Can chiropractic care lower blood pressure?

Blood pressure is the force of blood against the walls of arteries and is usually measured at the main artery in the upper arm. Blood pressure rises and falls during the day depending on level of activity, mental arousal, body position or fear and anxiety. When blood pressure stays elevated over time, it is called hypertension, the medical term for high blood pressure.

High blood pressure - The silent killer

Blood pressure readings between 100/60 and 140/90 are considered normal, under resting conditions. Readings that are usually at or above 140/90 are considered high. There are usually no symptoms associated with hypertension, which is why it is also known as the 'silent killer'.

Hypertension is dangerous because it makes the heart work too hard to circulate the blood, which, over time, causes the muscles of the heart to get enlarged. The condition in which the enlarged heart can no longer pump the blood around the body is called congestive heart failure, which is a consequence of long-standing, uncontrolled high blood pressure.

Hypertension increases the risk of heart disease and stroke, which are two leading causes of death among Jamaicans. High blood pressure can also result in other conditions such as aneurisms, kidney disease, and blindness.

'White-coat' or 'bush-jacket' hypertension

Some people experience high blood pressure only when they visit the doctor's office. This condition is called 'white-coat' or 'bush-jacket' hypertension. If you suspect that this is happening to you, you may purchase, with the advice of your doctor or pharmacist, a very simple blood pressure machine to monitor your blood pressure at home. If it is normal at home, then you may not have high blood pressure.

What causes high blood pressure?

The causes of high blood pressure vary. Causes may include narrowing or hardening of the arteries, a greater than normal volume of blood, or the heart beating faster or more forcefully than it should. Most of the time, the cause is not known.

Cervical spine injury

The pressure in the arteries of the arms is under the direct control of the nervous system. The nerves that control the pressure in these arteries exit the cervical spine (neck). An injury to the neck, for example, from a whiplash accident, may result in misaligned spinal bones in the neck, irritating these nerves and resulting in elevated blood pressure.

Chiropractors have long been observing that the blood pressure of many of their patients lower following chiropractic adjustments of the spine without using medications. If you are seeking a non-medicinal alternative for the treatment of high blood pressure, have your cervical spine checked by a trained chiropractor to determine if that is indeed the cause. If so, then normal blood pressure may just be an adjustment away.

Neil Gardner, DC, DACNB, Diplomate, American Chiropractic Neurology Board, Chiropractic Neurologist, Gardner Chiropractic & Neurology Ltd. Website: www.gcnjamaica.com. Phone: 876-978-1050-1/876-622-9241 or 214-432-5464 (from the USA).