Angina affects an estimated 260,000 Australian adults. It can involve not just pain, but also other distressing symptoms, from shortness of breath to low energy, sweating, dizziness and nausea.
Angina is classified as unstable, with unpredictable symptoms, and stable or chronic angina, with a more predictable pattern. It’s based on a reduced blood flow to the muscles of your heart. It is often medically managed with nitrate sprays or tablets.
Impact on quality of life
If you’re finding angina a struggle, you’re not alone, it’s not a nice condition to live with. A 2019 study in four European countries found that 40% of people with stable angina said that it had a great impact on their quality of life. More than half had at least one angina attack per month. Work activities and life in general often felt more restricted because of this condition.
Safety first
It’s important to mention that it’s possible for chest pain to be a sign of a heart attack, so if your pain is new, severe, unexpected, or has not already been medically diagnosed as angina, then it’s important to seek medical care promptly.
Can acupuncture help angina?
For people diagnosed with stable chronic angina, in 2024 researchers took a thorough look at this, with a systematic review and meta-analysis. They looked at the research that has been done so far, and identified 16 randomised controlled trials to look at in detail. The studies were conducted in Denmark, the US and China, including 1,240 patients. The meta-analysis involved re-analysing the total results across all of these trials. The team concluded that:
“Acupuncture therapy effectively and safely alleviates CSA symptoms. Moderate dosage demonstrated the potential for better effects in reducing symptoms, suggesting optimal dosage considerations for future treatments.”
And in more detail:
“Acupuncture significantly reduced angina attacks compared to placebo (SMD, − 0.51; 95% CI [− 0.77, − 0.25], P = 0.0001, I2=62%), and standard care (SMD, − 1.25, 95% CI [− 1.89, − 0.61], P = 0.00001, I2=92%) without increasing adverse events. MDG showed a notable difference in reducing angina attacks (SMD, − 0.60, 95% CI [− 0.91, − 0.29], P = 0.001, I2=60%) while LDG and HDG did not. There is no difference in adverse events between groups. The evidence quality ranged from very low to moderate, and the results should be cautiously applied.”
Try acupuncture for your chronic stable angina
If you’d like to give acupuncture a try, just get in touch to book your first appointment.
References
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Heart, stroke and vascular disease: Australian facts https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/heart-stroke-vascular-diseases/hsvd-facts/contents/all-heart-stroke-and-vascular-disease/coronary-heart-disease
Athanasios J. Manolis, Giuseppe Ambrosio, Peter Collins, Ralf Dechend, Jose Lopez-Sendon, Valeria Pegoraro, A. John Camm, Impact of stable angina on health status and quality of life perception of currently treated patients. The BRIDGE 2 survey, European Journal of Internal Medicine, Volume 70, 2019, Pages 60-67, ISSN 0953-6205, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejim.2019.09.013.
Huang D, Li Y, Zheng X, Hu J, Tang H, Yin Y, Wu Z, Kong L. Acupuncture Dosage and Its Correlation with Effectiveness in Patients with Chronic Stable Angina: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trial. J Pain Res. 2025;18:105-125
https://doi.org/10.2147/JPR.S489880
Image by Marcel Elia from Pixabay
