Acupuncture for Blood Pressure Control in Stroke Patients: Case Reports

BACKGROUND: Effective control of hypertension is deeply associated with the secondary prevention of stroke. The blood pressure-lowering effect of acupuncture alone is controversial but worthy of exploration, considering the side effects of and the problems of low adherence to drugs. CASE REPORTS: One male patient experienced severe dizziness after overuse of valsartan, which decreased his blood pressure to 110/70 mm Hg. Our acupuncture treatment of 40 sessions alone regulated his blood pressure to about 110/70-130/80 mm Hg, with disappearance of the dizziness after 3 sessions. The second male patient with a suboptimal blood pressure during treatment with 50 mg/day of irbesartan received sole acupuncture treatment of 41 sessions, which decreased his blood pressure to about 120/70-130/80 mm Hg after 6 sessions. The third patient, who refused to take antihypertensive drugs because of their side effects, received acupuncture treatment of 46 sessions over 2 months, which reduced his blood pressure from 150/90 to 120/80 mm Hg. The efficacy continued for 3 months (cases 1 and 3) or 2 months (case 2) post treatment end. CONCLUSION: Our cases suggest the potential of acupuncture alone to favorably control high blood pressure or regulate low blood pressure in stroke individuals, as a means of secondary prevention of stroke.