Total Wellness Center

Acupuncture and Chronic Heart Failure. Research by a team in Germany suggests acupuncture may improve exercise tolerance in patients suffering from chronic heart failure.

Acupuncture needles do not increase the heart's pump function, but they seem to have an influence on skeletal muscle strength and thus can increase the walk distance that heart patients can cover. - this according to the researchers studying the influence of acupuncture on exercise tolerance of patients suffering from chronic heart failure.

The finding comes from a clinical pilot study by the team headed by Dr. Johannes Backs, physician and study director at the Department of Internal Medicine III (Cardiology, Angiology, and Pneumology -- Medical Director: Professor Dr. Hugo Katus) of Heidelberg University Hospital.

According the the research, When Acupuncture was administered to patients they were able to cover longer walking distances compared to those who did not receive the treatments or were treated with conventional medications. The study suggests that the acupuncture treatment effects the autonomic nervous system of the patients. "The blood level of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) actually drops after the real acupuncture treatment. Since TNF alpha leads to a reduction of muscle mass and muscle strength among other things, this would explain the positive effect on skeletal muscle function," explains Dr. Arnt Kristen, one of the authors of the study. It has been suggested that these factors are messengers that are elevated in patients with chronic heart failure and are responsible for making muscles tired. By reducing their concentration in the blood, acupuncture seems to alleviate muscle tiredness and thus increase these patients endurance levels.

The complete article can be found in the medical journal "Heart" and the full text is available here.