title: Acupuncture for Blood Pressure Control in Stroke Patients: Case Reports.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Effective control of hypertension is deeply associated with the secondary prevention of stroke. The blood pressure-lowering effect of acupuncture alone is controversial but worthy of exploration, considering the side effects of and the problems of low adherence to drugs.
  
  
  METHODS
  One male patient experienced severe dizziness after overuse of valsartan, which decreased his blood pressure to 110/70 mm Hg. Our acupuncture treatment of 40 sessions alone regulated his blood pressure to about 110/70-130/80 mm Hg, with disappearance of the dizziness after 3 sessions. The second male patient with a suboptimal blood pressure during treatment with 50 mg/day of irbesartan received sole acupuncture treatment of 41 sessions, which decreased his blood pressure to about 120/70-130/80 mm Hg after 6 sessions. The third patient, who refused to take antihypertensive drugs because of their side effects, received acupuncture treatment of 46 sessions over 2 months, which reduced his blood pressure from 150/90 to 120/80 mm Hg. The efficacy continued for 3 months (cases 1 and 3) or 2 months (case 2) post treatment end.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our cases suggest the potential of acupuncture alone to favorably control high blood pressure or regulate low blood pressure in stroke individuals, as a means of secondary prevention of stroke.
authors.forename: Haizhen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Xiaofeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Yuzheng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Xuemin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Shi
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D046789:Chondromalacia Patellae / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D061214:Patient Safety; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal