Hypertension and Neck Injuries
if you are tired of taking high blood pressure medication and are looking for natural relief of high blood pressure in Walnut Creek California keep reading.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), hypertension is the most common cause of preventable death in developed countries and it is a major risk factor for cardiovascular conditions such as heart attacks and strokes which are the first and third leading cause of death in the US.
Traditionally, the treatment method of choice has been through the use of anti-hypertensive medication. Considering that anti-hypertensive medication has been on the market since the 1950s and the usage of these medications has increased over the years and the incidence of hypertension is also increasing; the current prevention and treatment methods appear to be unsuccessful and we should start looking for alternative methods of treatment.
One such alternative that warrants a closer look is specific chiropractic adjustments to the first cervical vertebra (referred to as C1 or the Atlas vertebra) which has been associated with reducing blood pressure to the equivalent of two-drug combination therapies in patients. This landmark study was published in 2007, indicating the connection between the upper neck and high blood pressure.
Natural Alternative to Blood Pressure Medications
A recent case study published by Dr. Jonathan Chung further investigates the connection. Dr. Chung, Dr. Brown and Dr. Busa published a compelling case study in the Journal of Upper Cervical Chiropractic Research. The patient in the case study was taking 2 blood pressure medications when beginning care. After the completion of an upper cervical chiropractic care program of 16 adjustments over several months the patient no longer needed to take any blood pressure medications.
As is a common situation the patient in the case study was involved in several motor vehicle accidents that resulted in head and neck trauma. It is believed that this type of head and neck injury can lead to problems with the brain stem and a reactionary increase in blood pressure.
Why does the alignment of the C-1 vertebrae (sometimes called the Atlas vertebrae) have an effect on blood pressure? Because of its location at the brain stem, the C-1 only has to move about half a millimeter to start pinching the base of the brain. While this is not enough to cause pain in the area of the misalignment, it can certainly cause many other problems throughout the body. In fact, a misalignment of the C-1 can cause the spine to be twisted, one hip to be higher than the other, one leg to be shorter, and many other health problems including hypertension.
How may such a misalignment have occurred?
For some, an upper neck injury may have occurred at birth. Others experience an accident such as a car accident or a sports injury. Others many have received the damage in an attack. Regardless of the cause of the upper neck injury, upper cervical chiropractic care is the best way to realign the vertebrae. It may thus reverse some of the symptoms related to the injury.
If you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure and you are looking for natural alternative to blood pressure medications then you should have a thorough neck evaluation by a trained upper cervical specialist.
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