When the various principles and theories of traditional Chinese medicine (such as Yin and Yang, Zang and FU), and pathogenic and exogenic factors were employed, some alternative therapeutic methods were proved effective in lowering blood pressure (BP). It was demonstrated that acupuncture at the Yongquan point in mice could reduce the BP significantly [1]. The antihypertensive effects after Yongquan stimulation were also reported by Inchauspe [2]. But its postulated antihypertensive efficacy in humans was not subjected to rigorous testing. Our study was designed to assess the adequacy of BP control with the Chinese herbal fomentation at Yongquan point (K1).
The technique of noninvasive ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) was well established as an instrument in clinical research and as a diagnostic tool in clinical practice. ABPM made it possible to record the BP throughout the whole day in patients engaged in their normal activities. So we applied the ABPM method in our research. We also compared the ABPM parameters with intra-arterial BP values in a subgroup to make sure that the results were more reliable.