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Possible Sitka Chiropractic Benefits for Hypertension

Blood pressure. Hypertension. It’s a subject among friends and family members and patient/physician interactions even in yoga classes and via meditation apps. Our uptight world has us all stressed out, back pain and neck pain creates worry, chronic pain anywhere stresses our bodies, nudging blood pressure higher. Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka presents new studies that demonstrate some potential promise of chiropractic and spinal manipulation’s being able to beneficially change blood pressure.

SPINAL MANIPULATION AND THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

Spinal manipulation’s effect on the nervous system, specifically its sympathetic (“fight or flight” reactionary part) and parasympathetic (“rest and digest” calm part) parts of the autonomic nervous system, is garnering awareness in the clinical setting with normal clients as well as in the sport setting with athletes. A study of using spinal manipulation versus a sham treatment with recreational athletes revealed that spinal manipulation before exercise triggered a shift toward enhanced parasympathetic system function resulting in impaired performance. (1) That’s not all bad in the clinical setting! Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka knows it’s all about delivering the right type of treatment at the right time to get the best outcomes. Parasympathetic dominance to enhance pain reduction is good for athletes suffering with back pain after their events.  

CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM, HYPERTENSION, AND MANIPULATION

Manual therapies like Sitka spinal manipulation and mobilization at Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka are known for their ability to treat, ease, and handle spinal pain related conditions. As a side benefit, changes to the cardiovascular system have been documented. With hypertension being the global health concern (and even cause of death) that it is, such changes are potentially quite critical. Blood pressure control is complex, depending on the autonomic nervous system for its regulation while genetics and physiology may also play a role. Quite a few patients - 20-30% of them - with blood pressure issues do not respond to common medications. Consequently, alternatives are being studied like chiropractic spinal manipulation therapy. A review of the published literature discovered promising results that inspire more study. (2) A newer study found that spinal manipulation and mobilization had a statistically significant decrease in systolic blood pressure as well as diastolic blood pressure and heart rate variability though these were statistically non-significant in this setting. (3) More research is most definitely called for. Systolic blood pressure reflects the force on the blood vessels when the heart beats (top number) while diastolic reflects the pressure in the arteries when the heart rests between beats (bottom number). Doctors usually pay more attention to the top, systolic number, so spinal manipulation’s effect would be appreciated if more studies continue to show such effect.   Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka offers gentle spinal manipulation treatment via the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.  Its is research-documented and effective for reducing back and neck pain.                          

CONTACT Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka

Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. James Cox on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he describes how the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management may assist the autonomic system.

Make your next Sitka chiropractic appointment with Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka today. Hypertension may well meet its match - or at least back down a bit - with chiropractic spinal manipulation! Let us find out together. 

Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka presents new research favoring chiropractic spinal manipulation’s potential benefit for addressing blood pressure issues.
 
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"This information and website content is not intended to diagnose, guarantee results, or recommend specific treatment or activity. It is designed to educate and inform only. Please consult your physician for a thorough examination leading to a diagnosis and well-planned treatment strategy. See more details on the DISCLAIMER page. Content is reviewed by Dr. James M. Cox I."