Heart Health and Chiropractic

This week is Heart Week 

 Heart Disease is the biggest killer in Australia. It kills 51 of us every day! 

 One-fifth of Australians from 45-74 will have some sort of cardiovascular event within 5 years. 

 Cardiovascular health is dependent on a number of factors like diet, exercise, smoking and alcohol consumption, meaning that most deaths associated with heart disease are preventable. 

So, how do you know if your heart is healthy? Getting your heart checked regularly is the first step #showsometicker

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is one of the leading methods in determining your heart health. HRV measures how well your heart can increase and decrease it’s rate depending on the activity you’re doing; basically how well your body can speed up or slow down the beating of you heart. For instance, imaging you’re rushing to make your morning train; your heart rate will initially increase as you run to reach the platform in time, but then begin to slow as you take your seat.

Did you know that chiropractic care can also help improve the health of your heart?

A 2006 study from the Journal of Manipulative Physiology revealed that chiropractic care impacts the nervous system improving HRV. This occurs via balancing the tone of the sympathetic (fight or flight) and parasympathetic (rest and digest) components of the nervous systems. 

The autonomic nervous system is in charge of modulating HRV and as such, is intimately linked to the function of your spine. Evidence shows that having your spine aligned and functional through chiropractic care can help your hearts ability to identify and adapt to stress.

When your spine is not aligned or is dysfunctional, there can be imbalances and interference within the nervous system. The study also showed that nervous system interferences resulted in a lower HRV – making one more susceptible to cardiovascular scares.

A high HRV is like having an expensive racecar engine; it allows you to change gears smoothly and efficiently.

Having spinal pain isn’t a good indicator of spine or nervous system health, just like how heart health is not determined by pain either. Pain is often the last symptom to arrive, so don’t delay.

Get your spine and heart checked today!