A 2007 study showed that a chiropractic adjustment was as effective as taking 2 blood pressure medication at the same time. Atlas Adjustment and Hypertension The procedure calls for adjustment of the C-1 vertebra. It’s called the Atlas vertebra because it holds up the head, just as the titan Atlas holds up the world in Greek mythology. Marshall Dickholtz Sr., DC, of the Chiropractic Health Center, in Chicago, is the 84-year-old chiropractor who performed all the procedures in the study. He calls the Atlas vertebra “the fuse box to the body.” “At the base of the brain are two centers that control all the muscles of the body. If you pinch the base of the brain — if the Atlas gets locked in a position as little as a half a millimeter out of line — it doesn’t cause any pain but it upsets these centers,” Dickholtz tells WebMD. The subtle adjustment is practiced by the very small subgroup of chiropractors certified in National Upper Cervical Chiropractic (NUCCA) techniques. The procedure employs precise measurements to determine a patient’s Atlas vertebra alignment. If realignment is deemed necessary, the chiropractor uses his or her hands to gently manipulate the vertebra. “We are not doctors. We are spinal engineers,” Dickholtz says. “We use mathematics, geometry, and physics to learn how to slide everything back into place.” http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/news/20070316/chiropractic-cuts-blood-pressure
Chiropractic helps blood pressure
A 2007 study showed that a chiropractic adjustment was as effective as taking 2 blood pressure medication at the same time.