Upper Cervical Care And Cigarettes

Since the Surgeon General first issued the warning on the sides of cigarette packages, the government, the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, and every medical doctor and health professional have been warning people about the dangers of smoking. Further, we have restricted or completely disallowed smoking in public buildings, buses, airplanes and dozens of other places, letting people know that even second-hand smoke is a danger. Apparently educating people is not the answer or if it is, we are educating them in the wrong manner. There is probably no one outside the tobacco industry that believes that smoking is not injurious to a person’s health. Further, almost everyone, if asked, would say that smoking is directly related to lung cancer and heart disease. Why then do people smoke? Or more importantly, why is the educational program a failure?

It may be that there are two plausible reasons. The first is that most people live by the “I am an exception” school of thought. They believe that somehow they will be lucky and that they will not get cancer or heart disease. They believe that serious diseases like that happen to “other people” and not to them. This is the same reason people go to Las Vegas or Atlantic City or play the state lottery. The odds are against them but they think they will be lucky and beat the odds. People need to realize that there are universal laws like “cause and effect” and “reap what you sow.” You cannot abuse your body in any way and not expect to reap the effects. They may not occur today or tomorrow but they will surely occur at some point. The effects may not be evident right away but they are there.

The second reason that people ignore their health is that they have the mistaken impression that medicine has or will inevitably have an answer to their problem so they abuse their bodies. If they overindulge in eating, they take an antacid. If they drink too much alcohol, they take an aspirin. If they over-exercise their muscles, they rub on an analgesic. If an organ or body part is sick, they have it cut out. Until people are educated that “remedies” are not equivalent to health, and though they may offer temporary relief they do not add to health, they will never obtain true health. In fact, like the problem they are treating, these “remedies” will actually detract from the highest potential level of health.

Some people use upper cervical care the same way. They abuse their bodies and no matter how often or how much we tell them to get checked, they ignore us and their care until they are hurting. Then they come in, some practically crawl into the office for help. Once the upper neck is corrected, the body often has the ability to heal itself although sometimes it does not, but either way our frustration is the same. How many times do we have to tell people before the message gets through to them? Upper cervical care is not a treatment for acute medical crises, nor is meant to be. It is not the way an upper cervical doctor practices. Upper cervical care is an approach to maintaining one’s well-being by removing interference at the the level of the upper neck (brainstem). Period. That is what we do. That is all we do. I suppose some people may simply never get that. No matter how many times we write it and/or say it. What else can we do?

Is Upper Cervical Care The Fountain Of Youth?

You would think that the idea of a fountain of youth would have ended years ago, but every few years, someone comes up with an idea, a drug, or a gimmick which can assure people eternal youth. There is no secret to perpetual youth. Researchers of these gimmicks are quite willing to admit that their findings “won’t make people any younger or allow them to live forever.” By the time you finish reading the article on the new miracle whatever you realize that the researchers are really not promising anything.

What they have found is that a cell divides about 70 times over a lifetime. Each time it divides, the protective end of the chromosome, called a telomere, is shortened. Eventually it is too short to protect the cell and the cell dies. The researchers believe that by inserting a gene into the cell this shortening will not occur.

There are other substances, vitamins, herbs and “natural ingredients” that are supposed to keep you younger. Most of it is just Madison Avenue hype. No one is going to discover anything that will enable you to live forever. We all know that. What they are saying or should be saying is that these substances may enable you to live a better quality of life and perhaps even live a little longer. But then that is nothing new. We have known for years that doing the things necessary to be healthy will increase your chances of living a longer, more productive and healthier life. You may not always have the stamina of an 18 year old but you will be better off than you would if you did not do those health enhancing things.

