BACKGROUND: According to the American Heart Association, about 72 million people in the over age 20 have high blood pressure, which equates to about one in three adults. About 61 percent of adults are under current treatment. While 35 percent have their blood pressure under control, about 65 percent do not have it under control.

A group of chiropractic specialists that make up the National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association (NUCCA) have foregone typical full-spine manipulations, limiting their practice solely to the C-1 vertebra. The C-1 vertebra, also called the atlas vertebra, is located high in the neck at the base of the brain. It is the only vertebra in the spine that is not connected to any other bone. Researchers from the University of Chicago Medical Center collaborated with NUCCA practitioner Marshall Dickholtz, Sr., on a recent study to determine the impact of realigning the atlas vertebra on patients' blood pressure levels.

THE STUDY: Researchers enrolled 50 people with high blood pressure who also had a misaligned C-1 vertebra in the study. Half of the patients received a detailed, tailor-made atlas adjustment based on how misaligned their C-1 vertebra was. The other half of the patients received a sham adjustment, which was designed to be indistinguishable from the real adjustment. George Bakris, M.D., from the University of Chicago says the C-1 vertebra relies on soft tissue to maintain alignment and is uniquely vulnerable to displacement. A misaligned C-1 vertebra is common and can occur without pain. It often goes undiagnosed and untreated. X-rays were taken before and after the adjustment, and for those who received the real thing, the X-rays showed that the adjustment indeed realigned the atlas vertebra.

THE RESULTS: Results of the study show the patients who received a real adjustment of their atlas vertebra had a significant reduction in blood pressure over those who received the sham treatment. Researchers say the one-time adjustment lowered blood pressure by 17 points, which is equivalent to giving patients two different blood pressure medications at once. The lowered blood pressure was still seen eight weeks after the adjustment. The study was published in the March 2007 issue of the Journal of Human Hypertension.

WHY IT WORKS: Dickholtz calls the C-1 vertebra the fuse box to the body. He says, "If your neck is not balancing your head, it's like blowing a fuse. Your wonderful brain does not control your body as well. If you pinch the base of your brain, your brain is losing power of its control over what it's supposed to do." He says realigning the atlas vertebra does more than just lower blood pressure. Among its many effects, it can alleviate back and neck pain, and usually results in people feeling better overall. One theory of why the adjustment can lower blood pressure, says Dickholtz, is that "when you have a pinched brain stem, it closes out your arteries. It's called vasoconstriction. If the arteries close down, the blood pressure has to be higher to go through those arteries."

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:                             Dr. Marshall Dickholtz

                                                                                                                        http://nuccadickholtzsr.com