Research in China has tried to ascertain the mechanisms behind how acupuncture treats hypertension. Patients with high blood pressure were examined by functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and certain acupuncture point prescriptions were found to activate areas in the brain connected with blood pressure regulation. One combination of acupuncture points was associated with positive immediate and long-term effects on blood pressure, particularly systolic blood pressure.
(Acupuncture at LR3 and KI3 shows a control effect on essential hypertension and targeted action on cerebral regions related to blood pressure reactivagulation: a resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging study. Acupuncture in Medicine, February 2021.)