Struggling to maintain good blood pressure?
Blood pressure is something have to take into more consideration now and as you get older. Everyone has a chance of getting either high blood pressure (hypertension) or low blood pressure (hypotension). Acupuncture can help.
Call now and be treated by our award-winning acupuncturists! We provide the best acupuncture for blood pressure in Irvine.
“I was under a lot of stress during this covid-19 and my pressure was up again yesterday. I went to Dr. Zhong for help. After I drank the herb she prescribed for me, I am feeling better already today.” – S. Z. (Cypress, CA)
Blood pressure might not seem like a big deal but almost half of U.S adults have high blood pressure (most don’t even know they have hypotension) and about 10% to 20% of adults older than 65 have postural low blood pressure.
Having prolonged cases of either hypertension or hypotension is not great for anyone’s health. There are some small things that you can do to help reduce the possibility of the two. You can start exercising more and having a better diet. Acupuncture can also help treat hypertension and hypotension.
Wondering about “acupuncture for blood pressure near me”? Call now to learn more about the treatment!
Acupuncture for blood pressure is a practice that has been increasing in popularity because of its effectiveness and safety. It is based on the Chinese concept of controlling or balancing bodily energy called qi or chi by targeting acupuncture points called acupoints usually with thin needles. Targeting these acupoints are meant to stimulate the body’s qi and trigger the body’s natural healing abilities.
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It’s true, acupuncture for blood pressure works. It works for both hypertension and hypotension. Here are two articles that show acupuncture has helped with both high blood pressure and low blood pressure.
The first article is called Acupuncture Treatment for Low Blood Pressure and Shock [1]that goes over an experiment on the effect of acupuncture for blood pressure. In this experiment, they lower the blood pressures of dogs and various animals with the use of sodium nitroprusside. After, they test the effects of electroacupuncture (believed by some acupuncturists to augment regular acupuncture) and other nerve stimulation to see if acupuncture practices will increase blood pressure. They concluded that electroacupuncture (EA) and the other nerve stimulation can increase blood pressure.
The second article is called The Hypotensive Role of Acupuncture in Hypertension: Clinical Study and Mechanistic Study [2] where it summarizes the different findings of clinical and mechanistic studies to explain the effect of acupuncture for hypertension. In one of the studies that the article goes over, it found that although the effect of acupuncture for high blood pressure doesn’t appear immediately, they persist for a long period of time. It was also found that acupuncture in addition to hypertension medication achieved better results than just only using antihypertensive drugs. Other findings go over how acupoints are related to pathways in the body and how targeting those specific pathways can influence blood pressure. Overall, this article shows that there is an increasing amount of evidence on how acupuncture for high blood pressure is an effective treatment.
Additional Info
If you don’t know too much about blood pressure, it’s okay. Here are some things to know about blood pressure
Blood pressure is what helps your blood flow through your body and receive the proper nutrients like oxygen that your body needs. All of this is done by the heart. Each time your heart beats, it creates pressure that pumps your blood throughout your various blood vessels.
Blood pressure is measured in units of millimeters of mercury (mmHg) and has two values. For example, you’ll see blood pressure measurements like 120|80 mmHg. The first number is Systolic blood pressure and that measures the pressure from each time your heart beats or is pumping. The second number is Diastolic blood pressure and that measures the pressure when your heart is at rest.
Having high blood pressure is a risk to anyone’s health and should be checked out by a health specialist as soon as possible. Here are some health risks that are associated with hypertension if not checked out:
You may also face damages in these parts of your body:
Hypertension has varying causes. There are two types of hypertension that a person can get. The first one is called Primary hypertension also known as essential hypertension. This is the more common type of high blood pressure where it is developed over time and it doesn’t really have definite causes except it is a combination of different factors. The second one is called Secondary hypertension. This one happens more quickly and can be more dangerous.
Primary Hypertension
Secondary Hypertension
Low blood pressure can be a good thing but if persistently too low, hypotension can come with health problems and some can be even life-threatening (risk of falling or getting into an accident). You need to find a way to increase your blood pressure.
Here are some symptoms you may be experiencing with low blood pressure:
Common Low Blood Pressure Symptoms:
In some cases, low blood pressure can’t be helped and come naturally. If you have cases of hypotensions, here are some causers:
Maintaining good blood pressure is important. Most people know that having high blood pressure is bad but having really low blood pressure is not good for your health as well. You can think of it as a tire. Having high tire pressure over the recommended amount can lead to a tire blowout. Similarly, having low tire pressure will also increase the chance of getting a blowout. Both are a risk to your health where you can lose control and get into an accident. Blood pressure works the same where there is a certain blood pressure you should be around. If you don’t know your blood pressure, the best recommendation is to visit your local health specialist and check your blood pressure.
