins beginning to exert an excessive amount of pressure against the walls of blood vessels. This constant, high level of pressure on blood vessels can damage the lining of capillaries, over time, which can result in a medical condition known as arteriosclerosis or, more commonly, referred to as "hardening of the arteries."

Individuals who suffer from high blood pressure often suffer with symptoms such as headaches, shortness of breath, nausea, fatigue, and blurred vision. If the condition can not be managed or kept under control, then it can often lead to more severe results such as strokes, blindness, heart attacks, or renal failure.

High blood pressure is most often treated using a variety of contemporary medical treatment methods.  However, many of the medicines that are commonly used to treat high blood pressure also can often cause any number of other negative side effects. This is one of the primary reasons why many patients with hypertension eventually seek out alternative treatments and therapies, including things like relaxation techniques and aromatherapy.

Acupuncture is generally believed to be useful for treating high blood pressure via the following mechanism. According to recent research, acupuncture has been found to lower high blood pressure by way of acting to block beta-acceptors of sympathetic nerves, in addition to stimulating the function of the adrenaline-angiotensin system.

Acupuncture, when used in conjunction with electric stimulation, may also be used to aid in the treatment of high blood pressure. This technique is generally referred to as electro-acupuncture. When low levels of electrical current are passed thorough ordinary acupuncture needles, a noticeable lowering of blood pressure has been measured. The needles are attached to a mechanism that produces minute electrical impulses, which are sustained at low levels.

This treatment generally consists of first inserting sharp, thin acupuncture needles into meridians, or trigger points, which are located at various points on the the arms, legs and wrists. This results in the stimulation of production of particular chemicals in the brain and results in a lowered excitation response of the cardiac system. This then results in a decreased level of cardiac activity along with the body's oxygen requirements, which causes the blood pressure to reduce.

Acupuncture Relieves Hot Flashes

Traditional Chinese acupuncture can relieve hot flashes.
A recent study has reported that the use of traditional Chinese acupuncture can help to relieve the severity of hot flashes, as well as various other symptoms associated with menopause. The research study was published in the journal Acupuncture in Medicine.

For the study, the researchers enlisted the help of 53 participants, all who were postmenopausal women, meaning they had not had a period for at least one year. The participant's menopause symptoms included the usual symptoms: hot flashes, vaginal dryness, urinary tract infections (UTIs), and mood problems.  The symptoms were measured utilizing a standardized 5-point scale.

Twenty-seven of the study participants received a treatment of traditional acupuncture two times a week for a period of about ten weeks.  For the treatments, acupuncture needles were kept in place in the epidermis for a period of twenty minutes.  There was no addition of either manual or electrical stimulation. The rest of the study participants received a fake, or placebo, form of acupuncture.

The women's hormonal levels were also measured before the initiation of the study.  The measurements included estrogen, FSH, and LH. These hormone levels were also measured and recorded after the initial treatment and after at the conclusion of the last treatment in order to detect any changes over the course of the study.

The data indicated that the study participants who were given the treatment of traditional acupuncture had substantially reduced scores for both hot flashes and mood swings, but not for vaginal dryness and urinary problems the conclusion of the ten week study than the women who had received the placebo treatment. The symptom that had resulted in the largest measured reduction in severity was hot flashes.

Additionally, the positive effects of the treatments appeared to be a cumulative effect, with more profound results being measured at the end of the course of the study.

There was also observed to be a raise in estrogen levels, while LH levels were lower in the study participants who received the actual acupuncture treatments. Both reduced levels of estrogen and elevated LH and FSH levels are signals common during menopause, due to the ovaries stopping function.

The scientists suggested that the mechanism behind the severity of hot flashes being measurably reduced could be due to the acupuncture treatments resulting in an increase in the production of endorphins in the body, which may play a role in regulating body temperature.

The researchers stated that their study was  a small, test trial and that, at the conclusion of the study, they did not continue to measure how long relief of symptoms persisted.  However, this study does suggest that traditional Chinese acupuncture may be a useful alternative therapy for women who can't or don't want to use the standard hormone replacement therapy to treat bothersome menopausal symptoms.

