Is Upper Cervical Care Really That Simple?

Upper Cervical Care Is Easy To Understand

As experts on the upper cervical spine, upper cervical doctors focus on the intimate relationship between the top two bones in the neck, called the upper cervical spine, and, more importantly, a vital portion of the nervous system called the brain stem. This relationship is absolutely essential to the body’s ability to restore and preserve health.

In order to grasp the upper cervical concept, you must first understand how the body is created and, more importantly, how it is designed to function normally and remain healthy

The brain stem controls and coordinates virtually every vital function of the body and acts as a conduit between the brain and the body. It extends from the brain down through an opening in the base of your skull and into the upper cervical region. Working much like a telephone cable, the brain stem has millions of individual wires, or nerve fibers, that send signals back and forth between the brain to every system, organ, muscle and cell within the body. We must have 100% brain-to-body communication in order to function properly and remain healthy.

The top two bones in the neck, the atlas and axis, are the only two vertebrae in the entire spine that don’t have an intervertebral disc. They are designed to move in six directions and are considered freely movable. By contrast, every other bone in the spine, from the 3rd vertebra all the way down to the bottom, not only have a disc but also four inter-locking joints that only allow the bones to move in 2 directions. As a result, the top two freely movable bones are much more susceptible to misalignment.

If one of the upper two bones becomes misaligned, two things happen. First and foremost, it irritates or interferes with the brain stem and reduces the brain-to-body communication. Wherever those messages were intended to go, whether it’s your foot, kidney, pancreas, heart, lungs, eyes or ears, it is going to malfunction in some way, subtle or obvious. Secondly, consider the upper spine as part of a kinetic chain, connected from head to toe. If either of the top two bones becomes misaligned, the rest of the body must compensate or adapt, resulting in total “body imbalance”. In the end, your health and physical body will be compromised. This is called head/neck misalignment.

Every healing profession acknowledges that the body has an inborn or innate ability to heal itself. By restoring these healing messages, your body will operate closer to its potential from the top, down and from the inside, out.

See...Upper Cervical Care is that simple.

More Energy for Healing?

How to Get More Energy for Healing, Digestion, and Thinking

by Dr. Brandon Harshe

“Better than 90% of the brain’s output is directed towards maintaining your body in its gravitational field.  Therefore, the less energy one spends on one’s posture, the more energy is available for healing, digestion and thinking.”  -Roger Sperry, 1981 Nobel Prize winner for brain research

The first cervical vertebra, Atlas or C1, is the most freely movable vertebra in the spine, and the one most likely to cause irritation or tension to the spinal cord. It pivots around the second cervical vertebra, Axis or C2, connected only by ligaments and tendons, but no disc as in the rest of the spine. This is what allows the majority of spinal rotation to occur, but at the price of instability. In most cases, you will not feel the problem in your upper cervical spine.

When the head and neck misalign, you won’t feel it in most cases, but it will have a number of negative effects on the body. Because it is causing irritation and/or tension near the brain stem, vital organ function can be negatively impacted. Conditions such as high blood pressure, asthma, allergies, and digestive problems can arise. Because of a high number of sensory nerves in the upper neck called mechanoreceptors, head/neck misalignment can manifest itself in various conditions such as neck pain or stiffness, or tension headaches. You could even experience other conditions like migraines or vertigo as a result of having head/neck misalignment.  Or you may have no obvious symptoms at all.  (see editor's note below)

Head/neck misalignment can also cause an overall body imbalance that can result in overall spinal compensation. This will be characterized by spinal curvature, contracted or tight muscles on one side of the spine, postural imbalances such as a tilted head, high shoulder, and high hip, and an imbalance in leg lengths. Over time this could lead to forms of degeneration like bone spurs and fusion of the vertebrae, as well as back and shoulder pain, and even herniated discs.

So restoring proper position to the Atlas and Axis vertebrae have more of an effect on your overall well being than you have ever imagined. If you haven’t had your nervous system and upper neck checked, it’s time you did.

(Editor's note: Remember the objective of upper cervical care is to correct head neck misalignment that is interfering with proper brain to body communication. When this is corrected the body functions at a higher level and can often correct other problems more efficiently on its own. Please do not confuse upper cervical care as a treatment for any condition, disease or symptom.)

