Chiropractic, Blood Pressure and WebMD

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Chiropractic, Blood Pressure and WebMD
March 26, 2007
Dennis Perman DC
The Masters Circle

Dear Doctor:

Earlier this week, influential leader and highly respected Masters Circle member Chris Outten, DC of Cary, N.C. sent me an article, a study showing that chiropractic care reduces high blood pressure.

What makes the article so significant is that it was published on WebMD, one of the most visible and well read of all the medical websites, and not one usually known for appreciating the many and diverse applications of chiropractic care.

But this study is different in that it put a placebo group of high blood pressure sufferers against a similar group that got a meticulous analysis and adjustment, with X-ray follow up to determine if the adjustment was sufficient to expect the positive changes in the symptoms, and the consistency and magnitude of the results dropped the jaws of every medical researcher on the team.

This investigation was spearheaded by 84-year old Marshall Dickholtz, Sr. DC, top NUCCA practitioner and veteran of over fifty years of practice and teaching about the upper cervical spine and its proper care and alignment, who ensured the clinical precision of the project.

There are many remarkable things about this study, not the least of which that it clearly demonstrates that any insinuation that chiropractic is good for treating back pain only, or any relegation to specializing in minor painful disorders, would be terribly misguided and probably detrimental to the common good. The observation of any measurable connection between spinal distortion and blood pressure begs the question, ÏWhat else does chiropractic care do that we didnÌt know about?Ó

It is of note that the study was triggered when a field medical doctor noticed something strange in his family practice. It seems that he had been referring patients to a chiropractor for painful problems, and those who had high blood pressure came back to him normal, and he didnÌt know why. It is a tremendous credit to him, first, that he noticed the phenomenon, and second, that he took action and initiated the conversation that led to this study. Millions will benefit because of that willingness to remain objective, even though these doctorsÌ experience didnÌt necessarily match their expectation.

Research leader George Bakris, MD said that fifty hypertensive patients were divided into two groups, one receiving highly precise NUCCA adjustment of the atlas vertebra. ÏWhen the statistician brought me the data, I actually didnÌt believe it. It was way too good to be true. But we checked everything, and there it was. The procedure has the effect of not one, but two blood pressure medications given in combination, and it seems to be adverse-effect free. We saw no side effects and no problems.Ó

Chiropractors have been claiming these kinds of results anecdotally for a hundred years, with none of the risks or dangers of drugs and other medical procedures. It is refreshing to see that scientists who are willing to look at the real feedback and data are beginning to realize the power of the adjustment, and the possibilities that come along with chiropractic care. While they may still interpret this discovery as a novel treatment for high blood pressure, itÌs another step closer to having chiropractic embraced in the mainstream of health and wellness, because of all the good it can do.