High blood pressure is a major predictor of heart disease and stroke. We already know that moderate exercise, careful diet, sufficient sleep and having a calm mind can prevent these. But did you know that pressing the right acupuncture points will also improve your blood pressure?
There are several acupuncture points linked to regulation of blood pressure:
1.GV20 • Bai Hui • Governing Vessel 20 Hundred Meetings. Meeting Point on the Governing Vessel with the six yang channels.
Location: On the midsagittal line, at the intersection of a line connecting the right and left ear apices.
# Chinese Name Bai Hui http://www.tcmadvisory.com/2007/8-23/2007823111037.html
# English Name Hundred Convergences
Actions & Effects:
# Main point for headache, dizziness, eye pain and redness, irritability, hypertension from excess yang in the upper body, often occuring with patterns of excess Liver yang or Liver fire. Combine with lower body points such as LV 2, LV 3, KD 1, GB 34, GB 41.
# Main point for internal wind which has some overlapping indications with the above entry, for headaches, dizziness, visual dizziness, tinnitus, vertex pain, windstroke, seizures.
# Main point for prolapse, anal, uterine, vaginal; main point for hemorrhoids.
# Tong Ren/Tam Healing System: Used to effect the association area (related to emotions, memory, behavior), useful for low energy, yang energy imbalances, parkinson’s, alzheimer’s, motor control issues.
Hold 5 fingers of each hand into a point, tap at Baihui lightly, alternating hands (left, right, left, right) for three minutes. Once in the morning and again at night.
2.KI1 • Yong Quan • Kidney 1 Gushing Spring. Jing Well Point on the Kidney Channel. Wood Point on Water Meridian.
Location: On the sole of the foot, between the second and third metatarsal bones, one-third the the distance from the webs of the toes to the heel.
# Chinese Name Yongquan http://www.tcmadvisory.com/2007/8-20/2007820145118.html
# English Name Gushing Spring
Actions & Effects:
# Descends excess from above, useful for LV Yang Rising or LV Fire – headaches, tinnitus, hypertension, epilepsy.
# Cooling KD empty heat – chronic sore throat, dry mouth, low back pain.
# Tonify KD/HT Yin – insomnia, palpitations, anxiety, poor memory, mania, rage w/desire to kill, hot flashes, night sweats.
# Loss of consciousness, yang collapse.
# Tong Ren/Tam Healing System: Used to descend the energy in the body particularly after qi gong exercises, energy healing sessions, etc. Useful for headache, nausea, insomnia, etc.
First warm up your hands by rubbing them briskly together. Then use your right hand to rub your left foot. One rub is from heel to toe then back again to the heel. In total rub your foot thirty six times, then switch. After rubbing both your feet, use a thumb to press your foot’s Yongquan point. With medium force and speed, rub in a tiny circle thirty six times. Then stimulate your other foot’s Yngquan point in the same manner.
3.GB20 • Feng Chi • Gall Bladder 20 Wind Pool. Meeting Point on Gall Bladder Channel with the Triple Energizer Channel, Yang Linking and Yang Motility Vessels.
Location: At the posterior head, at the junction of the occipital and nuchal regions, in the depression between the origins of Sternocleidomastoid and Trapezius muscles. These points (left & right) are found at the base of your skull where it meets with your spine. They’re commonly used for treatment of the common cold, the flu, headaches, neck pain, regulating blood pressure and blood circulation.
# Chinese Name Feng Chi http://www.tcmadvisory.com/2007/8-24/2007824101115.html
# English Name Wind Pool
Actions & Effects:
# Dispel Exterior or Interior Wind – (exterior) – fever/chills, stiff neck; (internal) – paralysis, twitching, tremors, numbness, dizziness, vertigo.
# All issues of the head, brain (seizures, memory, mental/neurological disorders), face, throat and sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue).
# Headache, especially occipital.
# Eye issues.
# Issues of the neck, shoulders a/or upper back – pain, weakness, stiffness.
# Hypertension, especially with LV Yang Rising.
# Tong Ren/Tam Healing System: Used most often in conjunction with the huatuo points of C1 and C2 to open the spinal cord, generally used to relieve neck tension.
Lace your fingers together, thumbs pointing up. Swing your hands to the back of your head so your thumbs rest just below your skull in the little hollows beside the central muscles along your spine. With medium force and speed, rub in tiny circles thirty six times.
4. LR3 • Tai Chong • Liver 3 Great Surge. Shu Stream Point on the Liver Channel. Yuan Source Point on the Liver Channel. Earth Point on Wood Meridian.
Location: On the dorsum of the foot, between the first and second metatarsal bones, approximately 2 cun superior to the web margin.(the “knuckles”of your foot).