When it comes to upper cervical care, we have to be the most honest people in the scientific community. We do not offer a fountain of youth. We do not promise cures for disease, we do not even promise that you will be healthy or live longer. No one can make those kinds of promises. What we can and do promise is that if we can correct head/neck misalignment and the resulting nerve irritation and keep it corrected as much of the time as possible that you will lead a healthier more productive life than you would if you were walking around with a misalignment interfering with the proper function of your nerve system. How much healthier? Sorry, we cannot even make a guess. Perhaps it will be imperceptible. Perhaps it will make all the difference in the world, more than anything else you do in your life. We have no way of knowing. But the fact that your body will work better is based upon logic and common sense. Proper function depends upon the nerve system. If there is an interference in the nerve system, the organs and parts supplied by those nerves will not function as they were intended to. If those parts are vital organs or if they produce necessary chemicals, then the entire body will be affected. In fact, any breakdown of function anywhere in the body has a universal detrimental affect on the entire body, for each part of the body is dependent upon every other part and all parts contribute to the whole.

You will hear many claims for many products in the years to come, miracle cures, instant relief and fountains of youth. For some there may even be seemingly dramatic results. But for most of us, the thing to do is to realize there is no easy way to a full productive healthy life. We can wander through life looking for the magical elixir of life or we can recognize that a healthy fulfilling life depends on what we do in the way of taking care of our body and doing what is best for it. The latter approach seems to me to be the one that makes the most sense.

Upper Cervical Care's Positive Side Effects?

These days, we hear a great deal about side effects of medications in commercials on the television. It can sometimes be a little scary when the announcer rattles off all the reactions that people may have from a particular drug. What exactly is a side effect though? It is really an effect or the result of a cause. So there really are no “side” effects, only effects. However, the word has come to mean an effect other than the intended effect. It has further come to mean a negative effect rather than another good effect in addition to the intended one.

In thinking about this in relation to upper cervical care one can see how dissimilar the objective of medicine and the objective of upper cervical care are. The objective of a medical procedure is a specific physical effect (e.g., lowering blood pressure, reducing pain). The objective of upper cervical care is also a physical effect but it involves nonphysical aspects of the human organism. The inborn wisdom of the body uses the physical nerve system to control and coordinate all functions. The objective or the intended effect of upper cervical care is to enable this innate intelligence to be expressed more fully. This is done by correcting the the misaligned head and neck that interferes with nerve function. This is the sole intended purpose of the upper cervical correction and of the upper cervical doctor. So from an upper cervical perspective there is only one effect, the body works better. Sometimes when the body works better it is not even noticeable. Sometimes that improved function is noticeable but either way it is important to have your spine checked and to have a correction made when nerve interference is present. Whether you notice the effects of brushing your teeth regularly, eating wholesome food, exercising regularly or even changing the oil in your car every 3,000 miles, you know all of these are important things to do.

What then are the positive results or positive side effects of upper cervical care? First, it should be noted that the potential for possible effects is so great. When the body is working better it has a fantastic ability to heal itself and increase its potential. Consequently, there is enormous variety in the possible effects that may occur. Some people have their back problems go away, others may be relieved of headaches or any one of the thousands of other medical conditions. Others still may perform better at work or play or have more energy in general. What is really important to know is that these side effects of upper cervical care are different for every person. Basically, that is what a side effect is, a result that may or may not occur in different people. It depends upon the individual’s body. Perhaps the “warning” for upper cervical care should go something like this:

No matter what your reason for undertaking upper cervical care, please be advised that by increasing your body’s ability to work at its maximum potential, some people experience the following side-effects:

Greater ability to perform their job
More energy
Clearer thinking
Happier disposition
Feeling more relaxed
Better more restful sleep
Alleviation of medical problems
Increased performance in sports and activities

While the above do not occur in everyone, should you experience any of the above, consider it a bonus to your care.

Upper Cervical Care And Athletic Performance.

Athletic Performance
What Upper Cervical Has To Offer!
From www.uppercervicalcare.com

What do Lance Armstrong, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Jerry Rice, Joe Montana and Evander Holyfield all have in common? Not only have they risen to the top of their respective sports, they all consider regular chiropractic care essential to improving their health and gaining a competitive edge over their competitors.

