A chiropractor managing high blood pressure may sound like a stretch, but there is surprisingly good evidence that your chiropractor SHOULD be involved in lowering your blood pressure.
Chances are, you or a loved one has a diagnosis of high blood pressure or hypertension. It — in fact — is the single most common diagnosis in family medicine, with approximately 25 percent of American adults being affected. A diagnosis is usually settled on when your blood pressure is consistently measured above 140/90, and there is no pathological cause found for the increase in pressure.
Hypertension is almost always a symptom of bad things to come. It’s a major risk factor for stroke and heart attack and contributes to the development of congestive heart failure, retinopathy (eye issues and blindness), and hypertensive kidney disease.
Where does your chiropractor fit in?
Management of hypertension should be a three-pronged approach with nutritional, lifestyle and adjustment/alignment interventions forming the triad. As the only nationally licensed health care discipline with training in nutritional, lifestyle and adjusting interventions, chiropractic stands out as the premier discipline for managing chronic high blood pressure. The research substantiates this approach.
Lifestyle
A study published in a nationally respected journal showed that the combination of improved diet and fasting normalized blood pressure in nearly 90 percent of the hypertensive group in this study. The drop in blood pressure also was greater than a group taking blood pressure lowering medications.
Nutrition
Several nutritional supplements also have been shown to lower blood pressure in the research. These include CoQ10, vitamin D, magnesium, L-carnitine and others.
Adjustments/Manipulation
Finally, chiropractic spinal adjustments have been shown to be effective in lowering blood pressure. The most recent publication in the medical journal, Journal of Human Hypertension, found that neck adjustments lowered blood pressure on average 17/10 mm Hg versus 3/2 in the placebo group. An added bonus to this research is that it changes the way we think about the cause of chronic hypertension, namely that it may be caused in part by compression of the brainstem in the upper neck.
This post summarizes an article by Dr. Alex Vasquez, DC, ND, DO. If you would like to read the full article, go to the link below:
Healing Tip of the Week
Get your vitamin D naturally! Sunbathing a half-hour a day in midday sunlight will give you approximately 10,000 IU’s of Vitamin D, a very healthy dose of this crucial hormone that has been shown to help lower blood pressure.
Everything is energy. The source of everything you think, do and feel is energy. So, how are you using yours? Are you putting energy into things, people, practices that are draining you? Or, are these efforts sustaining you? Are you aware of what drains your energy vs. what gives you more? How you’re allocating your energy is directly related to how you feel each day and how you’re going to feel in the future.
When you’re injured, sick, depressed, stressed, whatever, it’s a direct result of how much energy you’re expending vs. how much energy you actually have. Most of us believe we have an abundance of energy, and it will last forever. Or, at least, most of us live as if that’s the case. Work hard; play hard; spend time trying to make everyone happy; worry about every little detail of life; spend, spend, spend your energy. But, where is the time for building and sustaining energy? Where is the time for taking care of you? It’s important to have balance. The “secret” to a longer, higher quality of life is to build and maintain more energy than you expend. It’s a balancing act, and the balance is different for each person. Learning how to build your energy level naturally and how to use it efficiently is the key to preventing illness, injury, etc.
You already know how to expend energy. So, how can you build it? It’s simple.
Consider balance and moderation in everything you do. Eat healthy food in moderate amounts. Exercise moderately. Take time to connect with nature, the people and things you enjoy. Take time to nurture yourself. Be flexible – adapt to change as it occurs. Feel the feelings, but flow with the change. Laugh and smile a lot. Spend time with people who love and support you.
We also build energy by paying attention to internal growth through such things as relaxation, meditation, tai chi and qi gong, as well as yoga.
Here are three simple questions you can ask yourself to gain more clarity on how you use energy and what areas possibly need more balance:
What makes you laugh and smile and feel good deep in the core of your being?
What makes you feel tired, depressed, lonely, and void of energy?
How can you redirect and balance those aspects of your lifestyle to build more energy then you’re expending?
If you find that the answers to these questions reveal that you are stuck or that there is no way to change your situation, the acupuncturists at the Advanced Wellness Center are here to help. The foundation of Acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine is to move energy, or Qi, that is stuck or blocked. Moving energy creates change, which helps the body, mind and spirit build energy.
Healing Tip of the Week
We are dynamic, always changing, vibrant beings. Be willing to believe that this dynamic quality opens the door for the unlikely and the impossible to occur. Time is the vehicle of change. Today, practice patience, tolerance, and compassion for yourself as you allow time for change.
