25/04/2019
Acupuncture potentiates coronary heart disease drug therapy
Patients receiving acupuncture combined with usual care had greater positive patient outcomes than patients receiving only drug therapy. In a clinical trial conducted at Nanyang First People’s Hospital, acupuncture combined with drug therapy produced an 85% total effective for the treatment of coronary heart disease (coronary artery disease). Patients receiving only drug therapy had a 62.5% total effective rate. The researchers note that the application of acupuncture “can significantly improve blood lipids, blood pressure, heart rate and electrocardiogram indicators in CHD patients while reducing coronary artery plaques.”
Evaluations were performed before and after acupuncture treatment. As a result of acupuncture therapy, patients achieved significantly improved indicators of blood lipids (TG, LDL-C), MAP, HR, electrocardiogram results, and indicators of coronary artery plaque (RI, EI, NC) (p<0.05).
This confirms similar research demonstrating that acupuncture reduces plaque buildup in the carotid arteries.
Another investigation by researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) finds acupuncture effective for protecting the heart. In a lab experiment, electroacupuncture applied to acupuncture points PC6 and PC5 in rabbits with coronary arterial occlusion resulted in less ventricular arrhythmias. There were additional benefits. Electroacupuncture decreased heart infarct size (protected the heart from tissue death due to obstruction of blood and oxygen supply). Moreover, the researchers showed that electroacupuncture caused a decrease in left ventricle dysfunction. A decrease in harmful ST segment elevation was observed. The results were published in the American Journal of Physiology Heart and Circulatory Physiology.