Happy Valentine’s Day! You know I’m about to give you some interesting facts on the heart and some health advice to help that heart keep pumping so you
can keep loving and being loved!
For many years chiropractors claimed to see their patient’s blood pressure drop following a chiropractic adjustment. In the past, the medical community called this quackery and chiropractors were actually put in jail for practicing medicine without a license as recently as the mid 1950s.
More recent studies performed by MDs have shown that the chiropractors were right! In rigidly controlled medical studies, spinal adjustments performed on the upper neck area reduced blood pressure significantly. “This procedure has the effect of not one, but two blood-pressure medications given in combination,” study leader George Bakris, MD states. Blood pressure dropped an average of 13mm on the upper systole number and 8 mm on the bottom diastole number following the adjustment for at least 8 weeks. Studies have even shown that some patients are able to come off of their blood pressure medication. These are very significant findings that actually made the news. Study leader, George Bakris, MD stated “when the statistician brought me the data, I actually didn’t believe it. It was way too good to be true” (1 & 2).
Having a bit of a background in physiology I would like to give you a basic explanation on how this happens.
Spinal misalignments may or may not cause pain. One thing I do know is that spinal misalignments create stress on the nerves. The heart and the blood vessels of the body are all controlled by these same nerves. If you have stress on the nerves that go to your heart, guess what can happen? That’s right, your blood pressure can rise.
Unfortunately, the most common approach to high blood pressure is blood pressure medication.
So let me ask you a few questions: If you take blood pressure medication to treat high blood pressure that is caused from stress on the nerves, are you treating the cause or the problem? Or are you simply treating the symptom? Is this any different than driving with your foot on the gas pedal AND your other foot on the brake AT THE SAME TIME? How long can you drive like this? Well, probably until your car breaks. You don’t drive your car like this so why would you drive your body like this? Why don’t you treat your body with the same level of care and love?
Getting your spine adjusted regularly, whether you have high blood pressure or not, will only help that heart do its job!
Here at Monmouth Pain and Rehabilitation in Red Bank, NJ we love your heart. We actually love it so much that if you call us at the office (732.345.1377) and say : “I would like to have my spine checked to see if I have any pressure on the nerves to my heart”, we will not only check your spine, but we will do it for free! Call it community service to help the world live healthier and happier lives! Happy Valentine’s Day!
- DeNoon, Daniel J. (2007). Chiropractic Cuts Blood Pressure https://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/news/20070316/chiropractic-cuts-blood-pressure
- NaaMan, L. & Ibanga, Maeyen. (2008). Could a Neck Adjustment Lower Your Blood Pressure? https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnCall/story?id=4520614&page=1.
