Little Known Procedure Can Significantly Reduce High Blood Pressure—Naturally!
A recent study, thumb published in the Journal of Human Hypertension, shows that a little-known chiropractic procedure can reduce high blood pressure significantly in just 8 weeks. In the study, 50 patients with early-stage high blood pressure were divided into two groups, one who received a tailor-made adjustment for each person, and the other group who underwent a sham procedure. Those who received the procedure had an average drop of 14 mm Hg drop in systolic blood pressure, and an average 8 mm Hg drop in diastolic blood pressure.
“We were shocked to find out that we got more than double what we expected in blood pressure reduction,” said Dr. George Bakris, director of the Hypertension Center at the University of Chicago Medical Center. “This procedure has the effect of not one, but two blood-pressure medications given in combination,” Dr. Bakris adds, “And it seems to be adverse-event free. We saw no side effects and no problems.”
If a patient was on medication, they were not allowed into the study.
The procedure used was developed by the National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association (NUCCA), and focuses on the misalignment of the first vertebra in the spine called the Atlas. Atlas in Greek mythology was the god who held the world on his shoulders. The Atlas bone is the tiny 2-4 ounce bone that holds the weight of the head on its shoulders (about 10 lbs). When the Atlas shifts or twist out of position, it can irritate the spinal cord, causing muscles to weaken and a twist in the spine with a leg going short and a hip high. This irritation can also affect signals to different organs and can play a role in other health problems such as high blood pressure.
Precise upper cervical x-rays are taken to measure the shift of the atlas vertebra. From these measurements, an adjustment is tailor-made to the individual. With NUCCA, the adjustment is a gentle to firm touch behind the ear (other upper cervical procedures use a light tap). Afterward, another set of x-rays are taken to measure the reduction of the misalignment.
In addition to high blood pressure, studies have shown upper cervical chiropractic care can help not only headaches, herniated discs, neck and back pain, but also seemingly unrelated problems such as Meniere’s disease, and trigeminal neuralgia.
My personal note:
Truthfully, high blood pressure, headaches, pain, postural distortion, and short leg are symptoms of an underlying and more serious problem, which is an irritation on the central nervous system. The nervous system controls all bodily functions. My goal as an upper cervical chiropractor is to get the stress off of the nervous system so that our body’s natural ability to heal itself is fully expressed.
Before attending Logan College of Chiropractic, Dr. Polsinelli had several years of training in the healing arts, including massage, cranial-sacral therapy, positional release techniques, kinesiology, nutrition, and naturopathy. He has been trained in both the Orthospinology and NUCCA upper cervical chiropractic procedures and is currently the only doctor in Ohio that has passed level 2 in NUCCA certification. He can be reached at 440-943-6411 or drp@spinalalignment.com