The truth is, it doesn’t matter if you are at the top of your game, a weekend warrior, or a stay-at-home mom training for your first 5K run, upper cervical care can help you perform at your BEST!

Athletes undertaking rigorous fitness regimes often push their bodies to the limit. Since their performance is based on the health and strength of their body…whether they need to recover from injury, improve performance or increase joint flexibility, ongoing upper cervical care is a valuable addition to their training regime.

In recent years, spinal care has become a valuable partner in the everyday athletic health regimen. Athletes find it not only improves performance but also reduces the risk of injury. Studies show that upper cervical care improves athletic ability, agility, balance, power, speed, reaction time and recovery.

How does upper cervical care help to improve athletic performance? The answer lies in the nervous system. In our bodies, the brain and brain stem act as our “Master Control System”. Everything that we do is regulated by the nerve impulses that are sent from the brain/brain stem out to the body through our network of nerves. For the athlete who is looking for an edge to his or her physical performance, this improved communication between the brain and every part of the body, especially the heart, lungs and muscles can make the difference between winning and losing.

Upper Cervical corrections help to improve the overall function of the nervous system, which, in turn, improves the efficiency of the communication between the brain and the body. With a fraction of a second meaning the difference between gold and silver, many of today’s top athletes are checked regularly during training and off seasons to maintain peak performance.

Research

A research study conducted by Dr. Jon Schwartzbauer, studied changes in athletic performance in baseball players with and without upper cervical care. Each athlete’s performance was evaluated through assessment of the vertical jump, broad jump specified, standing broad jump, and muscle strength. Blood pressure, pulse rate, microcirculation (capillary counts), and treadmill stress testing were also evaluated. The results showed significant improvement at fourteen weeks in muscle strength and long jump distance in the group receiving upper cervical corrections. Moreover, this same group showed significant improvement in capillary counts after five and fourteen weeks of upper cervical care. Evaluation of the group receiving care revealed decreases in resting blood pressure and pulse rate as well as pulse rate following tread mill activity. By comparison, trends in these same measures showed increases within the control group (non-upper cervical). All this translates into better athletic performance! In another study by Drs. Anthony Lauro and Brian Mouch, upper cervical care improved athletic performance by as much as 30% after 12 weeks. Athletes were tested on several aspects of athletic ability including kinesthetic perception, power, reaction time, agility and balance. At the 6 week mark of this study those who received upper cervical care showed an 18% increase in performance while those who did not showed only a 1% increase in performance.

These studies showed that athletes who have full brain to body communication (subluxation-free athletes) react faster, have better coordination, execute fine movements with improved accuracy and precision, amounting to an overall better athlete.

Key Benefits

In addition to improving performance, ongoing upper cervical care offers several health and wellness benefits, including:

•Improved posture
•Increased range of motion
•Improved immune system that can ward off common illnesses or disease
•Better focus and concentration
•Reduction of migraines or severe headaches
•Increased blood circulation
•Better joint flexibility
•Reduced risk of injury
•Increased blood and oxygen flow throughout the body
•Improved recovery rates after a sports injury
•Reduction of pain in major joints

Some athletes turn to upper cervical care only after they have been injured, but it is much more beneficial to incorporate care into the weekly training routine. An upper cervical doctor can offer natural supportive care for runners, bikers, tennis players, baseball, football and basketball players - any athlete who is constantly on the move.

For both casual sports participants and high-performance athletes, a natural method of stress reduction and toxin removal is necessary for better health overall. Upper cervical care can play an important role in the lives of these athletes throughout their training season, and during their most competitive seasons.

