A Skeptical Patient's Experience

(Editor's Note: The following is one patient's experience with Upper Cervical Care.)

I have had the extraordinary privilege of working with Dr. Dan Fedelli here in Chicago over the last 2 years and I’ve become a believer in Upper Cervical Chiropractic work and the difference it makes.

I was really skeptical. When I came to Dr. Dan, my jaw hurt all the time , I had excruciating tension headaches that wrapped around my skull like a 2 inch wide Bandana from an 80’s Hair band. The Right side of my face had fallen sometime in 2006, and my smile was a hot-lopsided mess! The Facebook picture I have in which some accuse of being too sultry, was in fact an attempt to hide said lop-eared smile! I also had difficulty sleeping due to intense unrelenting pain between my shoulders. And I was grinding my teeth all night every night.
In the beginning, I would go to my appointments with him and just cry from relief. Then I would go directly home and nap for 2 hours – getting the best deepest rest I’d had in 3 years. I didn’t know if any of this would help me, but I kept going as I had no diagnosis and therefore no treatment…and my symptoms were getting worse. It felt good to at least be doing SOMETHING.

I began to sleep better…my headaches diminished with in 1 month.

With in 4 months my smile was restored.

What I liked about working with Dr. Fedelli, is that he was straight about getting me on a healing program and not interested in maintaining the frequency of my appointments. We started with 2 appointments / week, which quickly went to 1/wk, the every 2 weeks…then 1/month. After a year or so I felt pretty good and I had dropped out my appointments for a few months…slowly my neck bunched up and I was experiencing lower energy etc…I have to say when I returned 5 months later it only took 6 weeks to get back on track and return to sound sleeping once more.

I also appreciate the service of his staff, the private treatment rooms.  I feel cared for and valued versus pursued as a revenue stream, which has been my experience of other chiropractors in the past.

A word about NET or Neuro Emotional Therapy, I don’t pretend to understand it, I only know it produces results. It’s a valuable tool in my commitment to healing my whole self, and ridding my body of whatever dis-ease I have created in my experience.

Here is a link to his web site:
http://www.thebalancingcenter.com.

There is something about the whole specialty of Upper Cervical Chiropractic that goes beyond the norm. I highly recommend it to anyone with lingering jaw issues due to dental surgery, stress in the upper back or shoulders and lack of function or nerve damage in the face! Get your self some balance!

(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.)

Chronic Headache Sufferers Find Relief With Upper Cervical Care

Many people are not aware of the relationship between upper cervical (neck) trauma and headaches. With all that modern science has accomplished, there are still more unanswered questions than answered ones. This is also true in the case of headache research. It’s been difficult to pinpoint the exact reason(s) why certain people suffer chronic headache pain. However, research is beginning to point toward upper cervical trauma as an underlying cause for many types of head pain, especially migraine, cluster and tension headaches.

The upper cervical area of the spine refers to the two vertebrae located at the top of the spine, directly underneath the head. C1 (known as Atlas,) along with C2 (known as Axis,) are chiefly responsible for the rotation and flexibility of the head and neck. Like the rest of the vertebrae, they are extremely vulnerable to injury and trauma, especially trauma to the head through auto or sporting accidents.

Because so many nerves transmit through the cervical region (to and from the brain,) trauma to this area results in problems to other parts of the body. This is where the relationship between the upper cervical area and headaches becomes evident. If these vertebrae become displaced, even slightly, chronic head pain can occur. Unless the neck injury is addressed, the symptoms persist.

Upper cervical care involves addressing the position and function of these injured cervical vertebrae, particularly C1 and C2. Realigning these vertebrae may restore proper function to the area and reduce or eliminate many types of headaches.

The most common types of headaches for which people seek upper cervical care are migraine, cluster and tension headaches. Migraine headaches are characterized by intense pain on either one or both sides of the head. Pain is usually located around the temples or behind one ear or eye. The pain is so severe that it often causes extreme sensitivity to light, dizziness and may even lead to vomiting. Migraines may occur with or without ‘aura.’ Aura refers to visual symptoms which occur 10 to 30 minutes prior to the onset of the headache. They are usually in the form of flashing lights, lines, blind spots or even temporary blindness.

Cluster headaches almost always occur on only one side of the head. Their onset is so sudden and intense, cluster headaches have been described as “worse than childbirth.” In fact, the doctor who originally identified and researched cluster headaches characterized their pain as being able “to drive normal people to suicide.”

Tension headaches are sometimes called ’stress headaches.’ They often start midday and usually consist of a dull, aching pain rather than a sharp, intense one. They start gradually and slowly build in intensity. Tension headaches may last anywhere from less than one to several hours.

Of course, not every headache falls into one of these categories. The type and degree of pain varies from person to person. However, if any headache occurs more often than on an occasional or sporadic basis, it’s safe to assume that there may be an underlying cause. Continually treating chronic and recurrent headaches with pain medication may temporarily ease the symptoms, but it won’t cure the problem.

Many of these headaches improve significantly while under upper cervical care. The number of visits required varies by individual, as well as type and frequency of headache. A first visit to an upper cervical chiropractor usually involves a spinal evaluation including neurological tests and x-rays to assess alignment and function for each individual case.  Patients often notice an improvement in symptoms, sometimes after only a few visits with the doctor.

(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.)