Acupuncture Treatment for Hypertension

Hypertension is a common clinical condition, usually occurring in middle-aged and older individuals. It is defined as a systolic blood pressure greater than 140 mm Hg and a diastolic blood pressure greater than 95 mm Hg at rest. In clinical practice, hypertension is classified as either primary or secondary. Primary hypertension is generally believed to be related to long-term tension in work, mental stimulation, and genetic factors, while secondary hypertension is more commonly associated with chronic kidney disease, traumatic brain injury, and endocrine disorders.

In traditional Chinese medicine, the symptoms of hypertension in the early, middle, and late stages are classified into headache, dizziness, palpitations, and insomnia. The pathological changes in hypertension are mainly attributed to an imbalance of the liver and kidney yin and yang. The liver is regarded as the organ of "yang," which relies on the nourishment of kidney yin. If the kidney yin is insufficient, it can lead to excessive liver yang. Furthermore, because yin and yang are interdependent, excessive liver yang can deplete kidney yin, resulting in a vicious cycle that can ultimately lead to a deficiency in both yin and yang.

The clinical manifestations of hypertension include significant fluctuations in blood pressure in the early stage, with normal readings occurring intermittently. In the middle stage, blood pressure is relatively stable but still exhibits fluctuations, while in the later stage, blood pressure continues to rise. Other common symptoms include dizziness, headaches, ear ringing, palpitations, numbness in the fingers, facial flushing, and restlessness. In severe cases, sudden increases in blood pressure can lead to severe headaches, nausea and vomiting, tachycardia, blurred vision, coma, and life-threatening conditions such as hypertensive crises and hypertensive encephalopathy.

Treatment principles in traditional Chinese medicine aim to adjust yin and yang and to balance the liver and kidney functions. For patients with excessive liver yang, the focus is on reducing the hyperactivity of the liver yang. For those with yin deficiency and yang hyperactivity, the focus is on nourishing water and supplementing the kidney. In cases of phlegm dampness, the treatment is focused on eliminating phlegm and drying dampness. For those with both yin and yang deficiencies, the emphasis is on dual nourishment.

1. Acupuncture therapy: Main acupoints: Fengchi, Quchi, Zusanli, Taichong, Futu, etc.; Auxiliary acupoints: In case of liver yang hyperactivity, take Xingjian and Taiyang; in case of yin deficiency and yang hyperactivity, take Taixi, Sanyinjiao, and Shenmen; in case of phlegm-dampness accumulation, take Fenglong and Neiguan; in case of both yin and yang deficiency, take Qihai and Guanyuan.

2. Fire needling therapy: Acupoints selected: Guanyuan, Zusanli, Yongquan, Quchi, etc. Moxibustion is performed on the above acupoints with moxa stick for 15 minutes per acupoint. It is especially important to moxibustion on Yongquan acupoint, which has the effect of "bringing fire back to the origin" and has a significant effect on lowering blood pressure.

3. Ear acupuncture therapy: Acupoints selected: subcortex, endocrine, hypertension groove, Shenmen, heart, liver, kidney, etc. The above acupoints are needled for 3-5 days.

Typical case: Mr. Li, 48 years old, a professional stock analyst. Due to work stress, he had been experiencing dizziness, poor sleep, and fluctuating blood pressure between 95-100mm Hg diastolic pressure and 140-180mm Hg systolic pressure for nearly a year. After nearly 20 treatments with the above methods, his blood pressure became stable and his clinical symptoms completely disappeared.