How heart health and spinal alignment go hand-in-hand

You wouldn’t want your romantic relationships to be out of alignment. That would cause miscommunication, stress, and dis-ease. The same goes for the relationship between your heart and your spine.

Cardiovascular disease is the number-one cause of death of people in the United States.

The heart and spine connection

Your spine health is intimately linked to your overall health, including your nervous system. Your nervous system regulates your heart and cardiovascular system. Your heart and blood vessels connect to your nervous system through millions of nerves. These nerves control heart rate and blood pressure, essential factors for heart health.

We tend to take for granted our autonomic nervous system – the one that runs up and down our spine and manages all non-mandatory functions of our body like the heart.

How poor spinal alignment affects the heart

The vagus nerve runs down both sides of the body and connects the brain to all your organs. Misalignment (AKA subluxation) in the spine can put pressure on, and interfere with, your brain’s communication to your heart, and in turn, your lungs.

Studies reveal that spinal misalignment can link to serious heart problems.

Chiropractic care positively impacts these nerves and, in turn, is beneficial to the wellbeing of your cardiovascular system. Even seemingly minor interferences in spinal alignment can lead to more serious health conditions later in life, including cardiovascular disease or a heart attack.

Additionally, one of the most common causes of chest pains is the misalignment of the ribcage. If left undiagnosed or treated, this pressure can increase and even mimic some symptoms of a heart attack. (To be clear, this is not to say you shouldn’t talk to a doctor immediately if you’re experiencing chest pain!)

Benefits of chiropractic care for heart dis-ease

A course of chiropractic care can help relieve nervous system restrictions related to spinal subluxation. By re-installing the lines of communication from brain to heart, patients can experience a decrease in blood pressure levels, a reduction in anxiety, and an overall increase in heart health.

The heart-healthy benefits of chiropractic care include:

• Lower blood pressure
• Improved nerve function of the heart
• Decreased inflammation (inflammation in your body can lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular events)
• Stronger heart rate and heart rate variability (a healthy heart has a full range of variable speeds)
• Decreased chest pain
• Supported lung function (the heart and lungs are a close-knit unit – poor lung function has been linked to poor heart function)

February is American Heart Month

Interference with the nerves that run your parasympathetic nervous system may not be the only cause of high blood pressure or other heart issues you may be experiencing. But by alleviating any problems directly caused by the subluxation of the spine, you'll be able to work with your cardiologist to determine additional courses of treatment.