NFL, Concussions and Upper Cervical

(Editors Note:  This is a few years old but still may provide useful information. 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.)

How the NFL concussion lawsuit is going to legitimize upper cervical chiropractic care

by Dr. Ward

If you don’t follow sports, you might be missing one of the most important stories to develop in the intersection between sports and health.

Over the past several years, multiple lawsuits have been filed against the National Football League on behalf of over 2,000 players who report experiencing symptoms of concussion, or mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). The players say that repeat head trauma from playing professional football has lead to them to experience a body of symptoms similar to severe brain injury.

What are some of these symptoms? Headache, brain fog, confusion, ringing in the ears, fatigue, poor sleep quality, and depression.

What’s interesting about these symptoms is how similar they are to the symptoms patients often present with in upper cervical chiropractic offices. Upper cervical chiropractors often see the same pattern of symptoms, right down to the poor sleep quality, brain fog, and depression.

And not because their patients have played professional football.

The symptom connection between the NFL and upper cervical chiropractic patients
Rather, upper cervical chiropractic patients often have a history of playing high school sports. Of falling out of trees. Of being in motor vehicle accidents. Of falling down the stairs. Of being launched from a snow-mobile. Of having their head struck or their neck whip-lashed on one or more occasions.

These are also the same histories and symptoms of people who experience vertigo, migraines, multiple sclerosis (MS), and even other degenerative brain diseases, like Parkinsons.

These are also the same histories and symptoms of people that are being investigated by upright MRI. People who, with this new and different diagnostic tool, are being found to have significant changes in the function and position of their brain and neck. These same kind of symptoms are presenting in people with reduced flow of their cerebral spinal fluid. Or of partially closed vertebral arteries. Or even a partially descended lower brain being pulled into the spinal canal, called tonsillar ectopia.

So—what’s going here? What exactly does this mean? Well, it’s hard to predict what’s going to happen, but this is what I think will happen—broken down into three points.

Three predictions coming from the NFL concussion lawsuit

Medicine will starting looking at the brain, spinal cord, and spine together. The emphasis is on the together part. You see, except in extreme cases, medicine sees a brain injury as something that only exists in the brain. And a neck injury as only something that exists in the neck. But the blood, tissue, and cerebral spinal fluid are all continuous between these two parts of the body. Symptoms of brain trauma can actually be symptoms of neck trauma, and vice versa.

The extremely large prevalence of persons suffering with mild TBI and neck trauma will begin to be recognized as standard imaging for these studies (hospital x-rays, and normal MRI) are going to be found less and less helpful. There is an epidemic of brain fog, depression, concentration problems, and other similar symptoms in the general population that require more than just medication or watching and waiting. Case series in upright MRI and even microangiography (looking at small blood vessels in the neck and lower brain) will lead to complete recognition that physical trauma, especially upper neck injury, leads to a change in blood flow and CSF in the brain.

Because private enterprise, professional athletes, and billions of dollars in damages are involved, the NFL is going to be forced to lead the way in uncovering some of these connections in order to protect itself from further liability and protect its largest assets: its players. (To put things in perspective, these lawsuits may lead to settlement larger than the one wrangled from Big Tobacco.) The concussion that a quarterback took ten years ago may play a role in helping a future MS patient get the help they need.

Which brings us to the final point, captured in the title of this article. This developing information, coming from several independent studies and sources is going to legitimize what upper cervical chiropractors have known for years:

Neck trauma changes brain function. Reversing that trauma through specific adjustments can help restore that brain function.

You heard it here first—the NFL is going to legitimize upper cervical chiropractic care. And you’ll know its happening when upper cervical doctors using x-rays and precise adjusting techniques join the other chiropractors, physical therapists, and team trainers, who are already on the sidelines.

Meniere’s Disease and Upper Cervical Chiropractic?

This original story appeared in the Fall 2013 NUCCA News, the quarterly newsletter of the the National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association. It was part of one of three very different stories about healing through upper cervical care. This true-life story comes from Dr. Keith Denton in Monroe, Michigan, and was written by Dr. Zachary Ward.

Liz Hyer’s Hearing Loss and Meniere’s Disease

Liz Hyer had been managing her Meniere’s Disease symptoms well, until she began to take a turn for the worst. A chance reference to NUCCA (National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association) on an online-support page for Meniere’s introduced her to Dr. Keith Denton. It was the first step to finally finding the full help she needed.

"Ever since I can remember," Liz Hyer told the NUCCA News, "I have had aural fullness [feeling of fullness in the ear], tinnitus [ringing in the ear], balance problems and double vision. Six years ago I was diagnosed with bi-lateral Meniere’s disease." Gradual hearing loss in both of her ears lead to the diagnosis from her medical physician.

