Blood Pressure and Wellness Chiropractic What does chiropractic have to do with blood pressure?

Blood pressure is the force of blood against the walls of arteries. Blood pressure is recorded as two numbers-the systolic pressure is recorded as the heart beats, and the diastolic pressure is when the heart relaxes between beats. The measurement is written one above or before the other, with the systolic number on top and the diastolic number on the bottom.

Regardless of race, age, or gender, anyone can develop high blood pressure. It is estimated that one in every four American adults has high blood pressure. High blood pressure is dangerous because it makes the heart work too hard. It also makes the walls of the arteries hard. High blood pressure increases the risk for heart disease and stroke, which are the first and third leading causes of death for Americans. High blood pressure can also cause other problems, such as heart failure, kidney disease and blindness.

Most people try to address high blood pressure by taking medications. The problem with this approach is that it treats the effect, high blood pressure, but not the cause. The drug approach also subjects patients to serious side effects. A safe and effective solution may be found in a wellness approach.  In a wellness model, we don’t seek to treat high blood pressure or prevent high blood pressure. Wellness is about making active choices and lifestyle decisions to create a state of optimal function and expression. Wellness involves lifestyle choices that determine our health. In a Wellness Chiropractic model we encourage you to make lifestyle choices like specific chiropractic adjustments to restore optimal function to the nervous system. When the nervous system is free to run our body, abnormal blood pressure may seek its normal levels. We may also choose lifestyle changes in diet, exercise, meditation and yoga to improve our state of well-being.

Studies support a wellness approach to tackling the blood pressure dilemma. A study published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics examined the effects of chiropractic adjustments on high blood pressure. The study concluded that chiropractic adjustments were not only effective, but also a safe alternative to the medical model. The men and women who participated in the study and received chiropractic care experienced a significant decrease in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The individuals who were in the control group and the placebo group did not experience the improvement. In another published study from the same journal, 75 people who suffered from high blood pressure received specific chiropractic adjustments. Both systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased in the adjusted group but not in the control group. Also noted in that study was that the people with the higher pre-treatment blood pressure experienced the greatest benefit!

Wellness Chiropractic has always been about restoring health and wellness to the body not treating back or neck pain.

Related posts:

1. Wellness vs. Medical Care
2. Chiropractic Care Helps Strengthen Immune System and Prevent Sickness