A persistent increase in blood pressure today quite often occurs against the background of pathological changes in the cervical vertebrae, leading to ossification of their soft components. Displaced elements of the spine often compress the blood channels leading to the brain. And this, in turn, leads to a deficiency of oxygen in the body and contributes to an increase in the number of contractions of the thick heart muscle.
Due to the last factor, standard blood pressure indicators often change upward, which is not good for any human body.
How are the human neck and blood pressure related?
The vertebrae of the cervical spine are one of the most mobile parts of the human spine. Thanks to them, a person performs numerous turns of the head from side to side, as well as circular movements with it.
Due to heavy physical activity, the cervical elements of the spine are one of the most vulnerable parts of the human axial skeleton
There are only seven cervical vertebrae in the human body. With osteochondrosis, they often compress the main artery of the axial skeleton, which is responsible for delivering blood to the responsible parts of the brain. As a result, the latter instantly receives a signal about hypoxia, and the human body concentrates as much as possible on preventing oxygen starvation of the most important organ. Vascular tone increases, blood flow increases, and normal blood pressure levels increase.
In most cases, when osteochondrosis suddenly appears, people do not pay close attention to the emerging disease; they neglect treatment and continue to live peacefully. Over time, even the appearance of hypertension becomes normal for them. But in fact, pain in the spine and a diagnosis such as high blood pressure are worth fighting to prevent the development of more serious complications in the future.
In order to cure hypertension, restore the circulation of biological substrates in the body and eliminate deformation of the vessels of the cervical spine, many specialists, in addition to prescribing pills and using any other methods of treatment, recommend their patients to regularly do Alexander Shishonin’s gymnastics.
160:120
“The situation is threatening, your blood vessels are like those of a 72-year-old,” Dr. Shishonin calmly stated, after measuring my blood pressure and looking at the results of an ultrasound scan of my neck. - But it can be cured. You just need to work hard.
This was a year and a half ago. I already had some experience behind me of visiting a clinic and taking medications. Which led me to the idea that no one would offer me pills for excess weight, sedentary work and psychological overload. And you must first become a young, tall, slender brunette with blue eyes, and only then, if the pressure does not drop, look for other means of treatment.
My friends sent me to Dr. Shishonin’s clinic.
So: working a lot, according to Dr. Shishonin, means, for example, with a pressure of 160x120, going to the gym and working out, albeit with light weights, and under the supervision of instructors, but still for an hour and a half.
- Alexander Yuryevich, what about with such pressure - and on the simulator? - I asked.
— Do you think hypertension will go away more quickly on the sofa? - the doctor answered the question with a question.
I had to go to the hall. I can’t say that I felt good doing all sorts of “shrugs” with dumbbells, “stand-up exercises” and “shoulder rotations”. However, a group of citizens over 90 years old was working nearby. Barely moving from simulator to simulator under the supervision of a rehabilitation therapist, they nevertheless performed approximately the same complex as I did. Only with much more optimism.
And, looking at them, I forced myself to entrust my health to the doctor and stop evaluating his professional actions from the perspective of my unprofessional experience.
95 percent of all “hypertension” can be cured without medication
“There is a biological atavism in our body—in times of danger (and stress is perceived by the body as danger), the animal involuntarily tightens and shortens its neck. Because the attacking predator seeks to tear out the throat, this is the simplest way to kill by cutting through the arteries. Severe stress is a sharp spasm of the neck muscles. And if before this there was osteochondrosis for many years, problems begin - a spasm causes a disruption in the blood supply to the ligaments that hold the vertebrae, and they are left with virtually no nutrition. And when the spasm gradually goes away after a week, the load passes from the spasmed muscles to the degraded ligaments, which can no longer hold the vertebrae as before, and vertebral instability occurs. I went to bed - my neck sagged, and if the vertebra is unstable, the artery is compressed, and therefore there is a surge in pressure.
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“Low oxygen, increase supply!” — Alexander Shishonin, Candidate of Medical Sciences.
