Off-Label Uses For Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care

by Dr. Adam Tanase

(Editor's note:  This post again comes from my good friend and colleague, Dr. Adam Tanase.  His perspective on this topic is interesting and I think will serve to help more people understand the potential uses of Chiropractic care more easily.) 

Medical physicians commonly use Botox, a medication intended to treat wrinkles, on patients with headaches. They also give Singular, an adult asthma/allergy drug, to children with atopic dermatitis. This practice is called "off-label prescribing" and it’s so common that the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality estimated 20% of all prescriptions are written for off-label use.

Since this now happens on a daily basis, it doesn’t really shock anyone. Plus, it’s perfectly legal. What you might be surprised to find out, however, is that (upper cervical) chiropractic care has off-label uses of its own.

If you have generalized back or neck pain, (upper cervical) chiropractic adjustments are very helpful. This type of pain relief could be considered an "on-label" reason for seeking the assistance of a chiropractor. But what about the patients who don’t have back or neck pain, and elect to receive care for relief from other conditions? Examples may include constipation, dizziness, or TMJ.

Believe it or not, (upper cervical) chiropractic offices across the world are filled with patients receiving these "off-label" benefits. That’s why you might hear chiropractors discussing how they’ve been able to help patients with psoriasis or IBS. To outsiders, this can seem like complete quackery. And while I would consider it irresponsible for chiropractors to advertise a "cure" for these conditions, I wouldn’t necessarily call it a hoax. Some people with non-musculoskeletal conditions really do respond well to (upper cervical) chiropractic care.

In fact, just yesterday, two of my patients expressed how they can immediately feel their sinuses open up after getting an upper cervical adjustment. Now, both of them originally came to see me for "on-label" reasons – neck pain and upper back stiffness. I didn’t attempt to diagnose either of them with any sort of sinus issue, nor did I ever tell them that the adjustments would help sinus congestion. Moreover, neither one mentioned sinus irritation being a concern when we first met. But now, they each come back as needed for an "off-label" benefit (improved sinus function), as well as typical relief from back/neck pain.

Why does this happen? The answer is fairly simple: Our bodies function better with a strong and balanced spine that moves properly.

I invite you to consult with a reputable chiropractor in your area so that you too may experience the "off-label" benefits of (upper cervical) chiropractic care.

TMJ And Upper Cervical Care.

Adapted from an article by MCA

When most people hear the acronym TMJ, they think of their dentist. But an upper cervical doctor can also help. TMJ stands for the Temporal-Mandibular Joint, which is where your jaw (mandible) contacts/connects with your skull (temporal bone). 

The most common symptoms associated with TMJ dysfunction are pain with chewing, clicking or popping of the jaw. But many other symptoms can be caused from TMJ dysfunction including: headaches, fatigue, sleep disturbances, irritability, a loss in focus, ringing in ears, head and neck tension, sinus congestion and ear infections. 

Causes of TMJ dysfunction include blunt trauma to head/neck, fall/ hit onto chin (commonly seen in children), slip/fall on tailbone causing compensatory effects up the spine and into the cranial bones, whiplash/car accidents, and prolonged desk work/forward head posture.

Understanding the relationship between proper function of the upper cervical spine and how that can influence the TMJ is helpful. Upper cervical doctors are trained in identifying and correcting the upper cervical spine. Specific upper cervical corrections are essential to restoring structural balance and providing proper function and neurological integrity. If left uncorrected, dysfunction can lead to grinding of teeth, facial asymmetry, additional stress upon the spinal column, and an increase in current symptoms. 

(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.)

Holding Your Upper Cervical Correction

Being In Adjustment

by Michael Thomas, DC

People often ask me, “When should I come back?” This is a fair question and an important one. Some people only return to the office when life has become too difficult again. “Doc, that pain has returned and I can’t play golf”. “I’ve been feeling it for four or five months but just in the past couple of days I find that I can’t get comfortable in bed at night”. “I thought it would go away but it just keeps returning and it seems to be getting worse!” “This is a different pain than last time and I didn’t think it was related.” “I didn’t think you could help so I went to five other doctors, got cortisone shots, did weeks of physical therapy, had two MRI’s and now the surgeon wants to operate.”

These and many more are common comments from patients when they return to my office in acute pain or problem. The vast majority of the time, an upper cervical correction will once again, return them to health and happiness. “I didn’t realize you could help this!” “I didn’t know it was related to my neck!” “My other doctor told me you couldn’t help this.” “This is voodoo!”.

