One thing I tell patients when I recommend supplements is that there are few supplements that you should be on for life. Herbs, Glandulars, Vitamins, Minerals - anything that comes in a pill or powder should be used to support a healing process in the body, not as a natural substitution for medication otherwise the only difference is less side effects. Both Medications and Supplements have their time and place in management of Hypertension, but a study done at the University of Chicago Hypertension study reveals that a Chiropractic Exam could uncover a treatment with permanent results that are more effective than two blood pressure medications combined.
The study concluded that when misalignments of the Atlas bone (C1 - or the first cervical bone in the spine) existed, and chiropractic adjustments were given to correct the misalignment, patients saw decreases in blood pressure greater than that of those on two blood pressure lower medications combined. The study was made popular by its appearance on WebMD and has been promoted by pro-chiropractic groups worldwide.
Not everyone with high blood pressure has it because of a C1 misalignment. It is important to understand why the body increases blood pressure in order to track down the cause of the hypertension. Under acute (short-term) stress, the body increases cardiac output to support key organ systems involved in the "fight or flight" stress response. This is why blood pressure increases when we are upset, nervous, scared, disoriented. It's also why our blood pressure increases in higher altitudes, when we engage in vigorous exercise, or when we experience a trauma (whether it be physical, mental , or emotional). This is an intelligent response by the body because the increased cardiac output is required to get us through that stressful environment.
It's when the stress becomes chronic (long-term) that high blood pressure is dangerous. Chronic stress can exist for the body if you are overweight, lacking certain nutrients, have a heavy toxic load, or suffer from mental and emotional issues for a prolonged period of time. It is still intelligent for the body to elevate the blood pressure in order to cope with the effects of long-term stress. So what do you think happens when we artificially cover that up with medications or supplements? The body is going to find another way to adapt to the chronic stress. It might stop converting DHEA to sex hormones so it can make more cortisol (your primary stress hormone), ultimately leading to high cholesterol because the liver has to make more to convert it to cortisol. Increased cortisol levels lead to insulin resistance (Type II Diabetes) and constriction of blood vessels which leads to ---- yep ---- high blood pressure. So if you have high blood pressure and you suppress it through medication, you could end up with.....high blood pressure and additional problems which I'm sure the drug companies have "answers" for.
That's why addressing the cause is so important. If chronic stress at work is causing your high blood pressure, learn coping mechanisms or find a new job if it's impossible to fix the current situation you are in. If being overweight, or some other medical condition is the cause of your high blood pressure, you may need some sort of medicinal solution while you combat the cause of the other condition. I've always said that medication has it's time and place, but the goal of any good doctor should be to get you on as few medications and the smallest doses possible for the shortest time possible.
And that brings me back to the misalignment of C1. When C1 is misaligned, interference of the regulatory messages between the brain and heart can cause blood pressure to remain elevated when no the body is not under a stressful stimulus. Removing this interference by adjusting C1 back into its optimal orientation in the spine allows the heart and brain to communicate efficiently and properly regulate blood pressure.
If you are not sure what the cause of your blood pressure is, see your chiropractor. If you don't have one, find one. And if you live near me, come to my office (details in the youtube video above) and I'll get down to the cause of your Hypertension. If it's something that chiropractic care can help whether that be through correcting misalignments of C1 or addressing nutrition, exercise, and detox, we are equipped to determine if medical referral or co-management is necessary.
http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/news/20070316/chiropractic-cuts-blood-pressure
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