The mechanism here is simple: the flow of blood into the brain stem is disrupted, the rhomboid fossa (this is an oxygen sensor sitting directly on the artery) gives the command: “Oxygen is low, increase the supply!” And the heart speeds up, increasing productivity and pressure to push blood through the constriction and increase the flow of oxygen.
Here's an example. Lidia Alekseevna Makhonova came to me - a unique patient, she came to me at the age of 86. She is a doctor and founded pediatric oncohematology in our country. She is the teacher of my teacher, Academician Rumyantsev. And at the age of 86, I sat in a wheelchair, because my arms don’t work, my legs don’t work, my blood pressure is under 200, atrial fibrillation, fifteen prescribed medications.
All the councils have gathered in all the institutes and they can’t do anything. In general, it came to me. They brought me in a wheelchair. Of course, I couldn’t exercise in the gym. But we were lucky - the spinal cord was not completely disconnected; due to the displacement of the vertebrae, there was simply little blood flow. After ten correction sessions, her arms and legs began to work, and she began working out on exercise machines. Now she is 90 years old, she walks on her own, atrial fibrillation has passed, her blood pressure is normal, she is not taking any medications...
The body is designed in such a way that it can solve its own problems; it is a self-healing system. Our task is only to establish blood flow in the brain stem in order to restore regulation and create the correct movement pattern.
Now my colleagues and I treat many hundreds of patients a year, and their hypertension goes away. Because those five percent of hypertensive patients whose hypertension arises from other causes - tumors, hormonal imbalance, thyroid problems, and so on - simply do not reach us.
What is Alexander Shishonin’s gymnastics?
This unique development is a set of specific exercises aimed at training the muscles of the cervical spine and stopping destructive processes in the collar area, which negatively affect the upper part of the spinal column.
Doctor Alexander Yuryevich Shishonin first presented his creation, created together with medical workers at the Bubnovsky health center, at a specialized international congress in the USA. And since 2008, Dr. Shishonin’s technique has become popular among many patients suffering from cardiovascular diseases. This method is actively used to this day to treat various other diseases:
- hypertension;
- diseases of the endocrine system and diabetes;
- vegetative-vascular dystonia, etc.
And also for correction of the cervical spine with insufficient cerebral blood supply, constant headaches, chronic fatigue, severe fatigue or decreased performance, failure to maintain proper nutrition, etc.
When is it necessary to treat hypertension?
To prescribe effective therapy, it is necessary to determine the degree of arterial hypertension. To do this, you need to measure your blood pressure and compare it with the indicators in the table.
Table - Degrees of arterial hypertension
| Degree | Blood pressure value, mm Hg. Art. |
| 1 | 140-159 to 90-99 |
| 2 | 160-179 to 100-109 |
| 3 | 180 to 110 and above |
The most common signs of hypertension requiring treatment
- throbbing or pressing headaches in the back of the head;
- dizziness and flickering of dark circles and spots;
- increased heart rate, nausea and tinnitus.
The described clinical picture is typical for the moment when blood pressure increases. In practice, cases of asymptomatic progression of the disease have been described. If high blood pressure is not controlled, this condition negatively affects the functionality of internal organs. The first to suffer are “target organs” such as the kidneys, brain, heart and blood vessels.
The main markers of damage to internal organs in hypertension:
- Hypertrophy of the left ventricle of the heart.
- Violation of diastolic myocardial function.
- Chronic heart failure.
- Progressive atherosclerosis.
- Myocardial infarction.
- Encephalopathy.
- Stroke.
- Glomerulosclerosis of the kidneys.
- Angiopathy of the fundus vessels.
The stages of hypertension are determined by the nature of the involvement of internal organs. In the first stage, no target organ damage is observed. The second stage is characterized by single or multiple lesions in the absence of AMI (myocardial infarction), chronic diseases of the urinary system and stroke. The third stage is characterized by manifestations of chronic kidney damage, stroke and heart attack.
The higher the blood pressure and the more symptoms are present, the higher the risk of developing vascular accidents. With stage 3 hypertension, the likelihood of complications is high, regardless of the presence of concomitant symptoms.