I hear these and many other comments like these every day. This is why educating patients is almost as important as the actual upper cervical correction. If you don’t know when I can be of help, you won’t come in to get the correction you need to return you to health or to maintain your health. This educational problem is a deep one. In our society, people are generally not taught anything about what we do or even how our bodies really work and therefore don’t realize the results you receive from an upper cervical correction are even possible. We have always grown our patient population one person at a time. Once you have received a correction and realized, felt, and lived the restoration that occurs, then you begin to get the bigger picture. This picture is actually bigger than the symptom expression in any one person -they know what it has done for them in the past but many have no idea of the possibilities.

Let’s briefly explore (this is a whole book in itself!) the areas and issues that can be affected by an upper cervical correction.

Through ongoing research, we now understand that misalignment in the top of the neck changes blood flow through the head in a dramatic fashion. It also changes flow of the cerebral spinal fluid, which lubricates the brain and spinal cord and removes toxins. Many people have headaches and brain fog that seem directly related. Dizziness and equilibrium problems are frequently helped by upper cervical care. The cranial nerves also seem to be affected by misalignment and many people have found improvement in vision, hearing, TMJ and other facial problems. Many people remark they can’t take a deep breath when they are out of alignment. Many people have noticed that their blood pressure returns to normal when they get back in alignment. People report that their esophageal reflux improves when they are in alignment . Many people report that their digestion becomes disordered when they are out of alignment and returns to normal once they’ve been back to the office. One of my patients starts burping as soon as they are back in alignment and this is a sign their gut is working again. We celebrate! I have several patients whose nose starts running and clearing their sinuses right on the correction table! (I have tissues!)

Many people have found that they begin to feel depressed when they are out of alignment and that this will lift almost immediately when they get an upper cervical correction. More than one person has told me they could finally get pregnant after getting an upper cervical correction -after trying for years without success. Seizures have often been greatly reduced or stopped all together.

This is just a sampling of the thousands of people who have come through the office over the years. We haven’t even gotten to pain yet. General Chiropractic care has been painted as “maybe good for low back pains at times” but results in an upper cervical care office would tend to expand it’s usefulness. In the last week I found patients telling me that their horrific trigeminal neuralgia pain was gone. One person related that she had been sitting on doughnuts for years but that she had come in for shoulder pains. After one correction her shoulder was 90% better but her tailbone pain was gone! So was the pain in her knee and ankle. Several people were scheduled for surgery. Most of them cancelled it after receiving relief. They had been told there was no other choice, but we are a choice they don’t know about.

A proper upper cervical correction restores your body to an optimal relationship with gravity. It restores the ability of your body to function as a whole and not have to scramble to keep up with hips going one way, shoulders another, and head yet another. Fighting gravity is a battle we always lose. Gravity is relentless. The correction restores equipoise, that ability of the body to balance easily right on the gravity line, a vertical axis that goes through our middle. It is much the same as a gyroscope. When a gyroscope has enough energy, it spins cleanly and easily. As it loses energy it begins to wobble more and more in an attempt to remain upright. The extra effort decreases its energy further and it increases its wobble until it falls over. The correction restores all the ‘pieces’ (head, neck, trunk, hips) back into alignment decreasing the energy needed just to keep us upright. This energy can then be used where it is needed in the rest of our body maintaining and restoring our well-being. We can think better. We have greater agility and ease in moving about.

My experiences have shown me that upper cervical care is primary health care for human beings. It is a hidden jewel that you have already found and has likely already made a change in your life. Like any precious gift, the more you know about it, the better it can serve you. I hope this piece has expanded your knowledge of upper cervical care. Now let’s spread the word!

(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.)

The Upper Cervical Story of Louella Harris

Louella's Story is amazing and the non-profit organization she started is equally so. The National Awareness Campaign for Upper Cervical Care (NACUCC). The next few posts will be from information put out by NACUCC. Enjoy!


"So Much Pain. So Unnecessary!"

Louella Harris contracted polio in 1958, in Kenya, East Africa she was 3 years old. Thirty-four years later, after appearing on television and radio for affirmative action in her state, obtaining a Master's degree and getting married, pain began creeping up Louella's arms and neck and burned into her chest. Her medical doctors called it a combination of Post Polio Syndrome, and a condition called Fibromyalgia. Their only recommendations were painkillers and exercise. The pain grew so intense that Louella became confined to bed for months. Any sort of movement at all was agony. Her husband, Richard, became her personal attendant, He dressed and fed her and helped with all her personal needs on a daily basis. Louella couldn't even sit up to watch television or hold a book.

In desperation, the Harrises tried everything, including chiropractic. The problem was that the chiropractic procedure she experienced, while it had helped others, didn’t seem to help her. To make matters worse her medical doctors only offered drugs and exercise. Nutrition wasn't even affecting the pain. At that point, there honestly didn’t seem to be any answers anywhere.

Then, one day, while she lay in bed fighting the pain and watching the clock to see when she could take her next pain pill, Louella had an uncanny feeling come over her. The inexplicable feeling carried a message. The message was that indeed there was an answer for her. And when she found it, it was going to be much bigger than just for her.

