Acupuncture may be useful in the management of many diseases of
the cardiovascular system. It can lower both systolic and diastolic
blood pressure in hypertensive patients. Acupuncture is also valuable
in the treatment of ischemic heart disease. It can improve cardiac
function, relieve some symptoms (particularly pain, dyspnea and
palpitations), and reduce arrhythmias and sudden death. Acupuncture’s
ability to reduce sympathetic tone may be of value in the managament
of angina and myocardial infarction. Acupuncture is also useful
in the treatment of peripherial vascular disease. It can produce
marked vasodilation in patients with Raynaud’s phenomenon
or diabetic polyneuropathy. The effect of acupuncture in improving
blood flow can be seen in improved rate of tissue healing, as shown
by several studies.
Patients frequently
comment that they feel warm after acupuncture. It was observed that
patients undergoing acupuncture analgesia tended to show a measurable
rise in skin temperature of the palms, which is consistent with
reduced sympathetic tone. One study recorded sustained vasodilation
throughout the body, particularly in the hands, following treatment
(Ernst & Lee 1986). However, the effect of acupuncture on skin
temperature depends on the baseline temperature. In one carefully
controlled experiment, acupuncture was found to reduce skin temperatures
that were initially high, raise those that were initially low, and
have little effect on intermediate values. (Ballegaard et al 1993).
This is a clear example of a well-known aspect of acupuncture treatment,
which is that it activates the homeostatic mechanism. Stimulation
of acupuncture points on the arm induced significant increase in
radial artery blood flow and vessel diameter “equivalent to
a stellate ganglion block.” (Tayama et al 1984).
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