Meniere’s is a complex and confusing disease that affects the brainstem, creating hearing and balance disturbances. Within current medical thinking, there is little that can be done for Meniere’s patients, especially the hearing loss.

Liz says that her Meniere’s episodes were mild. Though they left her tired, with ringing in her ears, and room spinning for days at a time, they only happened every few months.

Then two years ago her condition worsened. Perhaps the most noticeable change was the severe attacks of double vision. "It was to the point where I had to drive with one eye closed in order to be able to see to drive to work. It was not an ideal situation for safe driving," Liz said. Her doctor referred her to an ENT specialist who diagnosed her with another disease, known as Brown’s syndrome.

Hearing restored with upper cervical adjustment 

January 2013 was her first visit to the NUCCA doctor. "I noticed when I was having a flare up of symptoms, I would get an adjustment from my regular chiropractor and my hearing would improve somewhat," Liz said. "I did some extensive research online about Meniere’s…people were reporting that NUCCA chiropractic had helped relieve their symptoms. By the grace of God I found Dr. Keith Denton."

What happened after her first NUCCA correction? "I went home and laid down. At that point I had severe brain fog and double vision. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t see. I couldn’t hear. It felt like there was a rainforest in my head. It was like fluid running."

A week later, Liz went back to her physician, who repeated her hearing test. Liz was found to have regained her normal hearing after one adjustment. Now, nine months later, her hearing has not declined. But that was just the beginning of her healing story.

Upright MRI reveals depth of upper cervical problem 

Based on recent findings in upper cervical chiropractic research, and Liz’s symptoms, Dr. Denton thought that Liz might be experiencing something known as Arnold Chiari Malformation, where the lower portion of the brain is pulled downward into her spinal canal. He suggested Liz get an upright MRI so she would have a complete understanding of what she was facing. When she approached her neurologist, he told her that the she did not have Arnold Chiari—and that there was no such thing as an upright MRI.

Several months later, Liz tracked down an upright MRI unit in Illinois (they do exist!), and discovered that she did indeed have Arnold Chiari. "Having the hearing back, I have my confidence restored, and it gives me hope that the rest will follow with time."

Just after her interview, Liz wrote to the NUCCA News the following:

"One thing I forgot to mention during the interview was that I have had years of chronic lower back pain. This has melted away along with my hearing issue since being adjusted by Dr. Denton. I have been under regular chiropractic care since I was 18, and at least twice a month for the past 11 years, without a sign of relief for my back. In just one upper cervical adjustment, years of excruciating back pain was but a memory."

Written by Dr. Ward 

Father and dedicated upper cervical chiropractor. Find me practicing gentle upper cervical care in Oakland County, Michigan. Have a question or comment? I'm at your service. Reach me at my Auburn Hills chiropractic practice: (248) 598-4002.

(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.)

Mike's Story of Chronic Pain

This original story appeared in the Fall 2013 NUCCA News, the quarterly newsletter of the the National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association. It was part of one of three very different stories about healing through upper cervical care. This true-life story comes from Dr. Cecilia Yu in Dallas, Texas, and was written by Dr. Zachary Ward.

Mike Tyler’s 16 Years of Chronic Pain

Without any true answer on why his body hurt so much , Mike Tyler had learned to make chronic, debilitating pain a lifestyle. He even continued playing golf. Though he was skeptical about NUCCA, Mike was game to try anything to get his pain down and his swing back. Would his visit to Dr. Cecilia Yu deliver the miracle he desired?

"When a friend told me about Dr. Yu and NUCCA, I was, of course, very skeptical. I thought I had tried everything and researched everything and had not heard of NUCCA. I thought there was no way NUCCA could help me."

So writes Mike Tyler in an article he wrote about his experience with Dr. Cecilia Yu, a NUCCA chiropractor in Dallas. Mike went through such an incredible transformation with his care, that he put the experience into words, which he shared with the NUCCA News.

Before finding help through NUCCA, Mike had lived with chronic pain for 16 years. "I was diagnosed with a lot of things. I had everything…every x-ray," said Mike. "There was nothing I did not try: chiropractors, massages, stretching, tens units, hanging upside down, acupuncture, ice, heat, medication and supplements. Some of these items would provide temporary relief but would never last any length of time. I went through every possible scenario to stop the pain and be able to play golf."

Back to playing golf without pain 

Mike is a lover of golf. "I have played competitive golf all of my life in the Dallas area," he told the NUCCA News. But Mike’s pain was so unbearable that he had to use a golf club to lift himself off the green anytime he bent over. "I couldn’t bend over to tee up a golf ball." And that was on his good days.

