TCM or Traditional Chinese Medicine has lots of procedures to resolve hypertension or high blood pressure – acupuncture is one of them. Acupuncture treatment in Jacksonville for hypertension can be divided into two types: one type is to address the high blood pressure symptoms and the other is to treat the patient holistically.
The simpler way of addressing the symptoms of high blood pressure
Acupuncturists are aware that when certain acupuncture points are stimulated with needles, it leads to the lowering of blood pressure levels. So, as soon as a diagnosis of highly blood pressure is made, they apply needles into the corresponding points. Treating the patient holistically entails a more complicated process and it depends on the differentiation of syndromes. An acupuncturist analyses the clinical signs and symptoms presented by the patient through exclusive Chinese medicine diagnostic procedures such as the feel of the patient’s pulse and the appearance of the tongue in order to determine the nature and type of the condition. The acupuncturist then chooses the best method to treat it. Chinese medicine practitioners categorize high blood pressure/hypertension into four main syndromes:
1. Syndrome marked by symptoms such a thin, taut rapid pulse, insomnia, amnesia, tinnitus, palpitations, hot sensation in the soles and palms, restlessness, dry mouth, dizziness, and headache.
2. Syndrome involving symptoms such as a vigorous and taut pulse, red tongue with yellow fur, restlessness, bitter taste in the mouth, flushed eyes and face, headache, and dizziness.
3. Syndrome characterized by a thin and taut pulse, pale tongue with white fur, weakness of the waist and legs, fatigue, palpitations, tinnitus, headache, and dizziness.
4. Syndrome marked by a taut and thin pulse, dry and reddish tongue with little coating, insomnia, hot sensation in the soles and palms, tinnitus, weakness of the legs and waist, dizziness, and dry and uncomfortable sensation of the eyes.
The Chinese commonly select the acupoints to treat hypertension based on their functions. They are divided into two categories: The first category of acupoints is used to decrease the excessive yang. The second category of points is used to supplement the deficiency of the body’s vital energy or Chi (yin and yang).
In actual practice, the first category of acupoints is selected if the patient manifests excessive liver-yang syndrome. Both categories are selected if there is both excessive yang and deficient yin syndromes to help restore balance in the body. The second category is selected if there is a case of yin deficiency syndrome of the kidney and liver; reinforcing manipulation is then used.
These are all defined by syndrome differentiation which is an important principle in acupuncture treatment of hypertension. The results are so much better if hypertension is addressed based on this principle.
There are certain benefits to be gained when treating hypertension with acupuncture; for one, the treatment’s effect is mild, which means the patient does not feel any discomfort when the high blood pressure is reduced. Moreover, the treatment has no side effects whatsoever even when the treatment is long-term. However, it should be noted that there are limitation to the effects of the treatment. You can expect significant improvements when hypertension is treated in its initial stage. But if the condition has progressed in the second or third stage, the effects may not be as satisfactory as one would want them to be. Also, in complications related to hypertension, acupuncture treatment may not yield really great results.