Complementary Effect of Reducing Blood Pressure by Taichong Point Acupressure in Hypertension Patients

• Main Authors: Gan-Hon Lin, 林建宏
• Other Authors: Li-Li Chen
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2013
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/80320658521631510655

碩士 === 中國醫藥大學 === 護理學系碩士班 === 101 === Background: Hypertension is a common disease, and a main factor leading to stroke. Recently, many clinical studies have shown that acupuncture over Taichong point is helpful in lowering blood pressure. Studies showed that acupressure and acupuncture have similar effect. Therefore, nursing scholars have suggested that the acupressure program should be put into nursing techniques to improve the quality of care and to enhance the independence of nurses. Establishing evidence base in acupressure is the basic issue of the nursing staffs to promote nursing care quality. Objective: The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of acupressure of Taichong point in reducing blood pressure, dizziness, stretching, neck stiffness effects in hypertensive patients. Methods: Experimental method was used, and study subjects were samples from the cardiology outpatient department patients in a medical center. Inclusion criteria were as below: 1) with history of hypertension and systolic blood pressure between 150 mmHg than 180mmHg; 2) no use of short-acting antihypertensive drugs within two hours before the acupressure; 3) with informed consent; 4) age between 40 and 75 years. Patients were randomly divided into experimental and control groups, each consisted of 40 patients who completed acupressure or sham. Method of massage: Experimental group: the experimental group patients accepted acupressure and the control group patients accepted sham. In the experimental group: patients received Taichong acupressure, by pressing vertically with the thumb, about three kilograms, and placing five seconds each time with rest of one second; repeated thirty times within three minutes. Controlled group: pressing the nearby point 1 inch transversely away from the Taichong point and just lying on the 1st metatarsal bone; the pressure method and time was the same as the experimental group.Evaluation of therapy: use electronics to measure blood pressure: before acupressure, immediately after acupressure, 15 minutes and 30 minutes after acupressure. Data was gathered from patients themselves or from their chart. Data analysis method includes frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, t test, pair-t test, and lineal mixed model repeated measures test. Results: The basic data and confounding factors including age, gender, the medication within 8 hours, and the constitution of patients including Yang-Xu, Yin-Xu, and Stasis type were compared. And the pre-tests did not reveal remarkable difference between in the experimental and control groups (p > 0.05). After the intervention, i.e. acupressure, there were obvious improvements in reducing blood pressure and relieving the neck discomfort. The blood pressure was obviously reduced immediately, 15 minutes, and 30 minutes after accepting acupressure (p > 0.05), so as the relief in neck discomfort 15 minutes, and 30 minutes later after the manipulation (p > 0.05). Our study revealed that acupressure could reduce the blood pressure and relieve the neck stiffness. Conclusions: Acupressure on taichong could reduce the systolic and diastolic pressure, but more evidence-based study should be performed to confirm the effects of acupressure in relieving neck stiffness especially 15 minutes later after the manipulation. We suggest the patients perform who have hypertension to taichong acupressure in daily life. And the schools should also teach nursing students about the use of taichong acupressure in hypertension patients to promote the care quality in clinical practice.