What were his bad days like? He wrote this: "My pain was quite severe. It was painful to sit, stand, walk, or even get in and out of a car. When you live in constant pain, you need to have a plan before each movement. My pain was from my head to my toes with hourly back spasms, cramps and daily headaches. Pain became the norm for me to the point where I could not even remember ever not being without pain. A good day was when I had steady consistent pain where I would know my limitations on those days. Bad days were when the level of pain would fluctuate along with migraines and muscle cramps."

"I went to Dr. Yu’s office with significant doubts," he told the NUCCA News. "She went through her process, and figured out how badly I was misaligned. She put my head in a cradle, and very gently touched my neck."

And then, like many NUCCA chiropractic patients, there was no immediate change. In fact, things seemed to get worse for a time.

"I went through several days of increased pain. Even an old broken finger hurt. It was that bad."

Then several nights after his first correction, Mike slept through the night for the first time in years and awoke to find that his pain had significantly diminished. It would quickly fade away and never return.

"Three days after the initial adjustment and I could bend over and touch my shoes. Because I was so flexible, had no pain, and was experiencing so much energy, I started painting my house…NUCCA truly works without any harmful drugs or procedures."

(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.)

Runner's Knee and Upper Cervical Care

by DrWard

Runner’s knee and upper cervical chiropractic care? This original story appeared in the Fall 2013 NUCCA News, the quarterly newsletter of the National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association. It was part of one of three very different stories about healing through upper cervical care. This true-life story comes from Dr. Nathan Wheat in central Iowa, and was written by Dr. Zachary Ward.

Amanda Stevenson’s Knee Pain

Amanda Stevenson decided to get healthy and that running was going to be her way to do it. But when a common leg injury reared its head, she discovered getting her own head on straight with Dr. Nathan Wheat was key to getting her back on track.

"I ran in high school, and running was the only thing I knew," she told the NUCCA News. "I worked up from walking to running 30 minutes without stopping. Then I started entering races."

Six months into regular workouts and race training, Amanda ran into a common problem for distance athletes. "I developed a typical case of runner’s knee," she said. "It hurt so bad that it hurt even when I wasn’t running. I was told that I needed to rest, that I needed to take a break from running."

With just six weeks until an upcoming 20K race, Amanda did not think she was going to be able to run. But her stride and her pain would quickly change after a visit to NUCCA chiropractor, Dr. Nathan Wheat in Ames, Iowa.

"I went in [for care] and honestly I didn’t know if it was going to work," Amanda said. "But after my first few adjustments, I felt an immediate difference. I could tell that the biomechanics of my running had changed. That my knee had changed."

Not only was Amanda amazed that she could return to running so quickly, she was amazed to successfully complete her 20K race without any problems in her knee.

"I ran my race with no pain. I was certain even after I saw the improvements that the pain was going to show up again. I thought it was too simple. It has to be more complicated than that. But I ran my race and I finished a lot faster than I expected."

As Amanda continued her care under Dr. Wheat, she noticed she started achieving faster running times. For interval trainings her miles now come in at under 7:30, four minutes faster than when she first began running.

Amanda is now training for a marathon, and is convinced that her upper cervical care is an important part of her performance, not just in the healing of pain. "I know that having my body in alignment has made me faster."

(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.)

Christmas Wishes of the Upper Cervical Variety

Adapted from "12 days of Christmas, but only 3 Christmas Wishes"

Dr. Zachary Ward

There are 12 days of Christmas, but if I were to drop a letter in the mail to old Kris Kringle I would only have 3 items on my list.

Christmas Wish #1:  More doctors like Dr. Bruce Bell.

A couple of decades ago, upper cervical care certainly wasn’t on the radar of Dr. Bruce Bell MD, a family practice physician in the suburbs of Chicago.

Being a guy who loved his patients and science, he began to notice a trend among his patient population: some of them saw improvements in health status after receiving upper cervical care (UCC). He investigated it and discovered the NUCCA upper cervical approach to spinal balance.

That began a personal investigation into upper cervical care (UCC). And over several years, Dr. Bell sent thousands of referrals to an upper cervical doctor, Dr. Marshall Dickholtz, Sr. of Chicago, Illinois. The fruits of the Bell and Dickholtz working relationship weren’t just limited to happier patients. Dr. Bell insisted on trying to document some of the changes that he saw in his patients, and began the long task of trying to form a research investigation into NUCCA.

In a story to long to tell here, that investigation ended in the very groundbreaking pilot study on UCC and hypertension featured in the Journal of Human Hypertension. In that pilot study it was shown there was a strong association between NUCCA UCC and the reduction of blood pressure in high blood pressure patients.