Growing numbers of women are turning to alternative therapies for treating menopause symptoms, such as using herbal remedies to treat hot flashes and night sweats and using magnetic therapy to treat menopause symptoms.

Yoga May Help Teens with Weight Loss

A new study which was presented at the American Heart Association's 46th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention, investigated the effects of practicing yoga on the BMI (body mass index) of teenage study participants. A scientist from Hampton University (Virginia) conducted either a forty minute yoga and breathing class or regular activities (which served as the control group), to thirty teenage boys and girls.

The yoga group did about forty minutes of yoga and yoga breathing 4 times per week for a period of twelve weeks. The teenagers' dietary intake was not modified. The scientists measured their body mass index both at the beginning, and at the conclusion of the study.

The scientists discoevered that the body mass index of the yoga group decreased by about 5.7 percent, while the body mass index of the control group actually increased slightly. The mean body weight loss for the yoga group was about six pounds. There were no restrictions or rules regarding caloric intake on either of the groups. The weight loss in the yoga group may be due to a couple of factors: the breathing and yoga exercises themselves, and possibly lowered caloric intake by the yoga group due to a decrease in stomach size.

Dr. Shetty, the author of the study, has recommended about half an hour of yoga and yoga breathing (pranayama) 3 or 4 times per week. He is of the opinion that practicing yoga can be effective at helping to prevent obesity in teenagers and should be an integral component of physical eduction programs in schools.

More information at the Journal of Yoga & Physical Therapy.

Placebos as a Viable Treatment

A study performed by researchers at Harvard University has shown that placebos can be an effective treatment even when patients are not deceived into thinking they are taking actual medicine. The scientiests divided the 80 participants - all sufferers of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) - into two groups. One group was a control group and didn't receive any kind of treatment. The other group was given pills to take two times a day, however the scientists explained to the group that the pills were similar to sugar pills. The participants were never told that the pills contained any medicine, and even the container was labeled "placebo."

At the conclusion of the study, about thirty-five percent of the people who received no treatment at all reported an improvement in symptoms. Unexpectedly, nearly sixty percent of the participants who recieved a placebo reported an improvement in symptoms. Additionally, the placebo group graded their improvements similarly to the improvement generally reported by people who take IBS medications.

Two medications, Lubiprostone and Alosetron, have been approved by the FDA for the treatment of IBS, but they are used only as a last resort as they have a number of unpleasant or unhealthy side effects.

If a harmless placebo can have the same result, it is a better alternative than taking medications that may make patients feel worse than their actual illness. A number of other studies have reported between thirty and forthy percent of people who took placebos had an improvement in their conditions, but that was under deception, when the patients didn't know that they weren't taking actual medication.

And these findings are not only relevant for for IBS sufferers. Research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that placebos have virtually identical effects as widely prescribed antidepressants on patients who suffer from mild to moderate depression.

Using Ginger to Treat Stomach Problems

Ginger could be used to effectively treat functional dyspepsia, reports a small-scale study published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology. A stomach condition which is characterized by pain in the abdomen, functional dyspepsia is often responsible for a painful, uncomfortable feeling of fullness after ingesting food (much like the symptoms associated with indigestion).

For this study, 11 participants who suffer from functional dyspepsia took either a ginger supplement or a ginger placebo before eating meals. Among the participants who were took ginger, the researchers reported faster gastric emptying (the amount of time it takes for food to exit the stomach and go into the intestines). However, taking ginger didn't seem to improve the gastrointestinal symptoms.

Ginger could be used to help treat other stomach-related problems. For example, research has shown that the anti-inflammatory herb ginger has been used to help relieve nausea caused by morning sickness. Some evidence also exists that ginger may used to help relieve upset stomach experienced by those who are undergoing chemotherapy.

Read more about herbs for treating ailments at the Herbal Supplement Blog.

Many Who Have Brain Tumors Use Alternative Treatments

Many patients who have incurable brain tumors utilize alternative treatments, including taking vitamins and using homeopathy, on top of their standard treatments, according to a study published in the December 14, 2010 issue of Neurology®.

