This is the web page that will focus on Heart problems. This page will include background, research, articles, how to start using the points, blogs, facebook, twitter connections and all other networking information. This page will be open only to people who are part of the acupressure study program and are allowing us to assist them to get the best personal results possible and to track their progress.

The link to the points for relief of heart problemsare found below. In general you should include the points for the heart problem along with the specific points for the part of the body that you are working with.

Angina

Arteriosclerosis

Acupuncture has been traditionally used to treat a wide variety of cardio-vascular diseases (1), and recent controlled studies have demonstrated that it is particularly beneficial for angina (pain in the chest caused by insufficient blood supply to heart due to arterial disease) offering a proven option to drug therapy.

In one study (2) at the Human College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chansha, forty patients with stable type of angina pectoris were assessed during and after acupuncture treatments and compared to a control group. After only one acupuncture treatment, 15 (37.5%) of the patients were already noticing a marked improvement in degree and area of pain, but after 7 treatments 25 (63%) of the patients recorded significant reductions both in extent and area of pain, and they also experienced a reduction in the number and the duration of attacks. Furthermore the patients in the acupuncture group who did get angina attacks recovered much faster than the patients in the control group.

Similar findings were reported in another study, this time in Sweden (3), where 21 patients with stable effort angina pectoris were treated with acupuncture. All of the patients had a history of at least five anginal attacks per week despite intensive conventional medical treatment. They were given three acupuncture treatments per week which led to a 40% reduction in the number of anginal attacks and the researchers also observed that the patients were able to exercise for longer before the onset of pain. All the patients completed a life quality questionnaire which confirmed that they all felt better as a result of the acupuncture treatment. The report concluded that acupuncture should be considered a beneficial treatment even for those patients with severe, intensively treated angina pectoris.

Other studies have come to the same conclusion(4)(5) in the treatment of angina. In one research project at the Nanjing Medical College involving 267 patients (all suffering from angina pectoris) acupuncture treatment was shown to have a 93.3% success rate with no harmful side effects (6).

Chinese herbal medicine has also been shown to be a valid alternative treatment for angina sufferers. In one very large study assessing over 400 angina patients, saponin of the herb Tribulus Terrestris, was found to have an extremely high success rate, alleviating the symptoms in over 80% of angina patients (7). And the Chinese herb, Kuo Guan Qu Yu Ling, has also been shown, after a 30 day trial to offer substantial relief to over 60% of angina patients(8).

There can therefore be little doubt that acupuncture, acupressure and Traditional Chinese herbal medicine should be seriously considered as alternatives and/or complements to other forms of treatment for angina sufferers.

Footnotes
(1) Acupuncture for cardiovascular disorders. Smith FW Jr Cardiopet, Inc., Floral Park, New York.
(2) Probl Vet Med Mar 1992, 4 (1) p125-31
Metrological analysis for efficacy of acupuncture on angina pectoris] Zhou XQ; Liu JX Human College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Changsha. Chung Kuo Chung Hsi I Chieh Ho Tsa Chili (CHINA) Apr 1993, 13 (4) p212-4,196
(3) Effect of acupuncture in patients with angina pectoris. Richter A; Herlitz J; Hjalmarson A Wallenberg Laboratory for Cardiovascular Research, Sahlgren’s Hospital, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Fur Heart J Feb 1991, 12 (2) p175-8
(4) Acupuncture in severe, stable angina pectoris: a randomized trial. Ballegaard 5; Jensen C; Pedersen F; Nissen VH Acta Med Scand 1986, 220 (4) p307-13 [Acupressure on the zhiyang point in patients with acute anginal attack] Wang WT; Wei WL; Liu DG Chung Hsi I Chieh Ho Tsa Chih Apr 1987, 7(4) p206-7, 195
(5) Acupuncture in severe, stable angina pectoris: a randomized trial. Ballegaard 5; Jensen C; Pedersen F; Nissen VH Acta Med Scand 1986, 220 (4) p307-13 [Acupressure on the zhiyang point in patients with acute anginal attack] Wang WT; Wei WL; Liu DC Chung Hsi I Chieh Ho Tsa Chih Apr 1987, 7 (4) p206-7, 195
(6) Acupuncture in angina pectoris: does acupuncture have a specific effect? Ballegaard 5; MeyerCN; Trojaborg W Department of Internal Medicine P. Rigshospitalet, University Hospital of Copenhagen, Denmark I Intern Med Apr 1991, 229 (4) p357-62
(7) 406 cases of angina pectoris in coronary heart disease treated with saponin of Tribulus terrestris] Wang B; Ma L; Liu T Research Unit of Cardiovascular Disease, Jilin Medical College. Chung Hsi I Chieh Ho Tsa Chih Feb 1990, 10 (2) p87-7, 68
(8) Observations on the treatment of coronary heart disease by kuo guan qu yuling. Guan M; Ni J; Zhao C; Zhai Y; Fu C; Hong M; Wang B Department of Pathology, Shenyang Military Medical School. J Tradit Chitt Med Mar 1990, 10 (1) p49-53