Now the National Institutes of Health is funding another study to see if these findings can be reproduced among a larger patient population. And thousands of patients are discovering UCC who wouldn’t have found it otherwise!

All of this wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for Dr. Bruce Bell, who stepped outside his experience, and found good things were happening for his patients under UCC.

Christmas Wish #2: More money for UCC research

Right now the Upper Cervical Research Foundation is researching the relationship between the upper cervical spine, and a number of conditions which cause human suffering. And they aren’t the only ones. A number of chiropractic colleges have strong, award winning research departments, whose studies have been instrumental in expanding our understanding about the human body. And the relationship between our health and health of the spine.

But it wasn’t until as recently as 1998, that chiropractic institutions began to get significant funding from the National Institutes of Health. Right now, those funding dollars add up to several millions of dollars a year, often spread out over many projects.

Compared to several decades ago, it’s better than nothing. But compared to the tens of billions of dollars the federal government gives medical institutions for research, per year, the amount is almost insignificant.

There are now hundreds of studies which support the benefits of care. Far more than there were even a few years ago. But for the public and the health care system to benefit from care, we need to be able to show how and why we help.

We can’t do that without more research money.

Christmas Wish #3: More children under upper cervical care

“I wish I would have tried this 30 years ago,” is a common phrase heard in my office, and the office of other chiropractors. Of course, sometimes it’s 10 years ago, or 2 years ago, but you get the idea.

My response, though I don’t always say it, is:  ” No, someone should have checked you right after birth.”

Now, not every baby has a difficult birth. And many of our modern birthing methods can save the lives of seriously threatened infants. Yet, they can also place a lot of stress on the upper cervical spine of infants as they move through the birth canal. A process that already places stress on the child’s head and neck.

As a result of this stress, many children come into the world with their bodies out of balance, and they show evidence of it as they grow. For many this shows up as inability or refusal to nurse on one side, a distorted sleep posture (c-shaped bent to the side), stronger motor development on one side of the body than the other, and colicky symptoms.

I can tell you from personal experience, that each of my children has only received a handful of adjustments, they tend to maintain their alignment for a long time, and don’t experience the health problems that plague their playmates, like colic, headaches, and ear infections.

Perhaps if more parents were willing to actually see if their child’s “head was on straight” we might be able to avoid some of the more serious problems that bring people to the doctor later on in life.

Thank you for reading my Christmas wish list! Here’s how you can make each of these wishes come true:

1.If you’re a person who’s seen major improvements in health since starting upper cervical care, share those changes with your primary care physician. They deserve to know what you’re doing.

2.If you’d like to have more groundbreaking research, consider become a donating sponsor of the Upper Cervical Research Foundation.

3.If you’re a parent with a child who has health challenges, consider the possibility that your child’s spinal alignment has a role to play in their health maintenance and healthy development. And get your child to an upper cervical doctor.

Have a blessed Holiday!

Upper Cervical Care, Candy and Neck Spasms

What happened to her debilitating neck spasms?

by Dr. Ward

Upper cervical care (NUCCA technique) patients see “same-day” changes in posture. Symptoms may take longer to respond. Most will experience changes in symptoms in the first 6 days or so. And many of those will be dramatic improvements. Read or listen to one woman’s story with debilitating neck pain and spasms and how (NUCCA) upper cervical care helped her body to heal.

Thank you to Candy for allowing me to share her story so that others might know that a drug-free, surgery-free way is available.

BEFORE

I had severe muscle spasms in my neck. To the point to where it was just debilitating. I could do nothing but lay flat and hope there was no jar or movement. And when the actual spasm would go away: loss of range of motion, tenderness, continued pain that would be intermittent, stiffness in my shoulders, and between my should blades, and that stiffness would radiate on down to my lower back and my legs.

NOW

…I feel like a new woman. I’ve got really good range of motion in my neck. And all the shoulder pain is gone. The pain between my shoulder blades is gone. My lower back feels a lot less rigid, and my legs seem to be much more limber than they were before.

I sleep better because I don’t have the neck pain associated with laying my head on the pillow. And I just feel like I can function so much better.

…You can come in feeling rotten and leave feeling like you’ve got the world licked...

The surprising thing to me is how gentle the care is, and how much benefit you have. I come in with one leg significantly shorter than the other, and then after a few minutes, I’m all even with world again. And everything is level and my muscles are functioning correctly. The pain is gone. I just cannot believe that for the short amount of time that I need to spend here, and for as gentle the care is, that I get that much benefit.

(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.)

Ear Pain And The NUCCA Correction?

