Key result
Acupuncture's cardiovascular effects are proposed to be mediated by ascending vasodilatation, resetting of the baroreceptor reflex, and re-organization of heart beating patterns.
Why the study?
Recent translations reconciling the acupuncture channel system with the neurovasculature allow mechanisms of acupuncture effects to be drawn from established physiology and physical laws.
This review proposes a biophysical model to explain the cardiovascular effects of acupuncture through established physiological mechanisms.
Acupuncture effects on BP and HRV remain hypothesis-generating; larger trials needed before clinical consideration.
According to recent translations by medical professionals of the foundational texts of Chinese Medicine, the acupuncture channel system can be reconciled with the neurovasculature. From there, the underlying mechanisms of the effects of acupuncture can be drawn from established physiology and known physical laws. A large body of research has been carried out using cardiovascular markers to measure the effects of acupuncture. Three of these parameters are re-viewed and explored anew in detail. The focus is on changes in microcirculation, blood pressure, and heart rate variability. The physiological mechanisms accounting for the observed changes are proposed to be ascending vasodilatation, resetting of the baroreceptor reflex, and re-organization of heart beating patterns around intrinsically assigned attractor sets.
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Foley et al. (2022) conducted a review in Cardiovascular effects of acupuncture. Acupuncture was evaluated on Changes in microcirculation, blood pressure, and heart rate variability. Acupuncture's cardiovascular effects are proposed to be mediated by ascending vasodilatation, resetting of the baroreceptor reflex, and re-organization of heart beating patterns.
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