The 9 million Americans who suffer from pain from coronary heart disease, also known as stable angina, may find relief with acupuncture, a type of traditional Chinese medicine.
Well, Holly Devon, Audrian H. Moseley Professor of Community Studies from the UCLA School of Nursing has been awarded more than $3 million over four years by the National Institute of Nursing Research, part of the National Institutes of Health, to lead research exploring this treatment option.
Stable angina is characterized by chest pain and discomfort, most often caused by physical activity or mental stress. Physiologically, it occurs due to poor blood flow through the blood vessels of the heart, resulting in insufficient oxygen supply to the muscles. Nitroglycerin tablets or sprays are now commonly used to relax the coronary arteries and reduce pain.
Dr. Devon’s research will test the effectiveness and duration of effects of acupuncture on patients suffering from stable angina.
“Our standardized technique uses thin needles that are inserted at 12 points in the body and manipulated manually,” Devon said. “Our study is innovative in that it tests this complementary therapy in a sample of U.S. residents receiving guideline-based angina treatment under a Western treatment model. Acupuncture for Angina Pectoris Previous studies on the effectiveness of the treatment have only been published on patients in China and Europe who were treated under different treatment models.
