Blood Pressure

Can Chiropractic Help with High Blood Pressure?

Can Chiropractic Help with High Blood Pressure?

High blood pressure is a fairly common condition, with the NHS estimating that 18% of adult men and 13% of adult women have elevated blood pressure. Furthermore, they state that half of the people over 75 years of age have high blood pressure. But what is high blood pressure, and what does that mean for our bodies and our health?

What is High Blood Pressure?

The ideal blood pressure is typically 120/80 mmHg. What does that measurement mean? Blood pressure is measured by the amount of pressure that blood traveling through your body will exert on the artery walls holding it. It is measured in millimeters of mercury or mmHg. The two numbers represent systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Systolic blood pressure refers to the pressure exerted on the blood vessels when your heart beats and pushes the blood flow through your arteries, and diastolic blood pressure refers to the pressure in between each beat of your heart.

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is defined as having a sustained blood pressure of 140/90 mmHg or above.

How does High Blood Pressure affect the body?

Often, people with high blood pressure will not know that they have hypertension, as it can often present with little to no symptoms. They will often find out when their healthcare practitioner will measure their pressure on an average visit. However, high blood pressure can cause headaches, blurred or double vision, regular nosebleeds, or shortness of breath.

High blood pressure itself often can put a person at risk for developing other health issues such as coronary heart disease, stroke, and heart attack. Furthermore, diabetes and kidney disease have been linked to complications with high blood pressure.

Causes of High Blood Pressure

Oftentimes there is no single identifiable reason for a rise in blood pressure, but […]

The Positive Effects of Chiropractic Care on Blood Pressure

The Positive Effects of Chiropractic Care on Blood Pressure

Nearly one third of the US population has high blood pressure, and nearly half a million deaths are linked to high blood pressure each year. It is also a contributing factor in a number of very serious health conditions, including stroke and heart disease.

Blood pressure is simply the force of the blood pushing against the blood vessel walls. Your body needs oxygenated blood to flow throughout your circulatory system to make your organs function properly. Blood pressure is taken by looking at two numbers, the systolic pressure and the diastolic pressure. The systolic pressure is the top number and is the force that occurs when the heart pumps blood into the arteries. The bottom number is the diastolic pressure, which is the force created by the heart resting between beats. A normal blood pressure is below 120/80, an elevated blood pressure is 120-129/80, and anything above that is considered high blood pressure.

There are a number of risk factors associated with high blood pressure, most of which are controllable. Obesity, smoking, alcohol consumption, and high-stress levels all make a person more likely to develop high blood pressure, or hypertension. High blood pressure can, over time, lead to tears in the artery walls, plaque buildup from cholesterol, and even higher blood pressure due to smaller blood vessels, in addition to multiple health problems.

High Blood Pressure Treatment

Most high blood pressure treatment consists of medication that an individual may be on for years or even for their whole life. While that will lower blood pressure and eliminate most of the immediate symptoms of hypertension, it will not eliminate the risks of developing more blood pressure-related conditions. Controlled blood pressure is not cured hypertension.

Thankfully, multiple studies have been done over the past several decades that have […]

Latest findings show Chiropractic can help reduce blood pressure

More than 3.6 million Australians over the age of 25 have high blood pressure or are on medication for the condition, but findings recently released by the Chiropractors’ association of Australia indicate there is a non-drug alternative that can lower abnormal blood pressure in healthy bodies by 7.8% – 13%.

The latest findings published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics Vol, 24,No.2,by Dr Gary Knutson DC., show chiropractic adjustments to the upper neck can lower systolic blood pressure almost immediately.

According to Dr Laurie Tassell, National Spokesperson for the Chiropractors’ Association of Australia, a chiropractic pilot study involving 80 people found there is a relationship between the upper neck vertebrae and the body’s natural blood pressure control reflexes.

“With gentle chiropractic adjustment to the upper neck, blood pressure can be lowered, with good results measured for older patients in particular,” he said.

Traditionally the causes of blood pressure, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, have been linked to excess weight, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, dietary salt intake and nutrition patterns with low intake of fruit and vegetables and a high intake of saturated fat.

Data from the 1999-2000 study of general practice activity in Australia shows that high blood pressure is the most common problem managed by general practitioners, accounting for 6% of all problems managed.

“This is where the results of our finding are significant, because chiropractic spinal adjustments may be able to reduce a patient’s blood pressure and in conjunction with visits to their local GP, the level of prescribed drugs may be significantly reduced,” said Dr Tassell.

A report by the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study found that in 1999-2000, more than 3.6million Australians over the age of 25 had high blood pressure, which equates to 31% of men and […]