Comparative Analysis of Acupressure and Acupuncture for Blood Pressure Reduction in Hypertension
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37287/ijghr.v8i5.848Keywords:
acupressure, acupuncture, blood pressure, hypertensionAbstract
Hypertension is one of the leading causes of cardiovascular disease and premature death worldwide. Non-pharmacological treatments such as acupressure and acupuncture are increasingly used as complementary therapies. Some studies show that both methods can lower blood pressure, but the comparison of their physiological mechanisms is still not widely explored. Acupressure involves manual stimulation of specific points to increase blood flow and stimulate the nervous system. Meanwhile, acupuncture uses needles to stimulate the body's energy points and is believed to trigger the release of neurotransmitters that play a role in regulating blood pressure. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of acupuncture and acupressure as complementary therapies in reducing systolic and diastolic blood pressure among patients with hypertension using a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest design. This study will use an experimental approach with blood pressure parameter measurements. This study used two groups: an acupuncture group and an acupressure group, with a quasi-experimental research design and a pre-post test design. A total of 80 participants were selected using purposive sampling according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria and assigned into two groups (40 acupuncture and 40 acupressure). Systolic and diastolic blood pressure were measured before and after the intervention. Data analysis was performed using the Mann–Whitney test because the data were not normally distributed. The study results showed a median decrease in systolic blood pressure in the acupressure group = 10.5 mmHg, acupuncture group = 10 mmHg. The median decrease in diastolic blood pressure in both groups = 6.5 mmHg. The Mann–Whitney test showed a significant difference in systolic (p=0.025) and diastolic (p=0.018) blood pressure, with the acupuncture group showing a greater decrease. There is a significant difference between acupressure and acupuncture in lowering blood pressure, with acupuncture being more effective. This therapy can be a complementary intervention in the management of hypertension.
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