News Release & Articles

This is the page I will keep the latest news/press releases on.  They will go from newest to oldest and often times have an article written by me (Doc Guy) along with it.

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Article by Doc Guy and Press Release for july 2008

 

High Blood Pressure

Its damaging effects and how to help prevent and deal with

 

By Dr. Guy J. Lasich
From web MD, The Journal of Human Hypertension, and The University of Chicago Medical Center.
High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, affects 1 in 3 Americans. It is termed the "silent killer" because it takes so many lives per year and usually has no symptoms noticed by the patient until it's to late. The first symptom is often a stroke, heart attack, kidney failure or brain damage. Hypertension also causes damage to the blood vessels leading to a myriad of additional health issues.
Blood pressure is basically how hard your blood pushes against the walls of your heart and arteries as it moves through your body.  120/80 is normal.  The top number is referred to as systolic and is the measure of the pressure when the heart is pumping the blood out of the heart.  The bottom number is referred to as diastolic and is a measure of the pressure of your heart at rest, when filling with blood.
In the past, medically, the answer to hypertension was to hope to catch it before any damage was done then use one or more popular drugs to help reduce the blood pressure.  The problem with the various types of medications are the side effects.  These include but are not limited to headaches, irregular heartbeat, GI disturbances, fatigue and tiredness, allergies, diarrhea, stomach problems, sinus problems, muscle cramps, infections(specifically upper respiratory), confusion, loss of memory, increased sugar levels, erectile problems, constipation, and interactions with other drugs.
 Presently, through research, we know that there are ways to treat high blood pressure and, more importantly, ways to prevent the damaging effects of hypertension, often times with no medications.  All health care providers agree that the fewer medications a person is on the less damage that will be done to the body from side effects!  Research has shown us that exercise, diet and stress reduction all help prevent and alleviate hypertension.  The newest exciting research that has come out has shown chiropractic to be as effective as TWO HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE MEDICATIONS taken in combination....with absolutely no side effects.

 Deductive thinking allows us to realize many truths.  We know exercise decreases high blood pressure in many cases, but also helps prevent it.  The same is true with stress reduction and diet. Chiropractic has been shown to help with so many health issues including hypertension, wouldn’t it only make sense to see a chiropractor BEFORE health issues arise and it’s too late

 

 

 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                  Contact: Dr. Guy J Lasich, D.C.
2 Pages                                                                                 1100 South Front
                                                                                                Marquette MI. 49855
                                                                                                906-226-well(9355)
                                                                                    Docguyfamilywellnesschiro.com           
 
 
University of Chicago Medical Center study links chiropractic care with reduction of blood pressure.
 
Lowering Blood Pressure an Easy Adjustment
 
(July 16, 2008 Marquette MI). Researchers at the Hypertension Center at the University of Chicago Medical Center are reporting stunning reductions in the blood pressure of patients afflicted with hypertension following simple and painless chiropractic care.
 
In the study – published in the March 2, 2007 issue of The Journal of Human Hypertension and featured on WebMD –  patients with hypertension were divided into two groups.  One group received a specific light force chiropractic adjustment (administered by a chiropractor) to the atlas vertebra (uppermost bone in the neck).  This vertebra holds up the head and only relies on soft tissue to maintain alignment. Misalignment, also known as subluxation, usually goes undiagnosed and causes no pain or discomfort. The other group received a similar procedure but with no adjustment being given. Researchers called this procedure the "sham adjustment." Since the type of adjustment given was very light force, the patients involved in this study did not know if they were receiving the real or sham adjustments.
After 8 weeks of care,  the group receiving the real chiropractic adjustments all showed a significant reduction in blood pressure compared to the group that received the sham adjustment. Those patients who got the real adjustment showed an average of 14 mm Hg greater drop in systolic blood pressure (the top number in a blood pressure count), and an average of 8 mm Hg greater drop in diastolic blood pressure (the bottom blood pressure number) over those who got the fake or sham adjustment.
 “As noted by the chiropractor who performed on the study team, at the base of the brain are two centers that control all the muscles of the body. If you pinch the base of the brain – if the atlas gets locked in a position as little as a half a millimeter out of line – it doesn’t cause any pain but it upsets these centers," said Dr. Guy J Lasich, a chiropractor whose family wellness practice is located in Marquette.
 
– More –
 
Chiropractic Care Lowers BP                 Dr. Guy J Lasich DC
July 16, 2008                                                906-226-well(9355)
Page 2 of 2                                                   docguyfamilywellnesschiro.com
 
 
X-rays confirmed that the chiropractic adjustments actually changed the position of the atlas vertebra among those in the study group. 
 
 “The study leader reported that the procedure had the effect of not one, but two blood pressure medications given in combination.  And, his team reported no side effects whatsoever from the adjustment, which all medications sadly have,” added Dr. Lasich.
 
“Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is widespread among adults in the United States. And, if uncontrolled, it can lead to heart and kidney failure or a stroke. According to the American Heart Association, nearly one in three adults suffers from hypertension. However, many are unaware that they are afflicted – making high blood pressure the ‘silent killer.’ This study offers so much hope,” noted Dr. Lasich.
Even with the overwhelming results, the authors of the study posed several questions of their own in the WebMD interview.  They wanted to know why blood pressure was reduced. What caused the reduction? What is the relationship between the misaligned atlas vertebra and hypertension?
“Chiropractic has literally millions of case studies over the last 100 years fo a huge amount of various health issues. This is because chiropractic care is a maintenance program for the nervous system. If the nervous system is free of stress and operating at peak efficiency, it can lead the body to do incredible things. While man struggles to create new and better technologies on a daily basis, we continue to find that the human body is the greatest technology on today’s market – let’s take good care of it,” concluded a smiling Dr Lasich.