High blood pressure: Special chiropractic report

Blood pressure is on the rise. And managing the condition is multi factorial from lifestyle, to dietary, to emotional, to pharmacological and non-pharmacological. The purpose of this blog post is to shed some light on the neurological implications of a specific chiropractic adjustment and why chiropractic should be included in the management of such cases.

Firstly, is high blood pressure a disease? No. High blood pressure is a window to the function of the nervous system. It’s like looking at the dashboard of your vehicle and seeing the rev counter hovering in the red at 6,000 RPM – but attempting to treat it by placing a smiley sticker over the dash instead of addressing the engine beneath it. High blood pressure is a reflection of the stress the nervous system is under and undulates according to the ebbs and flows of your environmental stressors. Your heart changes its beat in accordance with life’s undulating challenges.

Why are there so many different blood pressure medications? The blanket “napalm” approach to lowering blood pressure is simply a test-and-measure procedure to see which chemical manipulates the system best, achieving a desired “number” or systolic pressure, and then claiming the system is now healthy. There are a score of different antihypertensive drugs on the market, falling into the broad categories of drugs that narrow blood vessels, widen blood vessels, affect the kidneys, slow down the heart muscle, or reduce nerve signals going to the heart.

Click here to read Don’s high blood pressure chiropractic story.

The sneaky bastard… Read more

Dizziness

“I have never had dizzy spells again and remarkably my high blood pressure has dropped.”

Dizziness and vertigo can have a myriad of causes from inner ear disease or vestibular dysfunction, to brainstem or cerebellar misfiring – the cerebellum is the part of the brain which the police test on the side of the road when one has had one too many. There can also be poor vestibulo-ocular reflexes (eye to inner ear connections) or poor vestibulo-spinal reflexes (upper spine to inner ear connections). This is oftentimes too why, when a person’s vision starts deteriorating or they change glasses, it can begin messing with the brain and balance. Likewise with bumps, falls or whiplash to the neck.

So it’s important to work out at what level the problem might be but a good neurological exam or working with other professionals will put one on the right track. In the absence of hardcore disease or damage, upper cervical adjusting can have a lot to offer for resetting the computer system of a lot of these connections especially when it comes to vestibulo-spinal and vestibulo-ocular reflexes (see pic). Associated problems in this arena would be nausea or vomiting, poor balance, change in vision, headaches or change in blood pressure because the brainstem has a huge role to play in how the automatic part of the nervous system controls this. Correcting the upper spine appropriately (in the absence of pain) can often reduce blood pressure.

Falls amongst the elderly is one of the highest morbidity predictors next to them being over-medicated (potentially another cause of vertigo). Meaning falls are common, and they lead to bad things: Broken hips, legs, wrists and these take a very long time to heal, if ever. The elderly lose independence and hopelessness sets in. So if you have a parent about whose balance you’re concerned, give Pip a buzz.

The other little gem I love about this case is how Gill’s quality of life improved after simply adjusting her arthritic thumb. Now she can write letters, turn knobs and play golf better again! Success is in the details. Read more

High Blood Pressure

“After 7 weeks we did a check of my blood pressure and found, very much to our pleasure, that my blood pressure was down to normal levels.”

I have been seeing Neil for some 15 weeks and in that time have found his chiropractic care, service and professionalism to be of a very high standard.

At the time of my initial consultation I had been prescribed high blood pressure medication by my GP and was unsure about taking the medication due to possible side effects and the overall nature of how the medication worked on my body. In conjunction with Neil’s advice I chose not to take the pills and trusted that Neil’s chiropractic care would alleviate my higher than normal blood pressure, which at the time on my consult (7 Aug 08) was 142/98. Also at my initial consult the thermographic scan of my spine was not a pretty picture due to all the life stresses I had been under for the last couple of years.

Neil’s treatment plan had me initially on 3 visits a week for the first 8 weeks and then on 2 visits a week there after. After 7 weeks (21 treatments) we did a check of my blood pressure and found, very much to our pleasure, that my blood pressure was down to normal levels at 122/84 and that a subsequent reading at week 15 shows that my blood pressure remains at normal levels. Also my thermographic spine scans have shown a continual improvement even though my life stresses have not improved and have even become worse.

I am grateful for the chiropractic care I receive from Neil and after each of my sessions I have a sense of well being that is hard to quantify, other than to say I feel positive about my health and about being able to cope with the stresses in my life. I am sure that this will continue as I continue to receive chiropractic care from Dr Neil Bossenger and his team at Spinewave Wellness Centre.

I have no hesitation in recommending Dr Neil Bossenger and his chiropractic care to anyone.

Yours faithfully