The Effectiveness of Combination Acupuncture Therapy and Auriculotherapy to Reduce Blood Pressure in Hypertensive Patients

Abstract

Background: Elevated blood pressure (hypertension) is an important public-health problem. Meanwhile, lifestyle changes and non-pharmacological therapies such as acupuncture and auricular therapies are considered complementary and alternative methods for hypertension treatment. Auricular therapy is a kind of method of treating physical and psychosomatic diseases by stimulating specific points of ears, which includes various ear stimulating methods like acupressure, acupuncture, electroacupuncture, laser acupuncture, moxibustion, and bloodletting via needles, seeds, magnetic stones, lasers, ultrasound, or massage. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of combination acupuncture therapy and auriculotherapy to reduce blood pressure in hypertensive patients. Subjects and Method: A quasy experiment with no control group was conducted in Mojosongo, Surakarta, Central Java, from October 2018 to April 2019. A sample of 26 adults was selected for this study purposively. The dependent variable was blood pressure. The independent variables were acupuncture therapy (Taichong (LV 3) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6) acupoints) and auriculotherapy. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure before and after intervention were masured by paired t-test. Results: Systolic blood pressure after intervention (Mean= 134.81; SD= 14.35) was lower than before (Mean= 153.08; SD= 10.78). Diastolic blood pressure after intervention (Mean= 85.00; SD= 5.10) was lower than before (Mean= 95.77; SD= 6.43). Conclusion: Combination of acupuncture therapy and auriculotherapy can be used to reduce systolic and diastolic blood pressure in hypertensive patients.