title: Chinese massage (Tuina) for the treatment of essential hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chinese massage, named Tuina, is commonly used in China and potentially effective for essential hypertension (EH). However, there is no critically appraised evidence such as systematic reviews or meta-analyses on the effectiveness and safety of Tuina for EH.
  
  
  METHODS
  The following electronic databases: Pubmed, the Cochrane library, CNKI, the Wan Fang Database and VIP were searched for published and unpublished randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of Tuina for EH up to 20th August 2013.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seven randomized trials involving 479 patients were included. The results of meta-analysis showed superior effects of Tuina plus antihypertensive drugs compared to antihypertensive drugs alone, however, Tuina alone was not superior to antihypertensive drugs. The safety of Tuina for EH was still unclear because adverse effects were not assessed in most of the original trials.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings from our review suggest that Tuina might be a beneficial adjuvant for patients with EH, although the results are of limited value due to the clinical heterogeneity and low methodological quality of the included studies. Future studies should adhere to high-quality RCTs with long follow-up for demonstrating the effectiveness of Tuina for inpatients with EH.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100053, China.
authors.forename: Xiaochen
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Acupuncture, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100053, China.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100053, China. Electronic address: wangjie_gamyy@126.com.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000075222:Essential Hypertension; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000628:therapy*; D008405:Massage; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents
keywords: Chinese massage; Complementary therapy; Hypertension; Tuina