High blood pressure is a common ailment that affects about 30% of the American population, but only 50% of those people have their blood pressure under control. It costs the USA $45 Billion per year!  It is an important marker for health because it can often lead to some of society’s most serious common and serious problems like heart attack, coronary artery disease, stroke and kidney disease. Western Medicine is effective at lowering blood pressure, but there are some side effects that we want to minimize. In this blog we’ll go over how acupuncture and holistic medicine in Silverdale & Bremerton can help to normalize blood pressure levels and also prevent more serious diseases from occurring.

High blood pressure is when the blood flows through the blood vessels at higher than normal pressures. It commonly affects more people as they age. Statistics say that 80% of people over 55 have some degree of high blood pressure.  Some common reasons for the condition include, a diet high in salt, lack of exercise, alcohol, smoking, hormonal changes as we age, menopause, and our arteries harden as we get older as well.

In a healthy person in Silverdale & Bremerton, all the body’s systems function properly. Some move blood, nutrients, and waste upwards and others downwards (always downward for waste). This is natural for each system.  Acupuncture and herbal medicine at Bremerton Wellness is based on this principle, of understanding the natural movement of each system and helping it move correctly if it is going the wrong direction. For example, the stomach is meant to move food downwards into the intestines, but when the stomach is not functioning properly, it will often move upwards instead, leading to hiccups, acid reflux, nausea and bloating.

Blood pressure is similar, in that the blood is meant to flow smoothly, evenly, with moderate pressure throughout the body, but when there is a compromise of that function in the blood vessels, the tendency is for pressure to increase and blood to rush to the upper part of the body.  Do you remember those other problems that result from high blood pressure mentioned earlier? Stroke, heart disease, heart attack. They all exhibit the same problem of blood rushing upwards, either towards the brain or heart.

While high blood pressure typically has no symptoms of its own, it often goes along with a few others, such as, headaches, dizziness, red eyes, and facial flushing. Do you notice that these symptoms are related to problems occurring in the upper part of the body as well?

Acupuncture and herbal medicine in Bremerton is very effective at treating high blood pressure, by understanding this natural movement of blood in the vessels and assisting its movement downwards, to moderate its pressure and help it to circulate more evenly through the vessels.  It does this sometimes on its own and sometimes in combination with western medicine, which can help control the blood pressure more quickly. Over time, that medication can be reduced if the patient’s pressure levels begin to normalize. Long term use of high blood pressure medications has side effects.  Diuretics can make you pee too often, losing important minerals and electrolytes, like potassium. Beta Blockers make your heart beat more slowly, but can cause depression. Ace inhibitors may cause skin problems or excessive coughing. Calcium blockers may cause constipation, headache, or palpitations.

One study, done by John Longhurst at the University of California Irvine, noticed that acupuncture reduced high blood pressure in 70% of patients, and the treatment was effective for at least 6 weeks after the acupuncture session. That is a significant change! If those people were being seen regularly after the study, there is every reason to believe the benefits would continue to last well beyond that time frame as well.

If you’re interested to learn more about how acupuncture at Bremerton Wellness in Bremerton can benefit your health or specifically hypertension, we welcome you to set up your free consultation so we can best determine how we can help you.

In health,

Michael Maniloff, LAc
Acupuncturist - Bremerton Wellness
Bremertonwellness.com
(360) 627- 7408