Defeat High Blood Pressure with Chiropractic

Did you know that getting your neck adjusted could lower your blood pressure? Yes, it's true according to a recent study that was published in the Journal of Clinical Hypertension (volume 8 number 5 May 2006). Researchers found that anatomical abnormalities (subluxations or misalignments) of the cervical spine at the level of the Atlas vertebra are associated with relative ischemia of the brainstem circulation and increased blood pressure. Manual correction of this misalignment has been associated with reduced arterial pressure. This pilot study tested the hypothesis that correcting the misalignment of the Atlas vertebra reduces and maintains improved blood pressure. The study included 50 patients that were not taking medication and suffered from stage I hypertension. These patients were evaluated using a randomized, double blind, and placebo controlled study design at a single center. Patients received no medication during the eight week study session. After baseline measurements of their blood pressure were taken, they received either chiropractic adjustments or a placebo procedure. Considering that the technique performed was very gentle (no cracking), it was difficult or impossible for the patients to distinguish between the real chiropractic adjustment and false procedure. Statistical analysis was performed comparing the baseline with the results after the eight weeks of visits. The study demonstrated an 8/5 mm reduction in pressure at eight weeks versus the placebo group. In other words, a patient that entered the study with a blood pressure of 147/92, at the end of the study had a blood pressure of 130/82. The only treatment received was chiropractic adjustments to the cervical spine.

In my opinion, this is a landmark study. Chiropractic adjustments not only treat neck and back pain. They can affect the human physiology at all levels. Thomas Edison stated over 100 years ago: " The doctor of the future will give no medicine but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease." This is what chiropractors do everyday all over the world!!

Stay Sharp! Stay Adjusted!

Kids are back in school and as parents we are trying everything to keep our kids focused. On the other hand, we are on the constant look out for anything to keep us energized enough to keep up with them. From school to football practice, dance, then back home to dinner and homework we are not on our “A game” and as a result, our reaction time suffers.  Eating healthy meals, staying active, and getting plenty of sleep are all great ways to encourage sharp minds for everyone. But you probably didn't know that getting adjusted can aid your response time. Your brain has two functions: it tells your body what to do and then responds to what it was told to do. Your spinal cord is a major component of the nervous system: it comes together into the brain at the base of the skull. The spinal cord is in the protective shell of the spinal column that consists of vertebrae which are stacked one on top of the other and separated by flexible discs. If the flow of information to or from your body is affected by a misalignment of the vertebra then those misalignments can affect your response time. Here is a good example: your neck can be misaligned which then pinches a nerve that goes to your arm and causes numbness and tingling everywhere that nerve goes in your arm. Typically I can adjust these patients, taking pressure off of the nerve. This makes the numbness and tingling go away, restoring sensory function to the arm enabling sharp response time. So get adjusted and stay sharp!