Immediate effect of manual acupuncture stimulation of four points versus slow breathing in declination of blood pressure in primary hypertension—A parallel randomized control trial

Background

The WHO rates hypertension (HTN) as one of the most important causes of premature death worldwide. HTN is directly responsible for 57% of all stroke deaths and 24% of all coronary heart disease (CHD) deaths in India.

Objective

The study was aimed to determine the effects of manual acupuncture stimulation of a modified protocol of four points versus slow (yogic) breathing to obtain a decrease in blood pressure immediately on hypertensive subjects.

Methods

46 subjects out of 127 were recruited for the study and divided in to two groups. Out of which 38 people successfully completed the study. The eligibility criteria were: Both sexes, age between 35 and 60 years, diagnosed with hypertension at least 3 years or less, without systemic complications and no prior experience of acupuncture. There Pre and Post Intervention Blood pressure was taken as an outcome measure.

Results

Slow breathing group showed a significant reduction in the systolic component of the blood pressure (p < 0.007) whereas in the acupuncture group it was unaffected. In the acupuncture group there was a significant reduction in the diastolic component (p < 0.02) and a little reduction in the systolic component which was not significant (p = 0.3). There were no significant changes in the diastolic component in the slow breathing group (p > 0.5).

Conclusion

The results of the present study suggests that yogic breathing practices decreases the systolic components of the blood pressure whereas the acupuncture group is effective in reducing the diastolic component of the blood pressure.