Assessing Blood Pressure, Mental Health, and HRV Responses to Integrated Acupuncture in Hypertensive Patients: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

This study aimed to investigate the effects of an integrated acupuncture (IA) protocol on blood pressure (BP), depression, anxiety, stress scores, and heart rate variability (HRV) in hypertensive patients. Abstract: The study was a pilot randomized controlled trial with three arms: IA (acupuncture combined with yoga and naturopathy), sham acupuncture (sham acupuncture combined with yoga and naturopathy), and naturopathy/yoga alone. Sixty participants (20 in each group), of age 30-60 with borderline or stage I hypertension, received respective interventions for 10 days and were followed up for 1 month. BP measurements, depression, anxiety, and stress scores, as well as HRV parameters, were assessed at baseline, after the 10-day intervention, and at 1-month follow-up. Abstract: After 10 days, all groups exhibited a decrease in systolic and diastolic BP, though not statistically significant. However, after 1 month, there was a significant increase in both systolic and diastolic BP across all groups. Depression, anxiety, and stress scores showed nonsignificant reductions after the 10-day intervention, with mixed trends at follow-up. HRV analysis revealed significant increases in SDNN values across all groups and significant changes in LF/HF values. Abstract: In conclusion, the 10-day intervention led to slight, non-significant reductions in BP and improvements in depression, anxiety, and stress across all groups, but these effects were not sustained. HRV analysis showed significant improvements in SDNN values and notable changes in low frequency (LF)/high frequency (HF) ratios, suggesting potential autonomic benefits. Limitations of this study, such as the short intervention duration and small sample size, could be the reason for inconclusive results, indicating the need for well-powered randomized controlled trials.