Electroacupuncture has been used to treat hypertension
due to its modulation on autonomic nervous system. Stimulation frequency at 1 HZ is reported to be the most effective to
decrease blood pressure in human subject according to a report published in the
journal of Clinical Autonomic Research.
Electroacupuncture is used to treat patient with
hypertension, because it is less dependent on practioner’s skill, and the
frequency and duration of stimulation can be precisely controlled. However, there is no study in human subject
about the optimal stimulation frequency in reducing blood pressure.
Recently a group of scientist leading by Dr. Hidehiro
Nakahara in Japan conducted a clinical study to investigate the effects of varying
stimulation frequencies of electroacupuncture on time-dependent changes in
blood pressure and heart rate in humans. Twenty healthy human subjects were
recruited for the study. Electroacupuncture was performed at acupoint Ximen
(PC4) for 6 mins, at an intensity of 1 V, pulse width of 5 ms, using following
stimulation frequencies: 0.5, 1, 5 and 10 HZ.
The beginning of electroacupuncture was blinded to subject. Blood pressure and
heart rate were monitored two mins before acupuncture and during 6 mins
electroacupuncture stimulation.
The data showed that electroacupuncture stimulation at 1 HZ produced the maximal reduction in blood
pressure and heart rate compared with other stimulation frequencies. Further,
reduction effect became more pronounced with increase in stimulation duration.
The present study provided fundamental data for potential
use of electroacupuncture in the treatment of cardiovascular conditions.
Reference:
H Nakahara et al., Electroacupuncture
most effectively elicits depressor and bradycardic responses at 1 Hz in humans.
Clin Auton Res. 2015 Dec 22. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10286-015-0330-x
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