A study carried out in Italy suggests that acupuncture at Neiguan P-6 can be used as an effective, non-invasive and safe tool to manage cardiac arrhythmias caused by atrial fibrillation (AF). Two patient groups were analysed, one group of 80 patients who had been diagnosed with persistent AF (recurring episodes of AF lasting more than seven days) and another group of 31 with paroxysmal AF (recurring episodes of AF lasting less than seven days). Acupuncture treatment consisted of 10 weekly acupuncture sessions using the points Neiguan P-6, Shenmen HE-7 and Xinshu BL-15. In the patients with persistent AF, all of whom underwent electrocardioversion to restore sinus rhythm, the recurrence rate of AF after acupuncture treatment (35%) was similar to that observed in patients treated with the anti-arrhythmic drug amiodarone (27%). Patients who received sham acupuncture, by comparison, had an AF recurrence rate (69%) similar to that of control patients who received no anti-arrhythmic (54%) therapy. In the group of patients with paroxysmal AF (most of whom were taking anti-arrhythmic drugs), acupuncture resulted in a significant reduction in the number and duration of symptomatic AF episodes, from a median of 15 to two, and a corresponding reduction in the AF burden (the average number and duration in minutes of AF episodes) from 100 to 6. This anti-arrhythmic effect of acupuncture was found to persist during 10-months of follow-up. (Acupuncture for paroxysmal and persistent atrial fibrillation: An effective non-pharmacological tool? World J Cardiol. 2012 Mar 26;4(3):60-5).
Categories: Heart / Cardiac
