The effect of acupuncture treatment on blood pressure and heart rate / 全日本鍼灸学会雑誌

ABSTRACT

This paper was primarily concerned with the effect of acupuncture treatment on blood pressure and heart rate.<br>Systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and heart rate were measured before and after acupuncture treatment in one hundred new outpatients in the clinic of Research Institute of Oriental Medicine, Kinki University. Fifty patients were finally recognized to be worthy of the present analysis. Application of “t” test was done in these 50 patients and 18 normal persons.<br>In a comparison of acupunctured group with control group, systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure showed a statistically significant rise, but heart rate did not.<br>According to the effect on blood pressure, acupuncture practitioners were divided into three groups. Among these groups, heart rate showed a statistically insignificant change.<br>These results suggest that the reaction pathway of the biological effect of acupuncture treatment on blood pressure is different from that on heart rate. It is also suggested that the therapeutic effect of acupuncture treatment is highly influenced by the technique of acupuncture practitioners.