Study of the Methodology for the Clinical Effect of Single-point Acupuncture in Patients with Hypertension

(3) Korean Journal of Acupuncture, Vol.29, No.1, pp.23∼36, 2012

Study of the Methodology for the Clinical Effect of Single-point Acupuncture in Patients with Hypertension

Yang-Sun Son, Soo-Jung Yeo, Yoon-Ju Kim, You-Sun Park, Sabina Lim

Abstract

Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate an effective treatment-point selection method by using oppressive pain in acupoints as an elementary attempt to establish standard methodology for clinical acupuncture studies.

Methods: Twenty-seven subjects with hypertension or within the prehypertension category - systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP) over 120/80 mmHg - were divided into two groups, oppressive-pain point-treatment group and oppressive painless point treatment group. In the oppressive-pain point-treatment group, single-point acupuncture (SPA) was conducted for 16 sessions during 8 weeks on the most oppressive painful point among 6 selected acupuncture points used in previous trials. As a SPA intervention, 15 minutes with deqi sensation-elevating manipulation was conducted on the treatment acupoint. The same process was used for the oppressive-painless point-treatment group on the most oppressive painless point with subject blinding.

Results: Significant reductions were observed in both systolic and diastolic BP after short-time intervention (15.5/8.8 mmHg, 10.7/7.1 mmHg, P < 0.05, respectively at 1 week) and were maintained for the 8-week intervention period in both groups (12.8/8.0 mmHg, 19.4/12.6 mmHg, P < 0.05, respectively). No significant differences of BP changes between the oppressive-pain point-treatment group (N = 10) and the oppressive-painless point-treatment group (N = 9) were observed during the 8-week study period.

Conclusions: SPA treatment as used in this pilot study was effective for lowering BP in the mild hypertensive population, but oppressive pain in the acupoint had no effect on the treatment. This present result suggests the possibility of using SPA for the treatment of hypertension regardless of oppressive pain.

Key words: acupuncture; standard methodology; blood pressure; oppressive pain