Nearly forty percent of patients with brain tumors who took part in the study utilized alternative treatments, such as homeopathy, taking vitamin supplements, and psychological therapy.

The study included 621 patients who had incurable grade II to grade IV gliomas who filled-out a questionnaires regarding their use of alternative treatments. Alternative treatments were defined as methods or compounds not generally utilized in routine clinical procedure, and which are not scientifically tested.

Younger patients, women, and those who were more highly educated had a higher likelihood of using alternative therapies than older people, men and those who were less educated.

Answering from a compiled list of reasons why people utilized alternative therapies, the most popular answers were "to support conventional therapy," "to build up body resistance" and "to do something for the treatment by myself." The least popular answers were "because I am afraid of the conventional methods" and "because the physicians don't have enough time."

Of the patients who utilized alternative therapies, nearly forty percent used homeopathy, almost thirty percent took vitamin supplements and about thirty percent utilized various types of psychological therapies.

Lemon Grass to Treat Headaches

Griffith University researchers have discovered that native lemon grass, which is used by native Australians as part of their traditional medicine, has some ability to help relieve headaches and migraines.

The findings of this five-year research study were published in the academic journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

Headaches and migraines can result in abnormal activities within the body, including changing serotonin levels or disrupting normal function of blood platelets. Platelets form clumps for repairing wounds, but they may also create dangerous internal clots that starve the brain of oxygen and possibly result in a stroke.

Extracts of the lemon grass were tested on human blood platelets. The compound eugenol displayed similar functionality as aspirin. Eugenol appears to inhibit the clumping of platelets as well as the release of serotonin.

Serotonin plays a role in the regulation of mood, appetite, sleep, muscle contraction, and a variety of cognitive functions.

Generally, traditional medicines have not been researched in-depth and many unstudied plants may have as yet unknown therapeutic and healing properties.

This research project also collected a number of other traditional Australian medicinal plants to study, including Cymbopogon Ambiguus which is found in the Northern Territory.

Rising Medical Costs Resulting in Increased Popularity of Alternative Medicine

A growing number of Americans are resorting to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), particularly people who have a hard time paying for the costs of conventional care, a new study reports. This study regarding CAM trends is published in the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved.

According to researcher Dejun Su, PhD, a sociologist at the University of Texas - Pan American, “The rising cost of health care is outpacing inflation and salaries, and there’s a good possibility that that is linked to increasing CAM use."

Complementaray and alternative medicine, which often includes practices and techniques including yoga, massage, herbal medicine, and meditation, has been growing in popularity for a number of years. In 1990, nearly one-third of Americans had utilized some type of CAM. By 2002, the percentage of people who had used CAM had almost doubled. This trend, the report finds, remains on the rise.

This study compared data from the 2002 and 2007 National Health Interview Surveys, which are performed every year by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, in order to monitor the health care situation of Americans as well as their access to health care.

Over one-third of people who stated they used CAM in 2007 also reported that they had a medical need they couldn't pay for or had delayed in seeking out medical care. Su suggests that this is can be partly attributed to the greater affordability of CAM, including provider-based CAM practices, as compared to conventional practices.

"Juice Plus+" Shown to Decrease Severe Cold Symptoms

Researchers at Charité, University Medicine Berlin have reported that a specific supplement produced from the concentrate of fruit and vegetable juices significantly has been shown to reduce the length and severity of severe cold symptoms.

Researchers from the institute of Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, in conjunction with over 500 employees of the Charité, as study participants, ran an eight month research study regarding the effects of the product "Juice Plus+" ®, produced by the US supplier NSA from Collierville, Tennessee. In a randomized, double-blind research study, fifty percent of the participants took the preparation daily, while the other fifty percent took a placebo. After only 2 months the results were that the number of colds caught were the same in both groups. However, the group that took the prepartion had milder colds. There was shown to be a decrease in moderate and severe cold symptoms of approximately twenty percent.

Whether this product is suitable for extended use, may be the subject of upcoming research studies of "Juice Plus+" ®. Also it is not clear what is the specific mode of action of the product.

The research study was ensured to be neutral because the sponsor of the study transmitted no study data to the manufacturer of the product, nor was the manufactrer involved in the interpretation of the results of the research.

