The Chiropractic approach to High Blood Pressure
High Blood Pressure: Who is affected?
70 million American adults (29%) have high blood pressure (1 of every 3 adults).
What are the Signs and Symptoms?
Typically high blood pressure has no warning signs or symptoms, especially in the early stages, so people don’t realize they have it until much later. Some signs of late-stage blood pressure include lack of energy, dizziness, fainting, ringing in the ears, difficulty finding words, shortness of breath, vision changes, heaviness in legs, or cramping of muscles during the night.
The Medical Approach
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a common yet serious condition that affects millions of individuals globally. The medical approach to managing high blood pressure is multifaceted and typically involves a combination of lifestyle modifications and medication.
When a patient is diagnosed with high blood pressure, healthcare providers often recommend lifestyle changes such as adopting a healthy diet low in sodium, saturated fats, and processed foods, increasing physical activity levels, maintaining a healthy weight, limiting alcohol consumption, and managing stress.
In addition to lifestyle modifications, healthcare providers may prescribe medication to help lower and control blood pressure levels. Commonly prescribed medications include diuretics, beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors, ARBs, calcium channel blockers, and others. These medications work by either reducing the volume of blood in the vessels, relaxing and widening blood vessels, or decreasing the force of the heart's contractions.
Regular monitoring of blood pressure levels is essential to gauge the effectiveness of treatment and make adjustments as needed. Patients with high blood pressure are typically advised to visit their healthcare provider regularly to track their progress, discuss any concerns or side effects from medications, and receive ongoing support and guidance.
The Non-medical Approach
Typically before medications are prescribed, most people try to lower their blood pressure through lifestyle changes such as the following:
quit smoking
eating a healthy diet
maintaining a healthy weight
exercising
limiting the amount of alcohol you drink
Most people know of these strategies, both medical and non-medical and yet still 1 in 3 American adults suffer from this condition.
The Chiropractic Approach
By testing for and identifying an over-stressed nervous system, a chiropractor has the ability to be able to deliver specific chiropractic corrective adjustments to this system.
The nervous system plays a crucial role in regulating blood pressure. The autonomic nervous system, specifically the sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions, helps control blood pressure by adjusting heart rate, blood vessel constriction, and blood volume.
When the body perceives a stressor, the sympathetic nervous system is activated, leading to the release of epinephrine and norepinephrine. These hormones increase heart rate and cause blood vessels to constrict, resulting in a temporary rise in blood pressure to prepare the body for a "fight or flight" response.
Conversely, the parasympathetic nervous system works to counterbalance these effects by promoting relaxation and reducing heart rate and blood pressure. It helps the body return to a state of rest and digest after the stressful situation has passed.
Moreover, the baroreceptor reflex, a mechanism involving specialized nerve endings in blood vessels, continuously monitors blood pressure changes. If blood pressure rises too high, these receptors signal the brain to decrease heart rate and dilate blood vessels to lower blood pressure back to normal levels.
The specific adjustments using spinal vertebra as levers to correct the over-stimulation or under-stimulation of nerve centers allow the nervous system to achieve a balance and proper function. If one nerve center or the other is impeded upon by pressure on the nervous system, the result will be abnormally high or low blood pressure.
Subluxations and trauma
When considering the potential relationship between subluxations and trauma on blood pressure, various factors come into play. Subluxations, defined as misalignments in the spine that may interfere with proper nervous system function, have been theorized to potentially impact blood pressure regulation.
Trauma, whether sudden or repetitive, can also influence the body's stress response mechanisms, which in turn may affect blood pressure levels. Studies suggest that the autonomic nervous system, responsible for regulating blood pressure among other vital functions, can be influenced by spinal misalignments and trauma.
Studies
In the landmark study involving 50 people with high blood pressure, nothing more than a specific adjustment to the atlas vertebrae in the upper neck near to the medulla oblongata significantly lowered blood pressures for these individuals.
Conclusion
Considering the potential benefits of chiropractic care in managing high blood pressure, individuals dealing with this condition may find value in exploring this alternative approach alongside conventional treatments. Research suggests that chiropractic adjustments targeting the spine could have a positive impact on blood pressure regulation.
References:
Hypertension diagnosis and treatment. Bloomington, Minn.: Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement.
Driscoll Study Effects of spinal manipulative therapy on autonomic activity and the cardiovascular system—JMPT
Dickholtz Study Http://www.nobi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17252032
Please feel free to reach out to your Raleigh Chiropractor at Adapt Chiropractic if you have any questions or would like to explore how chiropractic care may fit into your overall wellness plan.
