This study examined the effects of moxibustion on blood pressure and pulse pressure in adults with prehypertension
and hypertension. Subjects were not under any treatment for the condition at the time of the study. They consisted
of 21 people in the experimental group and 17 people in the control group. Only the experimental group received
moxibustion intervention once a day for 15 min, at least 5 days a week for 8 weeks from April to August, 2005. In order to
examine the effects of moxibustion, blood pressure and pulse pressure during the daytime were examined using 24-hr
ambulatory sphygmomanometer. The results were analyzed using 2 test, t-test, Fisher’s exact test, and repeated measures
ANOVA. As for multiple comparisons, Bonferroni correction method was adopted. The two groups were homogeneous
in terms of general characteristics, blood pressure and pulse pressure. No significant change was observed in
systolic and diastolic blood pressure of the subjects in both groups. In the control group, both minimum and mean pulse
pressure at 8 weeks were significantly higher than those at 4 weeks of the intervention, whereas no significant change
was observed in the experimental group. Moxibustion seemed to be effective in maintaining pulse pressure. Further
study needs to be done to reveal the effects of moxibustion on controlling for ideal level of pulse pressure and blood
pressure.