Aricular acupuncture for pre & stage 1 hypertension patients: clinical trial

INTERVENTION: Medical Device : Auricular acupuncture, which is available to be attached on the skin, will be used for this trial. Haeng Rim T‐needles (Haeng Rim Seo Won Medical Co.) will be adopted for intervention. In every visit, T‐needles will be applied on 6 ear acupuncture points: ear apex point (HX6, 7i), endocrine point (CO 18), shen men point (TF4), superior triangular fossa point (TF1), heart point (CO15) and groove of posterior surface point (PS), twice a week during four weeks. Attached T‐needles should be maintained for two to three days and will be removed. In addition, T‐needles will be attached on the opposite ear at next visit. For control group, exercise and diet control will be allowed during the trial. CONDITION: Diseases of the circulatory system PRIMARY OUTCOME: 24‐hour average systolic and diastolic blood pressure SECONDARY OUTCOME: Average systolic and diastolic blood pressure during awake and asleep Body mass index Circadian rhythm of blood pressure Herat rate variability lipid profile and hs CRP Mean arterial pressure Safety assessment The change of blood pressure before and after ear‐acupuncture treatments in intervention group INCLUSION CRITERIA: 1. Prehypertension or stage 1 hypertension patients (systolic blood pressure: 120 to 159 or diastolic blood pressure: 80 to 99)according to JNC 7 criteria 2. Participants who give written, informed consent