Outside-In Thinking And Bottled Water Dangers

Some time ago on the evening news there was a promo for a news item on the dangers of drinking bottled water. You know the kind of short blurbs that keep you watching an otherwise negative and uninteresting program until you get to the segment that you want. I watched because I really wanted to know the dangers of bottled water. Might it be that some dangerous chemical was leaking into natural spring water? It did not seem like there could be too many things wrong with bottled water. It has no cholesterol, it is not addicting and 85% of our body is made up of it. Well, they finally got to the bottled water segment and the danger that it was causing. It seems that the five-billion-dollar industry is starting to cause a greater incidence of tooth decay, as children are drinking bottled water instead of municipal water which in most places in this country has fluoride added to it. During a brief interview with representatives from the American Dental Association a number of interesting issues arose.

The assumption is that this is creating a real danger, however, dental cavities are not exactly a life-threatening malady. Whether the increase is significant and whether it is a result of bottled water is open to discussion. But notice that the answer to the problem is not better oral hygiene which involves brushing regularly, avoiding between-meal snacks and doing other things that are important to maintain good health for the entire body. The answer to this problem according to the medically-oriented community is to put a strong chemical, actually a poison, into the body in an effort to make the teeth stronger. That represents a philosophy that addresses the expedient or temporary solution at the sacrifice of what is right. A wrong thing (putting sodium fluoride in the water) done in a wrong way (outside-in) cannot have a right result (a healthier body). It may temporarily reduce cavities in children but it will not make them healthier. On the contrary, it has to have a negative effect on their bodies. Further, our children need to be taught good oral hygiene and the other aspects of health rather that thinking a drug or chemical can be a substitute. The major problem with health today is the idea that every health problem has a quick fix in the form of a drug or surgery or even a vitamin. Too often the nutrition industry is prone to promote quick cures through food supplements. Herbs, vitamins and fluoride just perpetuate that myth.

Perhaps the greatest irony, actually bordering on stupidity, was the response by the bottled-water industry. A spokesman said in effect, “Okay, if tooth decay is a problem, we can remedy that. We’ll just add fluoride to our bottled water.” Hey, wait a minute! Isn’t the whole idea of drinking bottled water avoiding all the garbage the water company knowingly or unknowingly is pumping out of the spigot in your kitchen sink? Why pay all that money for water that is going to have the same thing in it. But you know what? The average American will buy fluoridated bottled water because they believe that is what is best for them. The medical/dental profession has missed the real idea of what health is all about. A bottled-water industry that is really only interested in selling products and does not care whether it is pure or not (you have to wonder if they are so quick to agree to put fluoride in their bottled water how concerned they are with the purity of it in the first place). Lastly, we, as consumers, have a public that really do not understand the need for avoiding harmful substances and keeping the body healthy.

People are drastically in need of some clear thinking when it comes to matters of health. More and more it appears that upper cervical doctors are one of the few professionals that have that perspective.

Get it Right, Get Upper Cervical Care

From atlas4wellness.com
by Dr. Chad McIntyre

"If you don't get this right, you'll never get where you need to be."

A patient of mine was recently relaying to me how he explains upper cervical care to people that he knows. The above paraphrased quote stuck out in my mind from that conversation because it really gets to the core of what Upper Cervical Healthcare is all about. He was referring to the brainstem and making sure that it was free and clear of any interference (i.e. a misalignment of the anatomy that surrounds it) that could keep it from performing its absolutely vital role in your body. When you strip away the whole host of health conditions that have been named in our society, from M.S. to migraines to seizures to Ulcerative Colitis to fibromyalgia to disc degeneration, the undeniable fact of the matter is that if your brainstem is in any way disrupted in its ability to route the communication from point A (the brain) to point B-Z (all the various parts of the body)...then you won't be able to achieve HEALTH.

What my patient pointed out should be a reminder to everyone of the importance of Upper Cervical Care because of its focus on the area of the body that either directly or indirectly controls all the other parts - not just for people that have already developed conditions, but also for those that haven't yet. However, I also want his statement to serve as another kind of reminder. Everyone, be it doctor or patient, too frequently looks for the one, cure all method of obtaining and maintaining health. Upper Cervical doctors and their patients are as guilty of that as anyone else. So, I want you to remember that Upper Cervical Care is not an all encompassing model to achieving health. It is a significant piece of the puzzle...but it's not the entire puzzle. Which leads me into topic number 2...

