The Journal of Upper Cervical Chiropractic Research published a study on April 24, 2012 documenting
the positive effects upper cervical care has on normalizing blood
pressure. This study was unique in that it looked at the effect of upper cervical care on a full range of blood pressure situations and not just
on the effect upper cervical care (UCC) has on high blood pressure.
Several previous studies have
documented that UCC has the effect of lowering blood
pressure significantly on test subjects. The author of this study
reviewed the prior studies noting that each of them showed significant
improvement in patients with hypertension. One such study was
done at the Hypertension Center at the University of Chicago Medical
Center and published in the March 2, 2007 issue of the Journal of Human
Hypertension. The study's leader, George Bakris, MD, commented, "This
procedure has the effect of not one, but two
blood-pressure medications given in combination. And it seems to be
adverse-event free. We saw no side effects and no problems."
This study looked at 42 individuals
with a variety of blood pressure readings in order to compare the impact UCC had on the group as a whole. In this group, there
were 12 subjects with a lower blood pressure than normal, considered
"hypotensive", 12 people with blood pressure in a normal range called
"normotensives", 10 with slightly high blood pressure reading
considered, "pre-hypertensive," and 8 who had blood pressure readings
high enough to clearly fall into the categories of being stage 1 or
stage 2 hypertensive.
UCC for
correction of subluxation at the "Atlas" (top bone in the neck) was
given to the group. This study reviewed data from three groups
consisting of Group 1- hypotensives, Group 2- normotensives and Group 3-
hypertensive, which combined the pre-hypertensive with the stage one
and stage two hypertensive group.
The results for the hypotensive group
with lower blood pressure showed that their average blood pressure
increased to within a normal range. The study recorded that the average
pre-UCC systolic pressure was 84.33 mmHg compared to the
average post-UCC systolic pressure which was 98.17 mmHg.
Similar improvements were seen in the diastolic pressures going from
64.83 mmHg to 73.67 mmHg after UCC was initiated.
The group with normal blood pressure
reading showed a slight decrease in both their systolic and diastolic
reading after UCC.
The biggest changes were in the groups
of hypertensive and pre-hypertensive people where the systolic pressure
group average was 152.61 mmHg before chiropractic, and the average after
the introduction of UCC fell to 132.39 mmHg. The
diastolic values for this group for pre and post UCC also
showed improvement going from 83.83 mmHg to 77.00 mmHg.
In his conclusion, the author wrote,
"These findings suggest realignment of the atlas does not simply lower
ABP (arterial blood pressure) but may also be part of a systemic
homeostatic mechanism not yet completely understood. The same adjustment
that decreased hypertensive ABP measurements also increased hypotensive
ABP measurements to more normal levels."
(Editor's note: Remember the objective of upper cervical care
is to correct head neck misalignment that is interfering with proper
brain to body communication. When this is corrected the body functions
at a higher level and can often correct other problems more efficiently
on its own. Please do not confuse upper cervical care as a treatment for any condition, disease or symptom.)