Acupuncture Vs Shiatsu & Lifestyle & Angina

Sixty nine patients with severe angina pectoris were treated at the Acupuncture Centre, Klampenborg, Denmark with acupuncture, shiatsu and lifestyle adjustments, and were monitored for a period of two years. Forty-nine patients were classified as candidates for coronary-artery bypass grafting (CABG), whereas bypass grafting was rejected in the remaining 20 patients.

The researchers compared their findings with those of a large prospective, randomized trial comparing CABG with percutaneous translurninal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). The incidence of death and myocardial infarction was 21% among the patients undergoing CABG, 150o among the patients undergoing PTCA and 7% among our patients.

Although no significant difference was found concerning pain relief between the three groups. Invasive treatment was postponed in 61% of our patients due to clinical improvement, and the annual number of in-hospital days was reduced 90%, bringing about an estimated economic saving of $12,000 (US) for each of the patients in the study.

Despite the fact that the men, when compared to the women, had significantly lower expectations towards the outcome of the treatment, their less than positive beliefs and negative attitudes did not influence the beneficial effects of the treatment.

The researchers concluded that their findings suggest that the combined treatment with acupuncture. Shiatsu and lifestyle adjustment may be highly cost effective for patients with advanced angina products.

Ballegaard S; Norrelund S; Smith DF. Cost benefit of combined use of acupuncture, Shiatsu and lifestyle adjustments for treatment of patients with severe angina pectoris. Acupunct Electrother Res (United States) Jul-Dec 1996, 21 (3-4) p 187-97.

Acupuncture & Arteriosclerosis

There have been numerous controlled studies confirming that acupuncture is effective in treating cardiovascular disease patients. Acupuncture has been shown to exert significant effects on the cardiovascular system and provide effective treatment for a wide variety of cardiovascular diseases including arteriosclerosis (especially where coronary arteries are affected causing angina). (1 )

In one study (2) at the Human College of Traditional Chinese Medicine , Chansha, 40 patients with arteriosclerosis induced angina pectoris were assessed during and after acupuncture treatments. After only one treatment, 15 patients' angina pectoris were significantly alleviated both in degree and area, and after 7 treatments 63% of the patients' angina pectoris were not only significantly alleviated both in extent and area, but also in frequency and duration of attack. Furthermore, the time from the beginning of exercise to the anginal attack in the patients receiving acupuncture was longer than that in non-acupuncture group. The time from the end of exercise to the disappearance of angina pectoris in acupuncture group was also shorter than that in the other group.

Other studies have also concluded that acupuncture provides "significant improvement" in CAD patients(3). Research at the Shanghai Medical University in China revealed that early treatment (ie. in the first three weeks) of acupuncture produces over 90% improvement whereas treatment commenced after three weeks gives 71% improvement rate. It is therefore important to seek early treatment whenever possible (4).

In another study (5),this time in Sweden, 21 patients were treated with acupuncture. The patients had all had at least five anginal attacks per week in spite of intensive conventional medical treatment. Acupuncture was given three times per week which led to a 40% reduction in the number of anginal attacks per week and the patients' performance before onset of pain during exercise test increased significantly. All the patients completed a life quality questionnaire which confirmed that they all felt better as a result of the acupuncture treatment and the report concluded that acupuncture was beneficial effect for patients with even severe, intensively treated angina pectoris.

(1) Acupuncture for cardiovascular disorders. Smith FW Jr Cardiopet, Inc., Floral Park, New York.Probl Vet Med Mar 1992, 4 (1) p125-31.
(2) [Metrological analysis for efficacy of acupuncture on angina pectoris] Zhou XQ; Liu JXHuman College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Changsha. Chung Kuo Chung Hsi I Chieh Ho Tsa Chih (CHINA) Apr 1993, 13 (4) p212-4,196