February is Heart Month.

As a chiropractor, I feel a special connection to the cause of heart health.  Let me explain: more than a hundred years ago one of the pioneers of chiropractic, D.D. Palmer had come across a patient with heart troubles that weren’t getting better.  When he examined his spine he noticed a displaced vertebrae pressing against the nerves connected to the heart.

And when he adjusted it, the man instantly felt better.

This was one of the first cases of a chiropractic adjustment.  From there, the science of chiropractic was developed.

In the mid 90’s, Dr.’s Jarmel and Zatkin produced a study that showed that misalignment of the upper thoracic spine (between your shoulder blades) can be a source of unbalanced cardiac nerve activity. The results of their study with patients who had cardiac abnormalities showed significant improvements following just one month of chiropractic care.

Other studies have shown a big decrease in blood pressure for people getting regular chiropractic adjustments vs. a control group.

But there’s another “angle” I prefer to come back to often:

Posture.

The head-forward, hunched over posture of many people – especially those who sit for a living, office workers, etc. – puts pressure on all your organs, and your heart is no exception.  Picture it: when you’re bent forward halfway to the fetal position, everything inside you gets compressed!  This makes it harder to breathe, think, sleep, you name it.

That’s why improving your posture, with focused attention, strengthening and stretching, and regular chiropractic adjustments is one of the best things you can do for your health.

Heart Disease affects 2.4M Canadian adults.

It’s the second leading cause of death in Canada.

You almost certainly already know you can minimize your risk with lifestyle changes like exercising more and eating better.  But you probably didn’t make the link with your posture.  With regular adjustments we can intervene on your heart’s behalf.  In fact, research has proven chiropractic care can often be more effective than using medications in this regard.

If you have any friends or family members that are experiencing heart symptoms, high blood pressure, or any difficulty breathing – even if they’re currently on medication – this would be a good article to forward along.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep beating this drum:

There are few things that will do more for your overall health, energy, and ability to be active than improving your posture.

Remember, I’m here to help.

 

Dr. Josh

P.S. Watch this short clip to learn how one patient overcame the symptoms of adult onset asthma:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRXMap4iepc&feature=youtu.be