Basic rules for performing the complex
Before you start performing physical therapy exercises, you need to familiarize yourself with the basic basic rules:
Can cervical osteochondrosis cause high blood pressure?
- the exercise itself is performed 1.5-2 hours after finishing the meal, not earlier;
- before performing the exercises, the cervical area and the back of the head are pre-warmed with light, slightly massaging circular movements;
- physical activity should increase gradually - for the first 7-10 days it will be enough to do 3-4 exercises from the seven described below;
- Regularity is important - in the first week you should do gymnastics daily so that the body can get used to physical activity, later it is recommended to reduce the exercises to three times a week;
- during gymnastics, you need to keep your back straight and your head level; the exercises themselves should be performed slowly and carefully, since quick jerks will not lead to a good result, but will only aggravate the situation.
Some statistics
Hypertension occurs in 90-95% of patients with elevated blood pressure. In other cases, we are talking about secondary symptomatic manifestations: renal (3-4%), endocrine (0.1-0.3%). Hypertension occurs less frequently against the background of neurological, hemodynamic and stressful situations.
The social significance and danger of hypertension in increasing the risk of stroke, heart attack and coronary heart disease, which are the main causes of mortality. If high blood pressure is not controlled, chronic kidney disease develops, leading to kidney failure and disability.
Neck exercises
The Shishonin method of exercises includes seven exercises that help to effectively work on the muscles of the cervical frame. You can clearly see each of them in the video “Secrets of treating hypertension from Dr. Shishonin” on YouTube.
The main idea of this exercise is to fully comply with the exercise technique and clearly fix the neck in a certain position for a certain period of time: for beginners this is 10-15 seconds, for advanced users - on average 30 seconds.
It is recommended to perform exercises from this exercise therapy accompanied by relaxing music or without any sound at all.
"Metronome"
This exercise works well, strengthens and stretches the lateral muscles of the cervical frame. It is enough to repeat it 5 times for each side.
During the execution, it is necessary to alternately tilt the head in each direction so that strong tension is felt in the muscles located on the opposite side of the neck. Each tilt must be fixed for at least 10–15 seconds.
"Spring"
This exercise helps strengthen the muscles located at the top of the spine.
In the process of performing it, it is necessary to pull the back of the head as high as possible so that the chin part of the face is pressed against the collarbone, and the back muscles of the neck are very tense. The head must be fixed in this position for at least 10–15 seconds.
After performing the exercise, the chin should be slowly moved upward, thus achieving tension in the anterior muscles of the cervical frame. Under no circumstances should you throw your head too far behind your back. The whole process must be kept under control.
"Look to the Sky"
This exercise helps to work out and train the deep cervical muscles located under the back of the head. It is recommended to perform it while sitting.
During the execution, you need to straighten your back as much as possible and stretch your neck upward. From this starting position, it is necessary to alternately tilt your head in each direction until it stops, without helping your body by turning your shoulders. In a tense state, you should hold your head for at least 10–15 seconds.
"Frame"
This exercise helps strengthen, develop and tone the scalene muscles of the neck, located on the sides of the neck, between the collarbone and trapezius muscle. The starting position here is sitting on the floor, your back and shoulders should be straight.
During the execution, it is necessary to loosen one hand and place the other on the shoulder of the opposite limb so that its elbow is parallel to the floor. Pressing the palm of your hand against the shoulder joint, you need to turn your head in the direction opposite to the shoulder joint on which the hand is located, and press it onto the shoulder. This position should be fixed for a while.
"Fakir"
This exercise helps to train the muscles of the upper limbs and cervical spine, reduce their involuntary contraction and significantly improve the movement of blood flow in this area. Starting position – sitting, clasping your hands raised up above the top of your head. During the exercise, you must slowly turn your head in each direction in turn so that the hands fixed above it remain in place. Each turn must be fixed for at least 10–15 seconds.
"Heron"
This exercise has a general strengthening effect on the muscles of the neck and thoracic spine, helps reduce the feeling of heaviness in the back, and also improves posture.
