The Power of an Adjustment...Regulates Blood Pressure

The Way I See It

I’ve heard that chiropractic adjustments lower blood pressure! Sounds good, but I have what most would consider low blood pressure, primarily because I live an active life and have been a competitive athlete. If chiropractic adjustments lower blood pressure, then I probably shouldn’t get adjusted, right?

Let’s take a closer look

Six million Canadian adults, or one in five, have long term high blood pressure (hypertension) [1]. One in 6 Canadians (762,000 individuals) with high blood pressure are unaware of their condition. High blood pressure is a significant risk factor for stroke and if left untreated can lead to coronary artery disease, dementia, heart and kidney failure and other chronic diseases [2]. Most Canadians with hypertension (82%) reported taking blood pressure medication. Of these, 62% said they took 1 medication, 27% took 2 medications and 11% were taking 3 or more medications for their blood pressure [3]. Given that people with high blood pressure carry a significant risk factor and are more likely than others to die prematurely of heart disease and stroke, you might think that low blood pressure would be a good thing. However, abnormally low blood pressure, also called hypotension, can cause problems as well [4]. Hypertension and hypotension are not diseases, they are the body’s protective mechanism, an attempt to ensure that adequate blood and oxygenation is getting to the important and vital organs of the body [5]. For example, as a person ages, perhaps she become less active, her leg muscles lose some strength and ability to contract normally, making it harder for her heart to pump blood against gravity and fully oxygenate her brain. The body compensates for this by increasing blood pressure so that the brain can receive the oxygen it needs. There are three reasons [6], therefore, why you might develop higher or lower than desirable blood pressure.

1. Your focus and/or lifestyle choices keep your body and mind in a survival state that requires a higher than average blood pressure to survive the day.
2. Your body naturally attempts to compensate for a specific challenge somewhere in your body and may need to raise or lower it (this may also be due to a lifestyle choice).
3. Your body is unable to fully comprehend and/or respond to what your body needs due to a decreased brain-body connection (i.e., subluxation) and has therefore incorrectly altered your blood pressure.

What the Science Says

In March of 2007, a study was published in the Journal of Hypertension and referenced on WebMD. The study concluded that precise chiropractic adjustments to the top bone in the neck (atlas) are a safe and natural way to significantly lower blood pressure. “This procedure has the effect of not one, but two blood-pressure medications given 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,” adds Bakris, director of the University of Chicago hypertension center [7]. Compared to the placebo-treated patients, those who received the real adjustment saw an average of 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). None of the patients took blood pressure medicine during the eight-week study. The researchers were baffled by an interesting finding in many of these studies. Blood pressure increased in some of these subjects following chiropractic care [8].

What the Science Means

The fact that blood pressure can be raised or lowered after chiropractic care is exciting because it confirms the body’s ability to create a homeostatic balanced environment once vertebral subluxations/misalignments are corrected.

Chiropractic Care Regulates Blood Pressure in a Couple of Different Ways

Injury or misalignment to the atlas vertebra affects blood flow in the arteries around the base of the skull [6]. Misalignment can cause increased or decreased blood pressure. Correcting the misalignment with specific chiropractic adjustments can restore normal arterial function, and have a positive effect on regulating blood pressure. For others, specific chiropractic adjustments positively influenced the neurological system, the spine/body/brain connection. Once misalignments of the vertebrae are corrected, a clear neurological connection is made, and the body is able to self-regulate, including the ability to regulate blood pressure.

A Final Note

In order to maintain optimal blood pressure, you must follow a healthy lifestyle, have a positive mental focus and most importantly, have a clear neurological connection. See your chiropractor on a regular basis so you know you have a clear neurological connection. Remember, the benefit of chiropractic care is that it is a natural, drugless and surgery free approach to good health, with the goal of freeing the body to function, regulate and repair itself.

References

http://www.heartandstroke.on.ca/site/c.pvI3IeNWJwE/b.3581729/k.359A/Statistics.htm
Yusuf S, Hawken S, Ôunpuu S, Dans T, Avezum A, Lanas F, McQueen M, Budaj A, Pais P, Varigos J, Lisheng L. Effect of potentially modifiable risk factors associated with myocardial infarction in 52 countries (the INTERHEART study): case–control study. Lancet 2004; 364:937-952.
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/cd-mc/slcdcfs-epamccfi/pdf/SLCDCFactSheet2009-Hypertension-eng.pdf
http://bodyandhealth.canada.com/Condition/GetCondition/Low-Blood-Pressure
https://books.google.ca/books?id=A5l_iM2XqPoC&pg=PA32&lpg=PA32&dq=high+blood+pressure+as+a+protective+mechanism&source=bl&ots=IefQIWKrOo&sig=1imfYavs0RQRvaZ196QUatygu0M&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiw0sGLjI_MAhWHrYMKHROJB0EQ6AEITjAJ#v=onepage&q=high%20blood%20pressure%20as%20a%20protective%20mechanism&f=false
https://www.facebook.com/notes/kevin-donka/chiropractic-does-not-help-lower-blood-pressure-by-kevin-donka-dc/378183174489/
http://www.chiro.org/research/ABSTRACTS/Atlas_Vertebra_Realignment.shtml
https://uppercervicalsubluxation.sharepoint.com/Pages/2012_1174_bp.aspx