You mean chiropractic adjustments can help lower my blood pressure?

High blood pressure (HBP) is a condition that damages the walls of blood vessels and can lead to a number of other diseases such as heart disease and stroke.  Think of an overinflated tire.  Overtime, if there is too much pressure in that tire it is likely to wear out faster and in some cases blow! That’s especially not good for blood vessels to do inside of your body. 
So how do doctors determine if you have HBP?  Simple: it’s that test they do just about every visit when they inflate a cuff around your arm to measure blood pressure.  It is measured by two very important numbers: systolic (the top number when your heart beats) and diastolic (when your heart is relaxed).  In a relaxed state you want those numbers to be around 120/80 (systolic/diastolic) or slightly less. 
While HBP is mostly avoidable with lifestyle changes (proper diet & exercise), studies have shown that chiropractic adjustments, particularly to the upper neck, can lower your blood pressure.  One study compared the drop in systolic/diastolic blood pressure between a group of patients receiving adjustments to the upper neck and another group that received a sham (fake adjustment) to the upper neck.  The results were astonishing; a reduction in blood pressure equivalent to two combined prescribed blood pressure lowering medications after an eight week trial.
This is just one example of how chiropractic adjustments help your entire body.  A major principle of chiropractic is that your body naturally tries to attain balance and heal itself.  Here at Body in Balance Chiropractic, we focus our practice on helping your body stay in balance.

Yours in health,
Dr. Bryan


Journal of Human Hypertension (2007) 21, 347–352. doi:10.1038/sj.jhh.1002133; published online 2 March 2007

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