Could lowering high blood pressure be as simple as stimulating your ear?
A small device that gently stimulates nerves through the ear could offer a new way to tackle stubborn high blood pressure. In a clinical trial of 63 patients already taking medication, the treatment proved safe, easy to use at home, and well tolerated. Although it did not significantly outperform a placebo overall, patients with more severe hypertension showed promising reductions in blood…
A novel approach to managing high blood pressure, dubbed transcutaneous autonomic neuromodulation (tAN), involves delivering mild electrical pulses through the ear. In a recent clinical trial, Queen Mary University of London researchers found that while the method did not uniformly lower blood pressure, it did show promise in patients with more severe hypertension.
The treatment uses a handheld device with two small clips on the tragus, situated in front of the ear canal, which administer the electrical stimulation. Participants used the device daily for two weeks, then reduced usage to once per week for another ten weeks. Although the overall results were inconclusive, the study noted that more severe hypertension cases saw a greater reduction in blood pressure when using the active stimulation device compared to a placebo.
Lead researcher Dr. Ajay Gupta expressed excitement about the potential of this technology as a cheap, scalable solution for millions, highlighting the need for further research to determine whether it benefits specific patient groups.
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