When performing it, you need to move the upper limbs of the body as far as possible behind the back, while creating tension in the interscapular muscles. In this case, the chin part of the face must be pulled up, stretching the anterior muscles of the neck, and fixed in this position for at least 10–15 seconds, and then relaxed. The exercise must be repeated three times.
Treatment tactics for hypertension
If you follow federal recommendations for the treatment of hypertension, then if there are minor risks of complications, you should use only one drug. If single-component drug therapy does not produce results, only then drugs belonging to other groups are added.
Patients with blood pressure readings from 180 per 100 mmHg. Art. It is initially recommended to prescribe two-component drug therapy:
- adrenergic blocker, calcium channel blocker (dihydropyridine) and ACE inhibitor;
- adrenergic blocker, diuretic and ACE inhibitor;
- adrenergic blocker, diuretic and aldosterone receptor antagonist.
Many patients, due to the need to take a large number of tablets daily, stop drug treatment for hypertension, which leads to serious consequences. To solve this problem, which is not uncommon, pharmaceutical companies have begun to produce combination drugs that combine two hypertensive drugs.
To increase the effectiveness of drug treatment for hypertension, additional drugs are prescribed - antiplatelet agents and statins. You also need tablets that keep cholesterol levels within acceptable limits - from 5 to 4 mmol/l. This approach eliminates the likelihood of complications from the cardiovascular system.
Final massage
It is recommended to complete the main exercises of Shishonin training gymnastics with a restorative massage of the cervical spine.
Massage can be done either with your own hands or with the help of a specialist.
The massage technique is simple. First, you need to massage the occipital region of the head, while avoiding strong finger pressure on this area. After a few minutes, you should move with gentle movements to the spine, not bypassing the shoulders and upper part of the scapula. Next, using circular movements, you need to work out all the vertebrae in the neck; it is recommended to start from the bottom. After pinpointing the latter, you need to grab the neck with your hands so that the thumb is in the back of it, and the rest are on the sides, and begin a pinching massage of the upper back, slowly moving to the front of the neck. Next, after finishing with pinching, you need to work the area from the chin to the collarbone with point movements. The massage should be completed by slowly massaging the temples with the index fingers and working the back of the head with rolling movements.
The final massage will help the neck muscles relax after the stress received during exercise, and will also quickly relieve headaches, if any.
140:80
I continued to wind up kilometers after kilometers, but I did not become a slender brunette.
“It’s rising,” I continued to monitor my blood pressure for several months in a row.
“I sent you a power supply system, switch to it,” I received the answer.
To say that the food system shocked me is an understatement. Sausages, sausages, lard, and sour cream, persecuted by nutritionists, are included in the list of permitted foods. But it was proposed to forget “healthy cereals and fruits”.
And what’s curious is that after two months of being on this diet, my trousers became slightly too big, and my T-shirts became slightly too small at the shoulders. Exercising on exercise machines has borne fruit - muscles have grown.
People who exercise on exercise machines for years not only get rid of hypertension, diabetes, and atherosclerosis, but they also look younger. Photo: Alexander Korolkov
The tonometer readings, although slowly decreasing, were still far from ideal.
“It’s rising,” I reported.
“Stop measuring him,” answered the doctor.
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“Start eating fatty foods!” — Alexander Shishonin, Candidate of Medical Sciences.
“When a person is put on a low-fat diet, he begins to feel uncontrollably cravings for sweets and carbohydrates - he has to get energy from somewhere!” And this is not only an additional burden on the pancreas and the threshold of diabetes, but also again a blow to the liver, which begins to spend money on storing excess carbohydrates (glucose) in the form of glycogen.
Moreover, the doctors themselves drive a person into a coffin with their advice, forcing him to eat carbohydrates: “You have atherosclerosis, don’t eat fatty foods, give me oatmeal in the morning, porridge...”