(Editor's Note:  Today's post comes to us from Dr. Zachary Ward and Nucca News, enjoy!)

NUCCA Patient Spotlight

The ear bone's connected to the jaw bone? A surprising change after one NUCCA correction.

Usually ear pain in a child makes doctors think ear infection--but 10 year old Lauren's pain was different. After Lauren began complaining of ear pain, her mother, Renee, took her to the pediatrician who investigated the source of the earache, but found nothing wrong. "Since she had already been on antibiotics, and there was nothing wrong inside the ear, the doctor told me to give her Ibuprofen," said Renee. In spite of the doctor's diagnosis, the pain continued, and in fact, got worse.

Lauren described the pain as sharp stabbing deep in her right ear, which would quickly come and go, happening as often as four to five times per hour. The pediatrician said that a trip to ENT might be in order. Filing that in the back of her mind, Renee took her daughter to a NUCCA doctor instead.

When Dr. Zachary Ward heard Lauren's story, he suggested that the pain might be nerve related and might respond to a NUCCA correction. Dr. Ward evaluated Lauren and found tight musculature in her neck and shoulder, as well as a heat reading that showed an increased temperature around the atlas vertebrae on her left side. Lauren received a NUCCA correction on Friday morning, and by the end of that weekend, the pain subsided completely.

Something surprising also happened after the correction: the left side of Lauren's left jaw began to relax. "I asked Lauren, 'How come you never told me that your jaw was so tight on your left side'" Renee told the NUCCA News. "Lauren said, 'Mom I didn't know my jaw was that tight. It's been like that my whole life. I thought that was normal!'"

To make matters more interesting, Lauren has received orthodontia care since she was three years to correct jaw and teeth alignment issues related to a cleft palate. Until her NUCCA correction, Lauren and Renee had no idea that Lauren's ear and jaw health could be related to her neck.

"I was surprised how quickly things improved for Lauren, without using any kind of drugs or surgery." said Renee.

(Editor's note: Remember the objective of any type 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 ear pain or any other condition, disease or symptom.)

Thank You For Recognizing The Upper Cervical Blog

Over the past few months the Upper Cervical Blog has received some recognition from various sources that you will see referenced below. We do not share this to toot our own horn but as a way of giving thanks to the power of upper cervical care and the chance to share it with others who in turn, we hope, will share it with others still and so on. Thanks to all that read the blog and please share with others that may be helped by the information contained within it.

Our first one comes from Ken Martin with nursingschools.net:

Hi Travis,

We at “Nursingschools.net”, wanted to let you know that we featured your blog in one of our recent articles on our own blog. (50 Best Blogs in the Chiropractic Community), is linked below and could be a fun way to share this announcement with your readers.

(http://www.nursingschools.net/blog/2011/01/50-best-blogs-in-the-chiropractic-community/)

Either way, I hope you continue putting out great content through your blog. It has been a sincere pleasure to read.

Thanks
Ken Martin

The second one comes from Dr. Brandon Harshe at The Atlas of Life and his post: 5 Top Quality Chiropractic Blogs For Your Blog Reading List:

THE UPPER CERVICAL BLOG - Dr. Travis Robertson

Dr. Travis Robertson hardly gets any recognition for his blog and I think he deserves a lot more. His blog is great. He posts 3-4 times a week and it is always quality material. He has a passion for upper cervical just like I do, but his blog is dedicated solely to it. I think his site is a great resource for people interested in looking into the benefits of Upper Cervical Chiropractic care. Check it out here.

And finally the last one comes from Dr. Zachary Ward at Upper Cervical Websites and his post: The top 8 upper cervical chiropractic blogs for patients?

Dr. Travis Robertson-Marion, IA
It’s hard to read anything about upper cervical chiropractic care online, without running into Dr. Travis Robertson. Along with Dr. Harshe, he is one of the most prolific upper cervical chiropractic bloggers around. Which is probably why he shows up in Google on multiple occasions. There is something so simple and unassuming about Dr. Robertson’s blog that I love. It’s clearly not about him, but about the power of upper cervical chiropractic care. His tongue-in-cheek tag line is perfect: Upper Cervical Care: Simply the Greatest Health Care the World Has Never Considered. Beginning upper cervical bloggers should refer to Dr. Robertson’s page for the breadth of article ideas that he has.
Dr. Robertson blogs on Blogger and is hosted on Blogspot.

Just as a reminder the posts mentioned are also full of other great sites where you can find a wealth of information on Upper Cervical Care.

Thanks to Ken Martin, Dr. Brandon Harshe and Dr. Zachary Ward for your recognition of The Upper Cervical Blog, it is appreciated more than you know.