Acupressure for Heart Health
Channel: Studio Sapaan
Date: 2015-06-09

Disclaimer: As with any medical condition, please consult with your primary care provider and in this case preferably cardiologist if you have any concerns about your heart health. Furthermore, this information is given only to assist in correct point location, so only use these points if your acupuncturist prescribes them for you. If you are experiencing any active heart discomfort or arrhythmia, seek medical attention immediately.

Studies that have used these acupuncture points for regulating heart function: 

Acupuncture for paroxysmal and persistent atrial fibrillation: An effective non-pharmacological tool? http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3312232/

Efficacy of acupuncture in preventing atrial fibrillation recurrences after electrical cardioversion.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20807278

An excellent article discussing some of the limitations of the above mentioned studies, and a study protocol design, which goes into some detail about the properties of the acupuncture points: 
Acupuncture Antiarrhythmic Effects on Drug Refractory Persistent Atrial Fibrillation: Study Protocol for a Randomized, Controlled Trial
http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2015/613970/
"In the previous study mentioned [10], 3 acupuncture points were used (PC6, HT7, and BL15). In this study, we will include PC6 and HT7 but replace BL15 with ST36, because ST36 has been shown to regulate autonomic nervous system function [12]. Acupuncture points are shown in Figure 2. PC5 and PC6 are located on the pericardium meridian. This meridian is called “guardian of the heart” and is used to treat physical or emotional imbalances, including heart or chest disorders, depression, and anxiety [13]. ST36 and ST37 are the most frequently used stomach meridian points. These are reported to inhibit sympathetic nerve function [12]. Also, recent review on acupuncture’s cardiovascular actions presented that EA on PC6, PC7, ST36, and ST37 produced cardiovascular responses [5]. Several experimental studies [14–16] showed that EA at PC5 and/or PC6 may have antiarrhythmic effects compared to sham EA. Other studies suggested that EA at deep somatic nerves, such as the median (PC6) or deep peroneal (ST36) nerves, alleviated sympathetic excitatory-induced heart reactions [17, 18]. According to the textbook of acupuncture [13, 19], HT7 and TF4 have been used to manage various cardiovascular disorders. Many arrhythmia clinical trials [20, 21] also used these acupuncture points."