Study Indicates Chiropractic Adjustment Reduces Blood Pressure

What if a single, painless chiropractic adjustment could significantly reduce your high blood pressure… sound too good to be true? According to the results of a new placebo-controlled study, this is absolutely true. Lead researcher George Bakris, MD initiated the pilot study after a fellow doctor found that after referring certain patients to a local chiropractor, those with high blood pressure were experiencing a normalization in their blood pressure after receiving chiropractic care. The local chiropractor, Marshall Dickholtz Sr., DC, treated the subjects with a chiropractic adjustment to the atlas vertebrae - the topmost vertebrae located at the base of the skull. Compared with subjects who received a 'sham' adjustment, those receiving the true adjustment on average experienced a 14 mm Hg greater reduction in their systolic blood pressure and 8 mm Hg reduction in their diastolic blood pressure. According to Dr. Bakris, "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". Note that these comments come from the lead study researcher who is a medical doctor, not a chiropractic doctor.