In the West, diseases of the circulatory system are not commonly treated with acupuncture, but in China it is a common and acceptable form of treatment for some of these problems. A variety of animal experiments carried out in the West give clear support to the idea that acupuncture does have an effect on the circulatory system.

Angina
Angina is a type of 'cramp' in the heart muscles, precipitated by a poor blood supply to the heart, and it usually exhibits itself as chest pain on exercise. Using sophisticated measuring equipment the Chinese have completed a variety of trials to assess the effects of acupuncture on the heart, and they have shown a marked increase in the functional ability and efficiency of the heart muscles after acupuncture.
This is further supported by clinical work, which shows that some 80 per cent of patients with angina have improved after acupuncture. When acupuncture is used to treat angina a course of treatments is given, and then followed by booster treatments every four to six months.

The Correction of Abnormal Heart Rhythms
Heart diseases can frequently cause an abnormal rhythm to the heart beat; this may manifest itself as palpitations, an irregular heart beat, or dropped beats. Acupuncture can correct a small number of these arrhythmias. In established atrial fibrillation (irregular heart beats), acupuncture affects a small percentage of cases, some 1.5 per cent, although in recently acquired arrhythmias, acupuncture can be effective in up to 70 per cent of cases.

Raised Blood Pressure
Traditional Chinese medicine does not recognize raised blood pressure (hypertension) as a disease, and acupuncture treatment has therefore centred around the relief of the infrequent and vague symptoms associated with raised blood pressure, such a headaches and dizziness. In Western medical circles there is great debate about whether raised blood pressure should be treated as aggressively as it has been in the past. Acupuncture and moxibustion can lower the blood pressure, but there is no good work available to show how useful this is on a long or short term basis. At present, the whole concept of raised blood pressure and its treatment is unclear, and the place of acupuncture in the treatment of this problem is unknown.