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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Study Documents Significant Decrease in Blood Pressure Following One Specialized Chiropractic 'Atlas Adjustment' 

 Results published online in March 2007 Journal of Human Hypertension validate decrease is equivalent to taking two blood pressure drugs simultaneously

 CARMICHAEL, Calif. – April 23, 2007 – A Chicago-area study of 50 individuals with misaligned Atlas vertebrae (located high in the neck) documents reduced blood pressure following one specialized chiropractic "adjustment" and continued results after eight weeks. The Foundation for Chiropractic Progress, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to increasing public awareness of the benefits of chiropractic, points out that these results, as published in the March 2, 2007 online issue of the Journal of Human Hypertension, are equal to taking two blood-pressure drugs simultaneously.

According to lead author George Bakris, M.D., director of the hypertension center at the University of Chicago Medical Center, unlike other vertebrae, which interlock one to the next, the Atlas (also known as C-1) relies solely upon soft tissue (muscles and ligaments) to maintain alignment.  It is uniquely vulnerable to displacement which can occur without pain and often goes undetected and untreated.

 Individuals enrolled in the study displayed high blood pressure and misaligned C-1. Half of the patients received a customized, tailor-made adjustment while the other half received a “sham intervention,” designed to be indistinguishable to the patients from an authentic adjustment. Eight weeks after undergoing procedures, 25 patients with early-stage high blood pressure had significantly lower blood pressure than 25 similar patients who underwent the sham adjustment. 

Compared to the sham-treated patients, those who received the customized procedure saw an average 14 mm Hg greater drop in systolic blood pressure (the top number in a blood pressure count), and an average 8 mm Hg greater drop in diastolic blood pressure (the bottom blood pressure number). None of the patients took blood pressure medicine during the eight-week study.

“This study confirms the value of chiropractic adjustment to significantly lower blood pressure in patients with a misaligned C-1,” states Gerard W. Clum, D.C. president of Life Chiropractic College West, Hayward, California, and spokesperson for the Foundation.  “These findings are significant because they demonstrate to patients the benefits of incorporating chiropractic into their lives.”

Dr. Clum also points out that x-rays documented the effectiveness of the custom procedure to realign the Atlas vertebra with the spine.  Participants were fully assessed again after the adjustment, as well as at the end of eight weeks.

About F4CP

The Foundation for Chiropractic Progress is a 501c6 corporation that represents a cross section of the chiropractic and vendor communities with the goal of increasing the public’s awareness of the benefits of chiropractic.  http://www.f4cp.org/.

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