85 million Americans have high blood pressure ( hypertension) 1 out of every 3 adults over 20 and many do not even know they have it. In addition 1 in 3 Americans has prehypertension, which means higher than normal blood pressure numbers. Chiropractic offers a drug –free approach to treating high blood pressure.
What is High Blood Pressure and Hypertension?
High blood pressure (HBP or hypertension) is when your blood pressure, the force of your blood pushing against the walls of your blood vessels, is consistently too high. Each time your heart beats, it is pumping blood into the arteries of the body. The two numbers in blood pressure reading are systolic, the top number that measures the pressure in the arteries when the heart beats and diastolic, which is the bottom number measuring the pressure in the arteries between beats. Normal level are 120/80 and lower prehypertension levels are 120-139/ 80-89, hypertension stage 1 is 140/159/ 90-99, hypertension stage 2 is 160/100 or higher. Emergency care is needed if the readings are 180/110 or higher.
High Blood Pressure the Silent Killer
You may not feel that anything is wrong, but high blood pressure could be quietly causing damage that can threaten your health. The best prevention is knowing your numbers and making changes that matter in order to prevent and manage high blood pressure. The condition is more dangerous and fatal than many people realize. Left uncontrolled, you may wind up with a disability, a poor quality of life or even a fatal heart attack. Roughly half the people with untreated hypertension die of heart disease related to poor blood flow (ischemic heart disease) and another third die of stroke. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC) has the following list:
- First Heart Attack: 70 percent of adults who have a first heart attack have high blood pressure
- First stroke: 80 percent of adults who have their first stroke have high blood pressure
- Chronic heart failure: 70 percent of adults with chronic heart failure have high blood pressure
- Kidney failure: High blood pressure is the second leading cause of kidney failure
How is High Blood Pressure Treated?
Based on your diagnosis, health care providers develop treatment plans for high blood pressure that include medicines to control high blood pressure. But lifestyle changes such as weight loss , exercising regularly, eating well, reducing excess sodium, limiting alcohol, quitting smoking, cutting back on caffeine and reducing stress all positively contribute to healthy blood pressure levels and can be highly effective in treating high blood pressure. High blood pressure is simple to diagnose and can be lowered using natural, non-pharmaceutical methods.
Chiropractic adjustment and Lowered Blood Pressure
In March of 2007, the Journal of Human Hypertension published a study that demonstrated a significant decrease in blood pressure following a chiropractic adjustment to the C-1 Atlas vertebra (located at the base of the skull.) All chiropractors are trained and capable of realigning the C1 atlas vertebra. Blood pressure dropped 17 points which is a significant drop in blood pressure. The study involved 50 individuals with high blood pressure, the improvement in blood pressure levels continued in the eighth week following the adjustment-potentially longer, as the study only assessed the patients following the adjustment and at a follow up visit for eight weeks.
Make an appointment to talk to one of our chiropractic doctors about chiropractic treatment of High Blood Pressure problems.
Contact Us (859-727-6888) for more information!
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About All Star Chiropractic
Unlike conventional medicine, which focuses on attempting to treat disease once it occurs, All Star Chiropractic and Rehabilitation emphasizes improving your health in an effort to reduce the risk of pain and illness in the first place. Most people would rather be healthy and avoid illness, if they could. This is one of the main reasons for the big surge in the popularity of our wellness center.
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