In our clinic the principle is completely different. Do you have atherosclerosis? Start eating fatty foods! The best fats are animal and dairy. Plant-based ones are also good. We remove carbohydrates completely - no sugars, cakes, honey, cereals, breads, fruits or dried fruits. Only healthy food - fats, proteins, fiber. And it works!
Remember, there are three pillars in the fight against atherosclerosis: movement, proper fatty nutrition and the last, my favorite point - central neuroregulation, that is, the fight against cervical osteochondrosis.
Positive aspects of gymnastics and contraindications
Shishonin’s gymnastics for hypertension not only has a positive effect on blood pressure, but also reduces pain in the cervical back, normalizes blood circulation, activates metabolic processes and removes swelling.
In addition, Dr. Shishonin’s gymnastics has a number of other advantages:
- it is easy to do and is suitable even for those people who do not have highly developed physical fitness;
- performing all the exercises takes no more than 20–30 minutes and does not require a separate room, any additional equipment, or special sportswear (it is enough to wear comfortable clothes that do not restrict body movements);
- all exercises are performed smoothly, slowly, which means that the likelihood of accidentally injuring the tendons during their execution is eliminated.
Like any other exercise therapy complex, Shishonin’s neck gymnastics has its contraindications. It is prescribed only at the first or second stage of osteochondrosis and is used mainly in conjunction with other treatment methods. In case of serious violations, the situation can only be corrected by surgical intervention. This therapy is also not prescribed:
- in the presence of critical inflammation in the body and internal bleeding;
- when body temperature is very high;
- in case of detection of disturbances in the functioning of the body’s hormonal system;
- when there are pronounced painful sensations in the neck, shoulders and back;
- in case of malignant formations in the neck area.
The above-described gymnastics has many positive reviews from hypertensive patients. Many patients suffering from a hypertensive crisis note that performing these exercises not only helps to quickly get rid of hypertension, but also helps to eliminate headaches and insomnia without the use of drugs, and also improves neck mobility and overall performance of the body. Some people even report improved visual acuity.
145:85
“It’s rising,” I again reported to the doctor.
“Take a walk in the evening for at least forty minutes,” he recommended.
- Yes, I walk 7 kilometers in the morning!
— In the morning, 7 kilometers is not the same. You need forty minutes in the evening.
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“A walk instead of a pill.” — Alexander Shishonin, Candidate of Medical Sciences
— The only thing that threatens a person who does not take pills is crises, when the pressure jumps too much, say, to 240 to 140. But such high blood pressure can be brought down by taking a pill once or even without medication at all. You can simply go for a half-hour walk. The pressure will drop.
You can take 60-100 drops of valocordin, valerian or motherwort in alcohol. The main thing is to calm the brain. Because a crisis is accompanied by panic, and this panic does not allow the pressure to be relieved. To defeat the crisis, you need to pull yourself together, and to do this, understand that you will not die from the crisis this very second. You feel bad and scared, but you are alive and therefore you can act. The experienced people I've taught don't panic, they sense the pressure starting to build and immediately take action. I drank Valocordin or went outside, walked for half an hour, twirled my arms, saturated my brain with oxygen - I avoided a crisis. When you overcome a crisis once without an ambulance and without pills, you stop being afraid of it.
It is the brain that first makes the heart work harder, hypertrophying the myocardium. It is he who, at the second stage, clamps the capillaries, thus increasing the pressure in the system and sacrificing the periphery, which is supplied through the capillaries - vision, potency... It is he who, at the third stage, begins to retain fluid in the body, preventing it from leaving through the kidneys. It is he who overexcites the neurons of the heart muscle. And all because he chronically lacks oxygen.
Treatment of hypertension in the Solnechny sanatorium
Treatment of hypertension is a responsible and lengthy process that gives results only if you follow your doctor’s recommendations. Self-medication can cause serious complications that pose a danger not only to health, but also to life. Any measure must first be agreed upon and approved by a specialist.
The Solnechny sanatorium has everything necessary for carrying out diagnostic measures for hypertension: electrocardiography, ultrasound. The treatment process is carried out using: physiotherapy, balneotherapy, halotherapy.
