Heart Health

For the patient who has had a full work-up from their cardiologist and has been cleared for a completely healthy heart, yet no understanding of why they have heart palpitations, we have the answer. For over 2,000 years we understand why patients have heart palpitations and what they can do to treat them effectively and affordably. The most likely diagnosis is called heart blood deficiency which can be detected by a lab or by patient symptoms. The patient typically presents with heart palpitations that are worse at the end of the day or during hormonal fluctuations (i.e.: menopause or several days after menstruation if you are a woman), a pale face or tongue, vivid dreams, and an increase in palpitations after stressful or embarrassing episodes.


With simple acupuncture treatments and supplementing with an herbal prescription prescribed by a licensed herbalist the acupuncturist should have the heart palpitations controlled within 12 weeks.

To prove the success of acupuncture treating heart conditions here are two recent studies showing a marked reduction in blood pressure with acupuncture:

Study Shows Acupuncture Significantly Lowers Blood Pressure

A German study published in the June 2007 issue of Circulation proved that acupuncture significantly lowers both systolic & diastolic blood pressure in participating patients. Acupuncture was just as effective in reducing blood pressure as anti-hypertensive medication or aggressive lifestyle modifications, including dietary salt elimination.



160 patients with uncomplicated hypertension, varying from mild to moderate, were randomized for 6 weeks of either acupuncture performed by a Chinese medical practitioner or given a sham acupuncture treatment. Patients received 22 treatments for 30 minutes each. At the end of the study, 24-hour ambulatory systolic and diastolic blood pressures were significantly reduced from baseline in the acupuncture patients (5.4 mm Hg and 3.0 mm Hg, respectively). No statistically significant reductions were present in the sham acupuncture participants.

Blood Pressure Lowered by Acupuncture

A study at the prestigious Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of California, Irvine in 2005 proved that electro-acupuncture lowered blood pressure by as much as 50%.


Researchers tested laboratory rats with electro-acupuncture and reported temporary reduction in hypertension. Acupuncture was applied along the Heart channel and other corresponding acupuncture channels along the body (specific sites along the wrist, inside the forearm or in the leg). Researchers stimulated the acupuncture points to release opioids, which decreased the heart’s activity. These treatments reduced their oxygen requirements inevitably lowering their blood pressure as a result.

Source: University of California In Irvine, March 28, 2005
 
The added benefit of acupuncture treatments is a reduction in stress and an improvement in sleep and energy- all of which are typically affected by those who struggle with benign heart palpitations.