High Blood Pressure and Acupuncture Philadelphia

High blood pressure or hypertension is now a common health problem among industrialized countries chiefly caused by unhealthy living.  This disease is associated with obesity, diabetes, aging and alcoholism to cite a few.  People suffering from hypertension manifest fatigue, shortness of breath, nausea and headaches.  Hypertension can lead to heart attacks or strokes.

Acupuncture Philadelphia originated in China at least a thousand years ago and is one of the oldest treatment modalities used globally. The body has over 2000 acupuncture points in the human body.  A typical acupuncture treatment consists of reed-thin needles inserted in the skin at certain acupuncture points.  Acupuncture is used by the Chinese to cure a wide range of illnesses such as migraine, infertility, addiction, alcoholism, obesity, skin disorders, back pain, joint pain, depression, insomnia and hypertension.  In some hospitals, it used as an adjunct for anesthesia during surgery.

Acupuncture is a very good treatment for hypertension.  Modern acupuncture treatments such as acupuncture with electric stimulation, or electro-acupuncture are effective in lowering hypertension.  In this treatment, needles are inserted into designated key points in the legs, joints, forearms and wrists. Then, low frequency electricity are passed through these needles. The needles are connected to an electric generating gadget where small pulses are generated and passed through the needles.  The needles then pass along these impulses through the body to stimulate certain chemicals in the brain, such as endorphins to sedate the activities of the cardiovascular system. This helps a lot in reducing heart activity and oxygen use, lowering blood pressure in the process. Electro-acupuncture is a specialized type of acupuncture and should only be practiced by trained and experienced professionals.

Combined with acupuncture, certain herbs are taken to maximize the effect and facilitate the treatment.  Herbs such as Shan Zha, Tian Ma and Xia Ku Cao are effective combined with acupuncture in treating high blood pressure.  Each of these herbs is good in treating specific symptoms of hypertension.  There are herbs that cure headaches and vertigo and some herbs treat nausea and insomnia.  Some herbs are taken as herbal teas and some in the form of pills and tablets.

Acupuncture aids in the body’s normal functioning.  It helps in the normalization of blood pressure, pulse beat and heartbeat rate to a stable and healthy state.  Acupuncture also aids in mitigating stress.  It helps the body to feel relaxed and placid and this helps in lowering blood pressure.  Acupuncture enables the body to heal and regulate itself without as much external aid as possible.  It is an effective and very safe treatment for hypertension compared to pharmaceutical therapy where the patient can develop long-term side effects complicating the body’s problems and making the patient worry about new illnesses rather on just one.