Acupuncture for hypertension
Yang J, Chen J, Yang M, Yu S, Ying L, Liu GJ, Ren YL, Wright JM, Liang FR. · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2018 November 14
DOI 10.1002/14651858.CD008821.pub2
Objective
To assess the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for lowering blood pressure in adults with primary hypertension.
Conclusions
At present, there is no evidence for the sustained BP lowering effect of acupuncture that is required for the management of chronically elevated BP. The short‐term effects of acupuncture are uncertain due to the very low quality of evidence. The larger effect shown in non‐sham acupuncture controlled trials most likely reflects bias and is not a true effect. Future RCTs must use sham acupuncture controls and assess whether there is a BP lowering effect of acupuncture that lasts at least seven days.
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