4 Ways Chiropractic Care Can Help Reduce Pulmonary Hypertension
What is Pulmonary Hypertension?
Pulmonary hypertension is a form of high blood pressure that affects the heart and the lungs. Pulmonary hypertension can be caused by a variety of factors ranging from genetic predisposition to exposure to certain chemicals and substances.
An official medical diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension indicates that the body is being strained by stress to the blood vessels of the lungs, forcing the heart to overwork as it pumps blood through lung arteries.
Chiropractic care is a form of wellness care that serves as a complement to expert medical care. While chiropractic care should never be used as a substitute for medical care, it often works in tandem with a diagnosis to provide complete support and encourage the body’s natural healing response.
In the case of pulmonary hypertension, chiropractic care should not be approached as a cure, but rather as a form of care that can help to encourage and support the physical body’s optimal function.
Below are four ways that chiropractic care provides support to global health in the body, not just for individuals diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension, but for people with any variety of physical maladies or wellness goals:
1. Improve Nerve Communication & Functionality
Chiropractic care focuses on the neuromusculoskeletal system, meaning that it provides support to the nervous, muscular, and skeletal systems.
One of chiropractic’s most helpful benefits is the way that expert chiropractic care can decrease nerve pain, improve nerve communication, and optimize the function of nerves by decreasing inflammation and nerve compression.
When a chiropractor adjusts the body or provides another form of treatment, like a manual manipulation or traction, the realignment of bones and joints in the area can move pressure off of nerves that were previously being pinched or negatively affected. Pinched nerves can be a source of pain and discomfort for most individuals, and are commonly experienced in the form of sciatic pain.
When nerves are functioning optimally, pain caused by compression or inflammation is decreased or eliminated, cognitive function can be enhanced, control of extremities and limbs can be restored or improved, and the holistic function of the body can be enhanced.
2. Increase Oxygen Levels in the Body
Chiropractic care can play a helpful role in contributing to the increase of oxygen levels in the body. When a chiropractic adjustment or other form of treatment is delivered by an expert chiropractor, the lymphatic system may be temporarily stimulated from the movement and circulation of fluid through the joints, muscles, and tissues.
As stagnation is decreased through chiropractic treatment, this can enhance the performance of the circulatory and respiratory systems by increasing circulation and the efficiency of waste transportation out of the body. Chiropractic care can produce a detoxifying and stimulating effect to the body’s systems, as a result, boosting oxygen levels in the body.
When oxygen levels are increased in the body, it can feel easier to breathe, increased clarity and sharpness of the mind can be experienced, and healing can occur more rapidly across the body as a result.
3. Regulate Heart Rate & Decrease Blood Pressure
Because the nervous system is one of the systems that is supported when a chiropractor provides a treatment, chiropractic care can aid in regulating the electrical processes in the body.
Electrical processes in the body are largely controlled by the nervous system, which in turn influences tasks of the body like heart rate, blood pressure, cognition (thinking), global function of all systems, and movement and sensory perception.
When a chiropractor administers treatment, the nervous system can experience a balancing effect as optimal nerve function is restored. Chiropractic treatments can send signals to both the local area being treated and to the brain and spinal cord that indicate a “reset” of the nerves. When the nerves are able to function optimally, they can self-regulate the heart-rate, helping to also normalize heart rhythm and decrease blood pressure.
When nerve energy is regulated in the body, processes like heart rate and rhythm can be regulated, blood pressure can decrease, a sense of calm and an improvement in energy can arise, and the body can respond better to physical activity.
4. Lower Stress Levels
Because of its rejuvenating effect on the various body systems, chiropractic care can help to lower stress levels by improving overall function in the body. Stress in the body can often appear as inflammation, exhaustion and lethargy, cognitive distress, and decreased or excessive immune function.
When you seek chiropractic care, you take a step toward lowering your stress levels by rebalancing and realigning some of the major systems of your body. Patients who receive chiropractic care report a significant decrease in stress and increase in overall healing and wellness outcomes.
Chiropractic care can help support your journey toward health and well-being. If you’re ready to experience all of the benefits that chiropractic has to offer, book your appointment today! The team at North Alabama Spine & Rehab is excited to proudly provide the entire North Alabama area—including the cities of Florence, Huntsville, Scottsboro, Fort-Payne, Albertville and Decatur—with outstanding chiropractic care.
