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Acupuncture treatment for Diabetes and Hypertension

Before stepping into the arena of these two modern day diseases that are rather syndromes than the actual undiagnosed disease itself in most cases, one should understand the term ‘Homeostasis’ - the attunement of the physiological system towards a healthy equilibrium.

Physical and physiological parameters like heat, pressure, sweating, water balance, ionic balance, acid, alkali balance etc., are all brought to the normal values through the innate Physiological processes and a few constitutional therapies. Certain acupuncture points activate the appropriate physiological pathways to bring homeostasis through specific organs, mediators and receptors.

Diabetes Mellitus goes with many a syndrome triggered by several factors that shift the Insulin agonism of the endocrine system to disequilibrium.

The imbalance is due to one or more of the following :

Since Acupuncture is a neuro hormonal therapy, it is a palliative as well as a curative therapy in Diabetes. Drug administration is unaffected by Acupuncture; instead, receptor clearance is enhanced by Acupuncture, for effecting a better uptake of the Ligands.

The precise causative factor is reflected in the Five Element Pulse Diagnosis of Comprehensive Acupuncture, and corrected using the method of defective Yin supplementation.

Symptomatic Clinical Acupuncture is suitable for advanced cases of Diabetes.

The Acupuncturist’s Basis for Diabetes lies within the following links:

FIRE:  Anxiety, Stress, Emotional imbalance.

EARTH:  Stabilized enzyme and Hormone activity for perfect assimilation.

AIR:  Support needed for fire, to eliminate unwanted blockers (Lipids).

WATER:  adrenergic activity needed for stimulating the cAMP at Intra-cellular level.

WOOD:  Storage of glucose, Half-life cycle of Insulin, Neuro-muscular transmission.

Points to be used generally on all sittings are the Source Point of Pancreatic channel, the Luo points, Mu point of the Pancreas and Liver, and Influential point of the Yin energies.

Treatment based on the Five Element theory, supplements or depletes the Earth energy along the Sheng or Ko cycle, and strengthens the other elements that support Earth. Thus, treatment is given for strengthening Fire and for increasing the Water that defends or Controls fire (whenever it tends to go excessive). This results in conditioning the Hormonal factors.

Pulse Diagnosis on each sitting is a must, and the weak Yin should be strengthened each time. Symptomatic recovery should be recorded from the patient’s feedback. The patient should be advised regarding Low Glycemic foods, Low Fat diet, Antioxidants and Trace Elements, Yoga, Breathing Exercise and Walking.

Misconceptions regarding Diabetic syndromes is that the Pancreas alone is at fault. The Liver has a major role to play in Diabetes as well as Hypertension, and the Duodenum supports Insulin secretion through certain L cell and K cell secretions known as GLP-1 and GIP respectively. Therefore, the health of the Liver and the GI system plays a major role in Diabetic conditions.

Acupuncture treatment is comprehensive in treating the whole system and taking into account all the functional pathways and the diagnosis is easy compared to modern scientific methods.

Hypertension is a silent killer and is associated with complications like Stroke, Kidney failure, Heart disease or malignant hypertension. In most cases it is genetic, and is a result of stress. New lifestyles add to stress and stress headaches. 140/90 is considered as the upper limit of normal BP in the thirties and forties. As age advances, higher readings are accepted and during the seventies, 160/96 is acceptable.

Hypertension is only controlled by drug therapies; therefore to get a cure the alternative methods are resorted to by almost all patients with a history of persistent headaches and insomnia. Acupuncture has proven to be the best in most of the cases.

Causes: In 90 percent of patients no apparent cause can be clinically found; this is termed ‘Primary hypertension’. In the remaining cases the high pressure is a manifestation of Renal or Hepatic disorders. Some of the causes may be:

If hypertension is secondary to some disease, treatment of the cause may be curative. Most of the drugs used for controlling Hypertension are Diuretics, Beta blockers, Dopamine derivatives, Calcium channel Blockers or ACE Inhibitors.

In Acupuncture, Diuresis is achieved by K 3 and K 7; Dopaminergic points are H 7, P 7, DU 20, P 6 and so forth. P 3, H 3 are ACE Inhibitor points. These points are commonly used for ‘curing’ Hypertension. This shows that the Physiology is corrected by the stimulation of natural (live) mediators and hence the curative results.

In addition to the treatment, the following measures speed up the cure:

There are many nutritional supplements and trace minerals besides nature’s own treasure of herbs that can cure these conditions permanently. Let us live happy with Acupuncture and such natural resources and it is possible to thwart these syndromes away.