Chinese massage (Tuina) for the treatment of essential hypertension: A systematic review and meta-analysis

SummaryBackgroundChinese massage, named Tuina, is commonly used in China and potentially effective for essential hypertension (EH). However, there is no critically appraised evidence such as systematic reviews or meta-analyses on the effectiveness and safety of Tuina for EH.MethodsThe following electronic databases: Pubmed, the Cochrane library, CNKI, the Wan Fang Database and VIP were searched for published and unpublished randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of Tuina for EH up to 20th August 2013.ResultsSeven randomized trials involving 479 patients were included. The results of meta-analysis showed superior effects of Tuina plus antihypertensive drugs compared to antihypertensive drugs alone, however, Tuina alone was not superior to antihypertensive drugs. The safety of Tuina for EH was still unclear because adverse effects were not assessed in most of the original trials.ConclusionsThe findings from our review suggest that Tuina might be a beneficial adjuvant for patients with EH, although the results are of limited value due to the clinical heterogeneity and low methodological quality of the included studies. Future studies should adhere to high-quality RCTs with long follow-up for demonstrating the effectiveness of Tuina for inpatients with EH.