High Blood Pressure and Chiropractic: A Drug-Free Remedy

Did you know that more than 100 million Americans have high blood pressure? High Blood Pressure was defined as having readings over 140/90, but in 2018 the “standard” was lowered to 130/80. Having high blood pressure increases one’s risk for blood clots, stroke, heart attack and heart disease. Heart disease is the number 1 leading cause of death in the United States. However, heart disease is preventable AND reversible!

What is Blood Pressure?

Every time the heart beats, it pumps blood through the arteries and out to the rest of the body. The force of this “push” is called blood pressure. There is no “perfect” blood pressure, although the medical community has deemed 120/80 to be their “average standard”.

Blood pressure can be affected by many things: time of day, exercise and physical activity, emotions, stress, drug and alcohol use, age and gender…just to name a few. Everyone’s reading will be a bit different based on their own physiology. Hypertension is when blood pressure is abnormally high over a period of time.

The Standard Approach

Conventional Western Medicine attempts to lower blood pressure solely by prescription drugs. This approach treats blood pressure as diagnosis and “disease”, rather than a symptom of a deeper issue.

Most Medical Doctors ask “What”, but Holistic and Functional Medicine asks “Why and How?”

Questions that should be asked are:

• “What is causing the high blood pressure?”
• “Is high blood pressure an indicator or symptom of a deeper issue?”
• “Are we just treating symptoms (medication)?”

Scary Side Effects of Medication

Blood pressure medications can cause a host of side effects, some including:

• Skin rashes or hives
• Light sensitivity
• Joint and muscle aches and spasms
• Mental confusion and fatigue
• Moodiness, anger, depression
• Weakness, Dizziness, lack of energy
• Numbness into the extremities
• Increased blood pressure

Yes, a side effect of some blood pressure medications IS raised blood pressure! Sounds ironic and far-fetched, but it is the truth. Many people are put on multiple BP medications and are told they will have to be on them “forever”, only to never find out the real reason why they’re on medications to begin with.

The Root Cause?

Functional Medicine & Integrative Physicians as well as Chiropractors look to find the underlying reason of high blood pressure. Many cases of high blood pressure are life-style related, including: Chronic lack of sleep (under 6 hours/night) high stress load and environment, poor diet, consuming inflammatory foods, lack of exercise and smoking to name a few.

But most people don’t know that high blood pressure can also be caused by a mis-alignment in one’s posture and spine.

The following is from a study article published on WebMD in June 2017:

“A special chiropractic adjustment can significantly lower high blood pressure…This procedure has the effect of not one, but two blood-pressure medicationsgiven in combination,” study leader George Bakris, MD, tells WebMD. “And it seems to be adverse-event free. We saw no side effects and no problems”.

Those who got the real procedure saw an average 14 mm Hg greater drop in systolic blood pressure (the top number in a blood pressure count), and an average 8 mm Hg greater drop in diastolic blood pressure (the bottom blood pressure number).

The procedure calls for adjustment of the C-1 vertebra. It’s called the Atlas vertebra because it holds up the head, just as the titan Atlas holds up the world in Greek mythology.

Researchers have suggested that a mis-alignment (or subluxation) to the Atlas vertebra can affect blood flow in the arteries at the base of the skull. Researchers believe misaligned Atlas triggers release of signals that make the arteries contract (thus causing blood pressure to rise.”

The Chiropractic Approach

For over a century chiropractic care has been a drug-free blessing to millions who otherwise thought they had to rely on medications or surgery for relief. Chiropractic adjustments have a positive and gentle effect on normalizing blood pressure, all with no negative side effects.

Chiropractic affects the central nervous system and all the nerves that go out to the tissues and organs of the body. By removing any nerve stress, the body can then heal and function the way it was innately designed.

Lifestyle Matters

While Chiropractic care greatly influences the body’s functioning, lifestyle choices also plays a huge role in health. High blood pressure raises one’s risk of heart disease, heart attack and other cardiovascular conditions.

Dr. Dean Ornish M.D., a San Francisco cardiologist, proved that Heart Disease could be REVERSED with these lifestyle factors:

• Plant-based Diet
• Physical Activity, specifically Walking
• Stress Reduction

Those looking to improve or maintain the health of their heart should be following the “Eat, Think & Move Well” philosophy. The more you do now, the better chances you have to prevent any problems from occurring!