The Effects of Chiropractic Care on Blood Pressure

ByMicheal Bryan

Today, high blood pressure is an extremely common ailment with about 70 million Americans reporting that they suffer from hypertension—that’s 1 out of every 3 people. Each year, almost half a million deaths are directly linked to high blood pressure, with the issue also being a factor in many other conditions, such as strokes and heart disease. Behaviors such as poor diet and lack of exercise often contribute to the problem. Keeping your blood pressure at a healthy level can be a matter of life or death, and in Johnson City, Tennessee, Integral Chiropractic and Dr. Micheal Bryan can help you address any concerns with hypertension.

What Is Blood Pressure?

Simply put, blood pressure is the force that pushes blood against the walls of the blood vessels. In order for your organs to function properly, your circulatory system requires oxygenated blood to flow. This can be measured by blood pressure, which is split into a systolic and a diastolic number, with the average being 120 (systolic) over 80 (diastolic.) The systolic number represents the force used when the heart pumps blood, and the diastolic number is the force exerted by the heart when resting between beats. Left unchecked, high blood pressure can lead to tears in artery walls, buildup of plaque from cholesterol, and exacerbated hypertension over time. It can also lead to stroke, heart attacks, and many other serious health issues.

Managing Hypertension

In most cases, high blood pressure will be addressed using medications, including blood thinners. These methods have a low success rate, and where they do work, they can be expensive and come with undesirable side effects.  Additionally, while they may lower the symptoms of blood pressure, medications do not alleviate the underlying cause and can leave room for other related conditions to develop. For those seeking to address hypertension once and for all, a Johnson City chiropractor may offer an alternative to more traditional treatments.

How Chiropractic Can Help

Multiple studies have shown a strong correlation between high blood pressure and the atlas vertebra, which is the vertebra located at the very top of the spinal column. It is solely responsible for communication pathways that control the cardiovascular system. A misalignment of the spine can lead to arteries contracting, leading to blood flow at the base of the skull that push blood vessel walls forcefully, and therefore causing high blood pressure.  An adjustment by Dr. Micheal Bryan can remove misalignments and reinstate proper blood flow.

A 2007 case study from the University of Chicago looked at 50 people with high blood pressure and, over the course of 8 weeks, gave some individuals real chiropractic adjustments and others placebo adjustments. Those receiving true adjustments were able to lower their blood pressure so significantly that doctors concluded it would take two medications to see the same results.

If you are suffering from hypertension, chiropractic care is a proven method to help. Contact Dr. Micheal Bryan at Integral Chiropractic today to schedule a consultation.

Sources

Bakris, G.L., Dickholtz, M., Meyer, P., Kravitz, G., Avery, E., Miller, M. Brown, J. Woodfield, C., Bell, B.M. “Atlas Vertebra Realignment and Achievement of Arterial Pressure Goal in Hypertensive Patients: A Pilot Study.” Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, 2007 Oct: 1-9. http://www.chiro.org/research/ABSTRACTS/Atlas_Vertebra_Realignment.shtml.

DeNoon, D.J. “Chiropractic Cuts Blood Pressure.” WebMD. 2007
Mar. https://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/news/20070316/chiropractic-cuts-blood-pressure#1.

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