Understanding The Simplicity Of Upper Cervical Care

Adapted from: Upper Cervical Health Care … SIMPLIFIED!
By Daniel O. Clark, D.C.,
Retired Upper Cervical Doctor

Brain health and healing messages leave the brain by way of the brain stem, pass through the neck, down the spinal cord and out over the entire nervous system to all parts of the body.

These messages regulate, maintain and monitor all body functions.

They also direct body healing.

Head/Neck misalignment can cause interference at the top of the neck and prevent the brain from sending efficient health and healing messages to the body.

When the weight of the head (8-14 lbs.) is shifted off the center of the top of the neck and held in a misaligned position by muscles and ligaments, the body is imbalanced.

In its effort to keep the head balanced over the center of the neck, the rest of the body will often compensate to the shift of weight.

The spine can twist, causing one shoulder to drop down, one hip to be pulled up bringing the leg with it, creating body imbalance. This gives the appearance of one leg being shorter than the other but is often a direct result of head/neck misalignment.

When you stand or walk, the weight of the body is not equally divided. One side of the body is carrying more weight than the other.

Misalignment Interference at the top of the neck can prevent the brain from sending its normal health and healing messages to some part of the body.

Any part of the body that cannot communicate efficiently with the brain could begin to develop health problems.

These health problems will remain and magnify until normal brain to body communication is restored.

The Upper Cervical Doctor's specialty is to correct misalignment interference at the top of the neck to restore the normal flow of brain health and healing messages to the body, so its natural self healing process can continue as efficiently as possible.

All Upper Cervical doctors have the same objective regardless of the corrective procedure they choose to use; reduce misalignment interference and help each patient maintain their alignment correction, so there is no interference in the body’s natural self healing process.

Upper Cervical Care is a logical, effective and scientifically supported procedure in the Chiropractic profession.

Acute and chronic health problems tend to respond to the specific Upper Cervical care because the body is simply working more efficiently.

Remember the objective of upper cervical care is to correct head neck misalignment that is interfering with proper brain to body communication. When this is corrected the body functions at a higher level and can often correct other problems more efficiently on its own. Please do not confuse upper cervical care as a treatment for any condition, disease or symptom.

Communication And Upper Cervical Care

Have you ever wondered what keeps some married couples together for decades? Surely, mutual love, respect and shared spiritual beliefs are important to a lasting relationship, but possibly the most important factor is communication. Without communication neither person can learn about the other nor can they share their hopes and dreams for the future.

If communication is not the most important factor, then it is at least the most popular. Browse through any large bookstore and you will see titles promising to help improve your relationships by teaching you and your spouse to better communicate with each other. Regardless of whether you are from Mars and your spouse is from Venus or vice versa, if the two of you don’t communicate well, your life and your relationship are going to be challenging. If you do not believe me, try going a few days without communicating with your spouse. Can you think of all the disorder this could cause in your life? Who is going to pick up the kids? What time will dinner be ready? What ballgame does little Johnny have this week and where? Did anyone call and leave an important phone message? And these are just a few of the potential challenges you may incur.

The success or failure of any sports team is largely due to its ability to communicate. In baseball for example, teams have developed their own type of sign language for communicating the managers’ instructions to the players. All that flailing of the third base coach’s arms and brushing the bill of his cap is his way of communicating to the batter to take the pitch, lay down a bunt or swing away. While that is going on, the pitcher and the catcher on the other team are communicating in their own sign language deciding which pitch to throw. If the batter misses the signal from the third base coach and takes the pitch when he was supposed to bunt, he could cost his team the game. On the other team, if the pitcher mis-communicates with the catcher, the results could be equally costly.

Imagine if the quarterback for your favorite football team were to give his teammates the silent treatment in the huddle. How would any of the players know where to lineup, which routes to run, which direction to block, who the ball was going to go to or even what the snap count would be? This lack of communication would obviously reduce the chances of this team winning or even performing at its best. Obviously, communication is important in our relationships with others, both on the field and off. But there is more, communication is also an important factor in the quality of our internal relationships as well.

For your body to reach optimal physical and mental harmony (what some refer to as “health”), you must have good communication throughout your nerve system. For your internal environment to function properly, your brain and body need to “talk” to each other via signals sent over the nerves in your body. Much like a failure to communicate with a friend or your spouse can cause disorder in your relationship, failure to communicate the signals between your brain and body leads to disorder in your body. Interference to the communication lines of the nerve system leads to this “failure to communicate.” One such type of interference is head/neck misalignment. Upper cervical care assists your body in correcting head/neck misalignment, thus restoring more ideal communication between your brain and your body. While upper cervical care cannot help you with your communication with others, it can improve the communication that takes place within you.

