Immediate Effect Of Acupuncture And Acupuncture With Wervical Ice Massage On Autonomic Variables And Blood Pressure In Hypertensive Individuals - A Comparative Study

Hypertension is a common, chronic, age-related condition that frequently leads to devastating cardiovascular and renal consequences. Blood pressure is frequently measured in conjunction with other risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Hypertension diagnosis is increasingly reliant on automated blood pressure testing techniques. Contrarily, hypertension has become more common, particularly in LMICs (low- and middle-income countries). According to estimates, 1.39 billion persons worldwide (13.1%) had hypertension in 2010. Adults were more likely to have hypertension in LMICs (31.5%, 1.04 billion individuals) than in high-income nations (28.5%, 349 million people). The pathogenesis of essential hypertension is based on the kidney’s main or secondary inability to eliminate salt at normal blood pressure. The condition is also influenced by the central nervous system, endocrine factors, major arteries, and microcirculation. The sympathetic nervous system and the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system are two major pathophysiologic processes of Hypertension. Endothelial dysfunction, enhanced vascular reactivity, and vascular remodeling are all symptoms of endothelial dysfunction. If BP cannot be brought to target with lifestyle changes alone, drug treatment is required. Diuretics, ACE inhibitors (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), beta-blockers, and calcium channel blockers (CCBs) are among the first-line drugs used to treat hypertension. For some people, using two or more antihypertensive drugs is necessary to reach their goal blood pressure. Heart rate variability (HRV) has a well-established role as a measure of cardiovascular risk and offers indirect insight into the tone of the autonomic nervous system. Rapid variations may particularly represent changes in sympathetic and vagal activity, according to the theory behind HRV analysis. In contrast to SDNN and SDANN, which represent both sympathetic and parasympathetic regulation of heart rate, prior research has demonstrated that PNN50 and RMSSD are indicators of parasympathetic activity . Heart rate (HR) is a nonstationary signal; variations in it may convey clues to a sickness that is already present or alerts to oncoming cardiac conditions. The signs can be constant or might appear at random—during specific periods of the day. To analyze and identify anomalies in vast amounts of data gathered over several hours takes effort and time.

Acupuncture is the therapeutic practice of putting one or more needles into particular locations on the body’s surface .The ideas of "meridian" and the life force "Qi" are part of the theoretical underpinnings of needling at particular acupuncture locations in traditional Chinese medicine. According to studies, a needle piercing the skin, whether or not at an acupuncture point, has physiological consequences. There have been theories put out to explain the apparent analgesic effect of acupuncture, including the "gate control theory" and the release of endogenous opioids . Acupuncture has become a popular medical choice both in the West and the East due to its technical simplicity, noninvasiveness, and absence of negative side effects when compared to Western pharmaceutical and surgical treatments .

One of the frequent hydrotherapeutic techniques is ice massage. The current study is the first of its type, and it was done to assess how an ice massage to the neck affected individuals with hypertension’s blood pressure and heart rate variability. Ice application has been demonstrated to cause physiological effects. One of the naturopathic therapies used to lower blood pressure is ice massage (IM) of the head and spine.One of the most significant risk factors for chronic renal disease, ischemic heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) is high blood pressure. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) 140     mmHg or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) 90 mmHg are considered elevated  blood pressure.