Acupuncture Info
Typically, the acupuncture treatment for blood pressure is about 60 minutes. However, it will vary depending on what type of treatment you’re receiving. Also if it is your first acupuncture session, it will take a little longer. You fill out some forms first and then your acupuncturist will be asking you various questions about your health like the severity of your symptoms and how long. The acupuncturist will also run a medical examination like taking your pulse and checking for any sores on your body. All of these things are for the acupuncturist to determine the best treatments for you.
One question that someone might have is does acupuncture for blood pressure hurt? Don’t worry, the needles don’t hurt. They may seem scary at first but they are thin metallic needles that hurt as much as an ant bite. In addition, with our expert acupuncturist, you’ll be in safe hands. You may feel more depending on the sensitivity of your body but don’t be afraid to tell our acupuncturists that you’re uncomfortable. They’ll adjust things so you feel more relieved than in pain. Sometimes, the symptoms you have don’t require the use of acupuncture needles and you’ll receive another type of treatment. In the end, our main goal is for you to feel comfortable and after your treatment, relieved from your symptoms.
When you go to your appointment for your acupuncture for blood pressure, you’ll meet our acupuncturist and you’ll be asked some questions. This will help determine what type of treatment you’ll be getting. Of course, you’ll be receiving a type of acupuncture for blood pressure but not everyone’s the same. Depending on the severity of your symptoms and how you answer the questions, our acupuncturist will customize your treatment.
Usually, acupuncture for blood pressure will go like this. You’ll walk in for your appointment and you’ll answer some questions. Your acupuncturist will choose the type of treatment best for you. If it’s acupuncture, you’ll lie down and your acupuncturist will gently place acupuncture needles in your body’s acupuncture points. After 30 minutes, your acupuncturist will remove the needles and see how you responded to the treatment. You will need to continue for a series of sessions. After a series of treatments, you’ll feel good and your blood pressure will slowly go back to normal.
Before you go to your acupuncture session, you should eat. It doesn’t need to be big but you should eat. It will help with your treatment. This will prevent you from being distracted from hunger and prevent lightheadedness or even fainting. This is especially true if you are struggling with low blood pressure. Generally, you should eat a light meal 2 hours before your appointment.
When you go to your appointment, you should wear loose and comfortable clothing. This will help with the treatment by allowing your acupuncturist to easily place the needles on your body’s acupoints. Because the process also requires you to be relaxed for a period of time, it’s nice to have some comfortable clothing to reduce discomfort.
If you’re about to go to your acupuncture treatment, don’t drink a lot of caffeine. This is because caffeine is a stimulant and it will affect your fight-or-flight response (you can think of it as being antsy). This will increase your heart rate and your acupuncturist needs to get an accurate reading of your pulse. Also, they would like you to feel relaxed and comfortable to have the most effective treatment. If you are going to drink a lot, drink 2 hours before your treatment.
Don’t drink any alcohol as well. Although alcohol can help you feel relaxed, it won’t be beneficial and even dangerous if you’re heavily intoxicated. Alcohol makes you feel too relaxed because it’s a depressant (numbs your body). By doing this, our acupuncturist can not get a correct diagnosis for your symptoms. You may not be able to correctly pinpoint where you are feeling your symptoms or pain. This will also influence your blood pressure.
You might not see some of these things as important like how you feel pain in your left arm ever so often. However, if you have anything your acupuncturist should know especially if it is related to your blood pressure, you should tell them. It will help them determine the best treatment. It’s important because sometimes one of the treatments may not work well with your medical history like allergies or current medications you are taking right now.
You might feel a little nervous especially if it is your first acupuncture for blood pressure or even scared of needles. But, you’re going to be okay. You’re in great hands. Don’t worry about taking your time in answering any questions your acupuncturist may have or even how scared you are about needles. Our acupuncturists are here to help you and will gladly hear you out.
[1] Li P (2018) Acupuncture Treatment for Low Blood Pressure and Shock. J Altern Complement Integr Med 4: 047.
[2] Fan H, Yang J-W, Wang L-Q, Huang J, Lin L-L, Wang Y, Zhang N and Liu C-Z (2020) The Hypotensive Role of Acupuncture in Hypertension: Clinical Study and Mechanistic Study. Front. Aging Neurosci. 12:138. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2020.00138
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