It’s Valentine’s Day, Have a Healthy Heart

According to many cardiologists, everyone should have regular chiropractic care because it’s good for your health, your body, and especially for your heart. Along with a heart-healthy diet, chiropractic adjustments is one of his own personal tools in preventing heart disease.

The heart and blood vessels are connected to the central nervous system by millions of tiny connections. One major attachment is the vagus nerve (which comes from the brain) and the autonomic nervous system (which has input into the entire body). These nerves control heart rate and blood pressure—both essential factors for heart health. Since chiropractic care positively impacts these nerves, its benefits to the heart are tremendous.

6 Heart Health Benefits

There are six proven ways chiropractic care helps prevent or treat cardiovascular disease:

Lowers blood pressure – studies show a significant improvement in blood pressure when chiropractors adjust the 1st vertebra, called the Atlas (1).
Improves nerve function of the heart – this is called the autonomic tone, and it impacts the heart, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, kidneys, bladder, sex organs, and just about every other part of the body (2).
Decreases blood markers of inflammation – the more inflammation, the greater your risk of cardiovascular events (3).
Improves heart rate variability – the more your heart rate bounces around, the longer you will live. Many patients with severe heart issues have problems in this area (4).
Decreases chest pain – millions of hospital visits for chest pain can be avoided by referral or chiropractic care (5). A huge reason Dr. Wolfson refers patients to chiropractors is that chest pain is often musculoskeletal in nature. Most patients can be quickly assessed and once a doctor determines that the heart is not involved, curative therapy from a chiropractor is imperative. Patients do not need the “million dollar work-up,” they need an adjustment. Costochondritis, rib misalignment, or thoracic vertebrae subluxation are all causes of chest pain and shortness of breath. They also all respond to chiropractic care.
Improves lung function – chiropractic care has been proven effective in patients with asthma and emphysema (6), and poor lung function has been linked to heart failure.

1. J Hum Hypertens. 2007 May; 21(5): 347-52
2. J Chiropr Med. 2008 Sep;7(3):86-93.
3. J Chiropr Med. 2010 Sep;9(3):107-14
4. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2006 May;29(4):267-74.
5. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2012 Jan;35(1):7-17
6. J Altern Complement Med. 2011 Sep;17(9):797-801.