Acupuncture and heart rate variability: a systematic review.

Area of Science:

• Integrative and Complementary Medicine
• Cardiovascular Physiology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Acupuncture is believed to influence the autonomic nervous system.
• Existing literature lacks systematic reviews on acupuncture's impact on heart rate variability (HRV).

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and critically evaluate the effects of acupuncture on heart rate variability (HRV).

Main Methods:

• Conducted a literature search across 14 databases up to October 2009.
• Included randomized clinical trials (RCTs) comparing acupuncture with sham acupuncture.
• Assessed risk of bias using Cochrane criteria.

Main Results:

• Twelve RCTs met inclusion criteria, investigating acupuncture's effects in patients with depression, anxiety, migraine, and in healthy subjects under various conditions.
• Five RCTs reported significant HRV differences between acupuncture and sham acupuncture groups.
• The majority of RCTs showed inconsistent results or no significant differences in HRV parameters.

Conclusions:

• Sham-controlled RCTs on acupuncture and HRV yield variable results.
• There is no clear evidence for specific effects of acupuncture on HRV.
• Further high-quality research is warranted to clarify acupuncture's role in modulating HRV.