# Chinese Name Tai Chong http://www.tcmadvisory.com/2007/8-22/2007822174331.html
# English Name Great Surge
Actions & Effects:
# Generally, resolves stagnation and tonifies Yin – balancing for all LV pathologies.
# LV Qi Stagnation / LV Yang Rising – headaches, dizziness, canker sores.
# Eye issues – blurred vision, red, swollen, painful eyes.
# Menstrual issues from Deficient Blood, Yin, Qi a/or LV Qi Stagnation – dysmennorrhea, amenorrhea, PMS, breast tenderness.
# Genital issues – pain/swelling, hernia, impotence, semianl emission.
# Stagnation in the middle warmer – subcostal tension, chest/flank pain, swellings in the axillary region.
# Digestive issues from LV attacking ST/SP – nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea w/ undigested food.
# Calming point – anger, irritability, insomnia, anxiety.
# With LI 4, four gates treatment – powerfully effects the flow of Qi and Blood in the body.
# Tong Ren/Tam Healing System: Important point to descend energy in the body, generally used after qi gong exercises, energy healing sessions, etc. Helps to avoid qi gong sickness (or running fire) where energy is stuck in the upper part of the head/body and causes issues such as shortness of breath, psychological issues, headache, etc.
It is treated to bring emotions into balance, to regulate menstruation and to reduce blood pressure. On both feet, simultaneously, use your thumbs to press your Taichong points for two to three minutes.
I hope by teaching you how to press these acupuncture points that you can improve your health. Every body can have a healthy body and peace of mind.
Below are some pictures to help you find the acupuncture points.
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I have been exploring alternative high blood pressure remedies for some time but have not looked into acupuncture yet. This is a very interesting and informative article. Thanks for your time. I will post a note and link on m blog.
Thank you for your link and nice comment.
Interesting article from Yahoo: Ear acupuncture curbs back pain in pregnant women — http://health.yahoo.com/news/reuters/us_ear_acupuncture.html
thanks very much for posting these tips. they’re very timely for me, and will post again the effects on my condition.
In combination with herbal medicine, acupuncture has been used by the Chinese for many centuries in treating the root causes of inability to conceive or infertility. For instance, herbs and acupuncture may not be effective in curing tubal adhesions which may be a result of endometriosis or inflammatory disease in the pelvis. Yet, women suffering from these conditions can still benefit from herbal medicine and acupuncture because these Traditional Chinese Medicine treatments promote follicular and ovarian function. Acupuncture has also been proven to enhance blood flow going to the endometrium, resulting in a rich and thick lining.
Great article – I like the way diet, exercise and sleep are first on the list – these are by far the most important factors in high BP and need a strong emphasis. Yes to the acupuncture – though I prefer the method used by Kiko Matumaoto. Also I advise qi gong (with care as this can in some cases initially up the BP), and meditation. (Check out wild minds – http://www.wildmind.org/ – this is an online course, and its great)
i am affected by high blood pressure how to curse by accupuncture, is it possible
REMARKABLE RESULT
..when using these points distolic points comesdown from 100 to 85, where as systolic comes only from165 to 147 what points could be useful for reduce both to 120/80 nearly.
Clinically proven exercises, unfortunately in Chinese, but the moves/exercises are self-explanatory.
They even have patient records to prove the effectiveness.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwflJt1b1RY
7Apr2013
3:14 Section 1 Massage GV20/Baihui 30reps clockwise slowly and lightly
3:58 Section 2 Rub forehead with LU10/Yuji of both hands, eyes closed, via Ex-HN5/Taiyang to mastoid 15reps.
5:20 Section 3 Massage ST9/Renying with both hands (4 fingers to move skin and muscles) 30sec
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTWrPlfjBbk
7Aug2013
0:50 Section 4 Lightly massage with base of palm on CV17/Shanzhong and CV14/Juque at 6cun above navel, clockwise 30reps
1:58 Section 5 Massage Heart meridian 5rep each side.
2:55 Section 6 Massage LI4/Hegu 30rep each side
4:39 Section 7 Massage kidney area for 1min/0.5min with hands rubbed warm
5:30 Section 8 Massage ST36Zusanli, SP6/Sanyinjiao and KD1/Yongquan 30reps each
There are ear acupuncture points at the Y-shaped depression on the back of the ear and elsewhere that are said to be useful for hypertension. Check out a good reference such as Modern Chinese Acupuncture by Ping Chen and then use the rather cheap ear seeds on these points
And then Tong Ren Therapy recommends a different subset of Acupoints (Tong Ren Therapy Cross Reference – A Lazy Bum’s Healing)
I am not a health practitioner/acupuncturist. The above for info only.
This article is very helpful. I have been practising Acupuncture for the past 20 yearsin Nigeria and have found Acupuncture to be a potent therapy in handling High Blood Pressure. I wish to state however that the points selected in the article are very complete and the combination works like magic!
Everything is possible.
Impossible is nothig.
please use pictures to make easier to understand and put marks (stain) right on point where to press.
Hi Yogendra, What do you think those pictures for?