Practicing Meditation May Help Improve Both Memory and Empathy

Changes in the brain after practicing meditation have been reported by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers.

An eight week meditation study has shown measurable changes in the areas of the brain associated with memory, sense of self, and empathy the study suggests.

For this study, MR images were taken of the brain of the sixteen study participants about 2 weeks before and after taking part in the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Program at the University of Massachusetts Center for Mindfulness. In addition to weekly session which included practicing mindful meditation — which primarily focuses on the non-judgmental awareness of sensations, feelings and state of mind — study participants also listened to audio recordings for guided meditation and tracked how much time they meditated every day. A collection of MR brain images of a control group were also taken.

The meditation participants recorded spending an average of about twenty-seven minutes a day practicing mindful meditatio exercises, and their responses to the questionnaire suggested substantial improvement when compared with their responses from before the study. Analysis of the MR images, which were focused on brain regions where meditation-associated differences were noted in previous studies, found an increase in the grey-matter density of the hippocampus, which is integral for both learning and memory, and in brain structures connected with self-awareness, compassion and introspection. Reports by the participants in lowered stress were also with a decrease in grey-matter density in the amygdala, which plays a role in stress and anxiety. None of these brain changes were observed in the control group.

The findings of the study are published in the January 30 issue of Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging.

Research Shows Benefits of Therapeutic Massage

Anorexia nervosa is a very difficult problem to treat. Massage therapy has shown significant promise with those suffering from it. A research study dealing with women with anorexia demonstrated that those who received a massage 2 times a week for 5 weeks reported reduced stress and anxiety. These patients also had reduced levels of cortisol as well as an increse in dopamine and norepinephrine after being treated. They also reported lower body dissatisfaction according to the Eating Disorders Inventory.

In a research study which examined the role of massage therapy for the treatment of migraines, researchers ran a study which compared 2 groups of participants. One group got massage therapy treatments for thirteen weeks and the other group didn't. The participants from both of the groups maintained a daily journal which recorded their stress levels and ability to cope. They also kept a daily journal of their stress level and sleeping pattenrs. Anxiety, heart rate, and cortisol levels were all assessed. In contrast with the control group, the massage therapy patients displayed a decrease in heart rates, a reduction in anxiety, as well as a reduction of cortisol levels. A significant aspect of the study was that the massage therapy subjects had fewer migraines during the study.

There are over a thousand studies which demonstrate the success of massage therapy for the treatment of stress. There are a wide variety of theories for why therapeutic massage is so successful for treating and managing stress. One simple explanation is that stress increases tension in muscles, and massage therapy helps to decrease muscle tension. When a muscle is tense, blood circulation is lowered, thereby inhibiting the absorption of both oxygen and nutrients. Massage therapy aids in loosening up these muscles, thereby increasing blood circulation, which brings more oxygen and nutrients to the tense area. Massage therapy may also release toxins stored in tissue, which could help explain a sense of well-being after receiving a massage.

Acupuncture Reduces Depression During Pregnancy

Acupuncture could aid in reducing depression symptoms during pregnancy, according to a study from the Stanford University School of Medicine.

The study was conducted after it was found that almost 15% of pregnant women suffer from major depressive disorder, a disorder which is characterized by emotions of dread and hopelessness, as well as an absence of interest in what were pleasurable activities.

Pregnancy can often bring to light pre-existing psychiatric and emotional problems. Treating depression during pregnancy is vitally important so that the mother can maintain a sense of well-being and stay healthy. If depression is not treated, it can pose risks not only to the mother, but also her baby.

The study was conducted on 150 women were between 12 and 30 weeks pregnant, and who also met the criteria for major depressive disorder.

The participants were separated into groups and received one of three different treatments: acupuncture designed specifically for depression; control acupuncture, where needles are inserted into points which do not help alleviate depressive symptoms, or massage. The participants went through 8 weeks of therapy and were reassessed for depression symptoms at 4 and 8 weeks by an interviewer who wasn't aware of which treatment was being given.

The study found that the women who received the acupuncture for depression experienced a greater reduction in their depression symptoms than the participants from the other groups.