Acupuncture Can Improve Heart Health And Blood Flow

It has been shown that stress can cause our blood pressure to rise, and while we can’t always control the daily stressors we face in our lives, acupuncture can be used as an effective weapon in the fight against heart disease.

China’s Ancient Medicine Provides A New Weapon In US

Despite the fact that acupuncture has been used in China for well over 2,000 years and is better known for treating pain, it is relatively new to the US, and Prevention magazine recently referred to acupuncture as the newest weapon in the fight against high blood pressure.

Americans Are In A Heated Battle Against High Blood Pressure

Acupuncture has been shown that it is effective in improving blood flow and the health of the heart. This comes as welcome news because according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about 70 million (approximately 29%) of American adults have high blood pressure. That’s 1 out of every 3 adults in the US that has high blood pressure. And the CDC reports that only about half of those with high blood pressure have it under control. Hypertension is described as blood pressure numbers that are higher than normal but not quite in the high blood pressure range and currently, it affects 1 out of 3 American adults. Including missed work, medications, and healthcare to treat it, high blood pressure costs the nation $46 billion each year and even worse, it is responsible for taking about 1,000 lives each day.

Acupuncture On Par With High Blood Pressure Medications

According to Prevention, weekly acupuncture has the ability to reduce systolic blood pressure by up to 20 points. This is the equivalent to the effects that prescription medications such as ACE inhibitors and calcium channel blockers have on reducing blood pressure. The magazine interviewed Dr. John Longhurst, MD, PhD, a cardiologist and the director of the Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of California, Irvine who stated that once a patient is diagnosed with hypertension, it is for life, so just as one would continue hypertension medication for life, weekly acupuncture treatments would be required to maintain results. The difference is that acupuncture produces fewer or no side effects and risks compared to medication.

Acupuncture In Detroit Is A Phone Call Away

Learn how acupuncture can help improve your health and bring many other benefits to your well being. Contact Metro Detroit Acupuncture at 248-432-2846 to schedule an appointment.