Upper Cervical Care Revisited

This comes to us from www.seeonedoc.com

What is Upper Cervical Care?
by Dr. Autumn Monteiro

Upper Cervical Care is a unique system of finding and correcting nerve interference in the upper neck area.

Upper Cervical Care focuses on the intimate relationship between the first two bones in the neck, called the Upper Cervical Spine, and a vital portion of the nervous system, known as the brain stem. This relationship is essential to the body’s ability to preserve and restore health.

Think of the brain stem as the control center that extends down an opening in the base of your skull, making it vulnerable to injuries or irritation around the upper neck. The brain stem works like a telephone cable with thousands of individual wires or nerve fibers sending signals back and forth between the brain and spinal cord to every cell, organ and system in the body. Almost every nerve impulse between the brain and the body must pass through the brain stem. The nervous system is responsible for all communication within the body. It regulates your immune system, emotions, vision, hearing, balance, breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, muscle tension, posture, hormones, and every other function.

Irritation or pressure within the central nervous system can interrupt communication between the brain and the body, thus creating a variety of health problems. The top two vertebrae, the Atlas and Axis, are especially vulnerable to injury or misalignment because they are the most mobile segments of the spine. If neglected, an Upper Cervical misalignment can lead to irreversible spinal degeneration and chronic ill health. Upper Cervical misalignments can be caused by falls, auto accidents, sports, job injuries, concussions, physical or emotional stress, poor posture, or even birth trauma.

Upper Cervical Care: Correction vs. Adjustment

Should we make corrections or provide adjustments? It depends on the doctor's objective.

Upper Cervical Doctors often use the term correction instead of adjustment because it is a better description of the nature of the work they do. Here is a short definition of the two terms:

Adjustment ... to modify/change Correction ... to make right

There is nothing wrong with an adjustment, the different terminology is used only because of the distinct difference between the two approaches both in application and objective.

• All Chiropractors give adjustments

• Only Upper Cervical doctors make upper cervical alignment corrections.

• Chiropractors give adjustments on every visit.

• Upper Cervical doctors make upper cervical alignment corrections only when tests indicate it is needed.

Both services are helpful and either can be more appropriate at times than the other.

However, Upper Cervical doctors have observed clinically that while the head and neck is in perfect alignment and the brain can communicate with all parts of the body without interference, the body is either in the process of healing itself or in a state of good health. This is why Upper Cervical doctors use the term correction; they want patients to be in this state for as long as possible.

Any part of the body that is restricted from receiving efficient brain health and healing messages, due to interference at the point where the head and neck join, can begin to develop health problems.

The fact that countless health problems have responded to Upper Cervical Care proves that restricted brain to body communication can be a direct and/or indirect cause of many health problems.

One major goal within Upper Cervical Care is to conduct research directed toward perfecting procedures that will help Upper Cervical alignment corrections that will maintain for months or even years ... it would revolutionize the health care industry.

All Upper Cervical Doctors have the same objective regardless of the corrective procedure they choose to use. ... Help each patient maintain their alignment correction to prevent restricted brain to body communication so they can enjoy a better quality of life.

Upper Cervical Care: Changing Lives

Upper Cervical Care, first and foremost, is not about pain, disease, or making you better or improving upon you. Never has been and never will be. Well, what the heck good is it then? Why would or should anyone even be under care? Upper Cervical Care is about allowing that which is inside of you, THE POWER OF LIFE, the chance to fully express itself free of interference.

We know that when you take away the brain the body dies. This tells us that the brain regulates and maintains all body functions. If the brain can communicate with the body as it was intended then we can expect the body to be healthy. If the brain cannot communicate with the body as it was intended then we can expect health problems to develop. It has been shown that head/neck misalignment, whether felt or not, carries the potential to have a profoundly negative impact on this crucial communication cycle.

Upper Cervical Care recognizes the life importance of this communication and ventures to correct this structural interference to its expression.

Do symptoms and diseases go away under Upper Cervical Care? Many times they do but it is because the body begins to work correctly.

It ultimately comes down to this, do you want to express life closer to your potential? Then visit an Upper Cervical Doctor and see what your body can do, because the best doctor is the doctor within you. If it is just allowed to express itself, with time, it can heal you of most anything. It is as simple as that!

