What is High Blood Pressure?
Blood pressure is a term that describes the pressure your blood is placing on the walls of the blood vessels whilst it’s pumped around the body. Usually measured by your general practitioner, blood pressure is recorded with two numbers; the first is the systolic pressure (the pressure in the arteries when blood is pushed out of the heart) and the second is the diastolic pressure (the pressure between each heartbeat).
For an individual to be considered to have high blood pressure, their systolic pressure will sit higher than 130 and their diastolic pressure will be higher than 80.
Signs and Symptoms of High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure may not be immediately obvious in some individuals and will present differently depending on the underlying cause. Generally, you can expect to experience increased headaches, dizziness, visual impairments, blood in the urine, chest pain, or shortness of breath if you have high blood pressure.
How the Upper Cervical Spine Affects High Blood Pressure
While the connection between high blood pressure and the upper cervical spine isn’t immediately clear, the link lies between the upper cervical spine and the central nervous system (CNS). The CNS is responsible for constricting and dilating arteries in order to regulate blood pressure throughout the entire body.
When there is a misalignment in the upper cervical spine, the vertebrae can compress nerves that communicate with the CNS, causing the nerves to misfire when sending electrical signals to the arteries. A misfired signal may cause the arteries to suddenly contract, causing the arteriole wall to constrict, raising your blood pressure.
How Our Treatment Works for High Blood Pressure
Rather than living on heart pressure medication, consider speaking with our high blood pressure specialist, Dr. Gordon Elder. An expert in the Blair Upper Cervical Chiropractic Technique, Dr. Elder uses the Blair technique to treat conditions like high blood pressure at the cause rather than simply managing symptoms. The Blair technique focuses on restoring the upper cervical spine to re-engage the body’s natural healing mechanisms and improve nerve, muscle, and spinal function.
Dr. Elder employs a two-step approach when treating high blood pressure.
Patients will first attend a 25–30-minute consultation so Dr. Elder can gather information about the patient’s medical history. During this time Dr. Elder will also be able to determine whether a vertebral misalignment is a factor in your high blood pressure.
Following the initial consultation, Dr. Elder will formulate a comprehensive diagnosis and treatment plan. This diagnostic process typically involves the use of advanced 3-D imaging techniques to narrow down the exact location of any misalignments.
During your first treatment, Dr. Elder will perform a range of gentle and precise corrections to push misaligned vertebrae back into their natural position.
Unfortunately, treating high blood pressure naturally isn’t a quick-fix — patients will need to return for regular check-ups (for at least 3-5 months) to ensure the adjustment is setting. Most patients average between 10 and 15 appointments with Dr. Elder to achieve long-lasting/permanent results.
Don’t let high blood pressure reduce your quality of life, get in touch today to speak with Dr. Gordon Elder about the health of your upper cervical spine. Located in Lubbock, Texas, Dr. Elder also services Amarillo, Midland, Odessa, Abilene, El Paso in Texas, and Hobbs in New Mexico.
Published by Vic Belonogoff: A Blair Chiropractic doctor helped heal vertigo, among other conditions that Vic Belonogoff suffered from, and it gave him his life back. He continues to see an upper cervical chiropractor as a preventative measure. Vic Belonogoff is passionate about upper cervical chiropractic and how much it helps patients.