The Evolution of the Revolution

Some might say that, slowly but surely, the United States is moving toward a health care revolution. Never has the currently established system been so flawed and ineffective and never have alternative means to obtaining health been so plentiful. You've got a lot of new options out there, in this day and age. Health has become this generation's version of the industrial revolution, where everyone was trying to invent the gadget that would modernize society in a way never thought possible (i.e. automobiles, airplanes, light bulbs, telephones, televisions, etc.). Take a look at a natural health magazine and you'll read about dozens of new concepts every month. The established system knows that alternatives are becoming more popular, so they are attempting to capitalize on hot button keywords like "Wellness" and "Prevention" to get people making new mental associations for medications.

Health, though, is not like coming up with a new model for a better, more efficiently run car or electronic device. The idea of taking something outside the body and putting it into the body is the premise upon which the majority of the latest and greatest means to achieving health are based...and I'll make a strong argument that it is THAT way of thinking that has helped put us into the mess we are in when it comes to healthcare in our country. The President's health care reform ideas that we may one day see implemented are noble in their attempts to make change; I've even had people sending me documents and news briefs that show coverage improving tremendously through the proposed reform. But it isn't about health providers getting better coverage to get paid more money...it's about a need for a fundamental shift. It's about the EVOLUTION of the healthcare revolution.

The next step in moving forward with health care is taking it outside the symptom-based model and into a realm that is virtually unheard of in this day and age...at least here in the States...to a place where it's not all about symptoms, but a more realistic, logical view that involves the things that it actually takes to be healthy.

Building Health Or Treating Disease?

Man is either alive, or he’s dead.
If he’s alive, there’s a reason.
If he’s dead, there’s a reason.
Man is either healthy, or he’s sick.
If he’s healthy, there’s a reason.
If he’s sick, there’s a reason.
If he’s healthy, there’s a logical,
reasonable, and consistent explanation.
—Dr. B.J. Palmer

The above statement is the essence of Upper Cervical Care because it bases its practice on clear, logical reasoning. While there must be a reason, or perhaps many reasons for disease, it is more important to find the logical, reasonable and consistent reason for health. Addressing health is far more important than addressing disease. If you get rid of a disease but do not restore health, a void remains. Into that void will come another disease or perhaps the same one will return. You must have health, it is prerequisite to getting well and to the prevention of disease.

The logical reason for a lack of health is that the body is not functioning as it should. In fact, that may very well be the true definition of health, a state in which each and every cell in the body is working as it should. If we follow the logic of this thinking, it would make sense to examine the body and determine if the body is working properly and if it is not, why it is not. We in the upper cervical work believe that we have found a cause. We admit that we have not looked further for other reasons why the body may work at less than perfect efficiency. There may be others, we just have not looked for them. The reason is that the cause we have found involves the nerve system, the master system of the body, which is concerned with the organization of every activity, the production of every chemical, and the running of every cell. Further, we have found that interference in this nervous system can occur in just about everybody and occur in the spine where the head and neck join. This is enough to keep us busy.

What is the reason for sickness? That is the job of the medical doctor to determine that reason or reasons. It may be that one of the reasons for a disease, a major one, is a lack of health. The problem is that medicine is not looking for a lack of health, which is inside the person. They are looking for outside causes, bacteria, viruses, the environment, the weather, stress, as well as things you put into your body. It may be that there is some importance to those things but a lack of health, a body not working properly, is present in every situation. The medical doctor does not look for that. He cannot be expected to. He was not trained to do that. The role of the upper cervical doctor, to find one possible cause, an interference in the nerve system where the head and neck join. In correcting this interference to the nerve system, the body will work better in all situations under all circumstances. That is a prerequisite to a healthy body.