Optimal Communication Crucial To Life

Q. How important is it for your brain and body to be able to communicate?

A. Well, if it doesn’t happen at all your dead. So the answer is…VERY IMPORTANT!

Q. If it is THAT IMPORTANT than is it ALSO IMPORTANT TO EVERYONE to check the strength of communication periodically to make sure that it is working to its highest potential?

A. The Answer…Well Yes.

Bet you never thought about how important that communication is. My specialty, as an Upper Cervical Doctor, is to assess how well this important communication is functioning and, if needed, make a correction to it.

So what we have here is something that is extremely important to everyone to keep tabs on and Upper Cervical Care, a procedure designed to aid in that effort. What could be better?

Remember, Upper Cervical Care is not a treatment for anything and it doesn’t cure anything only the body can heal. Example: If I give care in the form of chiropractic, drugs, or surgery to a dead body what happens? NOTHING! So who really does the healing? YOU DO!

Upper Cervical Care is about giving your body the best chance to be its’ best by opening the communication line (Head/Neck Alignment) between the brain and the body. The body can, will, and does do the rest. Doesn’t everyone (from birth to death) deserve that chance?

We are here to serve, to share, and to give of ourselves so that everyone has that chance. How many people will get that chance? That’s up to you! Please share this with everyone you know. Their life may just depend on it!

Another Thought On Upper Cervical Care

Think of your body like a highway. There are always construction zones, detours, accidents, road blocks, repair zones, etc. on a highway. This interferes with your ability to get where you want to get when you need to get there. In terms of the body, you know that the nervous system is the system that controls and coordinates every other function and system in the body. The roadblock of the body’s nervous system is head/neck misalignment. The message will still get there but not at the right time or in the appropriate quantity. All of the problems that the body can have often times can be traced back to a communication breakdown of some kind. In many cases this communication breakdown is due to a head/neck misalignment.

Upper Cervical Doctors, by correcting this imbalance, remove these roadblocks or interference. When the body is clear of this interference it is like having a highway with no work being done to it. You know at your present speed how long it will take to get where you are going and that the road your on takes you right there. Everything is communicating in the body at its most optimum capacity.

Upper Cervical Care by removing interference in the nervous system promotes the maximum expression of the body's inborn potential for life. Upper Cervical Doctors don't cure or treat anything. Only the body can do that. After all that is what it was designed to do. The body is so much more miraculous then so many people give it credit for.

I was reading some things that I have collected over the years and one of them that comes to mind was about the 7 wonders of the world. It was about a grade school class and they came up with your usual choices; Taj Mahal, Great Pyramids, etc. but one little girl had some trouble. She had this list: 1. To see 2. To touch 3. To smell 4. To taste 5. To hear 6. To laugh and 7. To love. This small girl hit it right on the head. The seven, if not more, wonders of the world are with us all the time.

Our own bodies deserve so much of our appreciation. It truly is amazing what it does every single second to keep you alive. Give your body a break and make sure that its’ communication system (nervous system) is free of that nasty roadblock known as head/neck misalignment. It’s the least that you could do. Especially after all that it has done for you.

Upper Cervical Care Made Simple

By Dr. Daniel Clark

Head tilt interference at the point where the head and neck join can disrupt or distort the brain’s health and healing messages to the body, allowing numerous health problems to develop.

Muscles of the neck can hold the head in a tilt position and disrupt the flow of brain health and healing messages to the body.

Most people experience head tilt without ever knowing it.

Efficient, unrestricted brain to body communication is Upper Cervical Care at its best.

It is cost effective and the ultimate in wellness and preventative healthcare.

The Doctor’s First Objective:

Use the patient’s correction formula to remove interference at the point where the head and neck join to re-activate the flow of brain health and healing messages to the body so its natural self-healing process can begin.

The Doctor’s Second Objective:

On each follow-up visit, help the patient maintain their alignment correction so there is no interference in the body’s healing process until it is complete.

Editor's note: The frequency of follow-up visits will depend on the needs of the patient. Some people may find that they need to be seen more frequently due to the nature of their daily activities (especially if they are not able to change those daily activities) while others may be fine to get checked only occasionally (every 6 months or so for example.) Each individual will be a bit different but the goal of Upper Cervical Care is not about keeping you coming in, it is about making a specific correction and keeping it there for as long as possible and the more precise we can do that the fewer times we should need to see you.