A few weeks later, a friend called and told her about a little known procedure practiced by less than 2000 chiropractors worldwide. Louella located one of the Upper Cervical chiropractors in her state. He turned out to be a highly skilled, big-hearted doctor who took the time to call her back and answer as many questions as possible without actually examining her. He gave Louella no guarantees, but the information he shared with her was different than anything she had ever heard of before. That in itself gave her hope.

Four months after Louella first experienced precision Upper Cervical chiropractic she was out of bed, back to work, and pregnant! Nine months later she gave birth to a baby girl at age 39, naturally. That was just the beginning.

After her dramatic recovery, Richard and Louella met people who had struggled with all kinds of conditions. These were people who had been told by their medical doctors there was nothing that could be done for them. Yet their conditions were either being eased or eliminated all together by having their bodies balanced and proper communication between the body and the brain stem restored. These were people who had suffered from fibromyalgia, migraines, epilepsy, ADD, hypertension, trigeminal neuralgia, TMJ, some forms of arthritis and carpal tunnel, immune system disorders, herniated disks, numbness and tingling in the limbs, allergies and asthma, neck, back, arm and feet pain, sciatica and more, all of which were improving to some degree or another. Victims of accidents were being helped at a fraction of the time and expense as those undergoing traditional forms of rehabilitation. The procedure was not a cure-all by any means. However, it was surprising how much improvement was experienced by so many people with a variety of conditions that did not seem to have any apparent commonality.

Richard and Louella soon realized that if healthy children and adults would get under this care, countless problems could be avoided before they ever start. But people just didn’t know to do that. The Harrises didn't. In fact, when it finally dawned on the Harrises how fundamental this procedure was to overall health, they were appalled at their own ignorance and the ignorance of the general public. They had lived almost 40 years with absolutely no information about this at all.

It was obvious that at the age of 3 when Louella’s health problems first started, if someone had told Louella’s parents about this procedure, her whole life might have been different. When the Harrises grasped the fact that all that suffering might have been avoided, not just in her life, but in the lives of millions of others, they felt impelled to take a leap of faith, drop both their careers, and found the National Awareness Campaign for Upper Cervical Care. The N.A.C.U.C.C. is a non-profit consumer awareness organization dedicated to educating the public worldwide about this care.

During one of her interviews on CBS, Louella said, “This type of health care was available all the time I suffered. We just didn't know about it. It's one thing to hurt because nothing can be done. It's entirely another to suffer because of ignorance. That's tragic. There are millions of adults in pain right now because they've never heard of this. There are millions of children facing a lifetime of problems because their parents are unaware of the critical role the care of the brain stem area, plays in the future health of their child. There’s so much pain and it’s so unnecessary. It has to stop. The NACUCC is committed to reaching every man, woman and child with this information. When the public at large finally grasps how fundamental Upper Cervical health care is to the health of the entire body, it will change how we take care of ourselves and how we take care of our children.”
BRAIN MESSAGES DIRECT ALL BODY FUNCTIONS!

Research is showing that body imbalance and brain-to-body disruption of communication can cause or complicate all kinds of conditions. The previously mentioned conditions are listed not because this procedure cures any of them, but because it demonstrates that the body can heal itself in many different ways if it is given what it needs to heal. The conditions listed have been known to improve or be eliminated when different individuals have had their atlas and/or axis, (C1 and C2) corrected. This does not mean that these conditions will be eliminated in every person who has their Upper Cervical spine realigned. It does mean that if the condition is being caused or complicated by an atlas/axis being out of position, the condition is likely to improve or be eliminated once the bones are repositioned.

Please note that 2 people can be diagnosed with the same condition and after their atlas is corrected, the condition in one may be completely eliminated, while the same condition in the other person may improve only a little. Carpal tunnel is a good example of this. If the problem is actually in the wrist, then correcting the atlas may help the condition only minimally. If, on the other hand, the atlas is causing irritation in the nerves flowing down into the arm and into the wrist, the carpal tunnel is likely to improve remarkably. Note, however, that 99% of the people we have tested in our seminars around the country, have all been imbalanced with one short leg. Even the person who has carpal tunnel in the wrist from repeated use of the wrist and hands such as a typist or a factory worker, most likely has a misaligned atlas as well. Correcting the atlas and restoring brain-to-body communication and body balance will, at the very least, help them cope with their condition better.

When an Upper Cervical Spinal Correction is made, Body Balance is restored. Stress, tension and pressure from the area below the Brain Stem are removed. This reactivates the flow of healing messages from the brain to the affected part of the body and immediately, the self-healing process begins. It is imperative that you have your atlas examined. It’s role in overall health is so crucial, you need to at least rule out the possibility that a misaligned atlas is involved in your condition(s).