Blood Pressure
Cinnamon improves blood pressure and blood sugar in diabetics – Journal of Chinese Medicine, Feb 2011
A daily dose of cinnamon may improve blood pressure and blood sugar levels in people with type-2 diabetes, according to UK-based research. Fifty-eight people with type-2 diabetes were randomly assigned to receive a daily supplement containing 2g of cinnamon or placebo for 12 weeks. At the end of the study, the results indicated that the cinnamon supplement was associated with a significant decrease in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The results also showed a significant reduction in levels of glycated haemoglobin (a long-term measure of blood sugar levels) over the 12 weeks in the cinnamon group, compared with an increase in the placebo group. (Glycated haemoglobin and blood pressure-lowering effect of cinnamon in multi-ethnic Type2 diabetic patients in the UK: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial. Diabet Med. 2010 Oct;27(10):1159-67).
Tai chi reduces blood pressure
A systematic review of the literature on the effect of tai chi exercise on blood pressure (BP) suggests that it may reduce BP and serve as a practical, non-pharmacological adjunct to conventional hypertension management. Of the 26 studies that met the inclusion criteria, 22 (85%) reported reductions in BP with tai chi (3-32 mm Hg systolic and 2-18 mm Hg diastolic BP reductions). (The effect of tai chi exercise on blood pressure: a systematic review. Prey Cardiol. 2008 Spring;11(2):82-9).
Acupuncture as good as drugs for hypertension – Journal of Chinese Medicine, Oct 2007
A rigorous, randomised, single-blind, Western trial comparing acupuncture with sham needling suggests that acupuncture may decrease blood pressure in hypertensive patients by a similar amount to that achieved using pharmaceutical therapy. The German study randomised 160 outpatients (mean age 58) with uncomplicated, mild to moderate hypertension to six weeks of acupuncture performed by Chinese medicine practitioners (trained in China), or to a sham procedure. Those on hypertensive medication continued taking it. Patients were assigned to one of four patterns of hypertension, based on TCM diagnosis. Those in both trial arms underwent 22 30-minute treatment sessions over a six-week period. During each session, three acupuncture points were needled bilaterally for 20 minutes. In the active treatment group, the points were chosen according to TCM diagnosis. Sham treatment consisted of needling points without relevance for lowering blood pressure, according to traditional concepts. Twenty-four hour ambulatory systolic and diastolic blood pressures were significantly reduced from baseline in the acupuncture-treated patients (by 5.4 mmHg and 3.0 mmHg, respectively). No significant decrease was seen in the sham-treated patients. The extent of blood pressure reduction observed was comparable to that seen with ACE-inhibitor monotherapy or aggressive lifestyle changes. However, blood pressure returned to pretreatment levels within 12 weeks of treatment cessation, leading investigators to conclude that ongoing acupuncture treatments would be required to maintain the beneficial effects. (Randomized trial of acupuncture to lower blood pressure. Circulation. 2007 Jun 19;115(24):3121-9).