What Can An Upper Cervical Doctor Do For You?

by Drs. Molina and Salera

Click here for source article

What Do Upper Cervical Doctors Do?

Simple! The nervous system is responsible for the regulation and coordination of all the actions of the human body - including keeping you alive, happy and healthy. Your nervous system knows how to heal a cut, how to give you a fever when fighting an infection, how to give you a cough when you need to clear your lungs, and it even knows how to rid your body of cancer. Our only job is to keep your nervous system functioning properly and allow life to flow freely through your body! A healthy nervous system leads to a life of optimal health, increased human performance, and maximum human potential.

What is Upper Cervical Care?

Since the late 1920s, a small group of Chiropractic specialists have abandoned typical 'full-spine adjustments', limiting their practice to precise adjustments of two vertebrae, the Atlas and Axis; these specialists are referred to as upper cervical doctors. Unlike the other bones of the spine, which are anatomically locked into a certain position, the Atlas and Axis are located at the top of the neck (upper cervical spine) and are free to move around and therefore are uniquely vulnerable to misalignments. This small group of upper cervical doctors were committed to making the care as scientific, specific and efficient as possible, and realized that a misalignment of the Atlas and/or Axis may be one of the causes of decreased health and performance.

Understand: We care for, and maintain, the entire human frame (from the top of the head to the bottoms of your feet), but we only adjust the upper cervical spine. We have found, and the scientific research supports that correcting misalignments of the upper cervical spine improves function throughout the entire human body.

Why Is The Upper Cervical Spine So Important?

The central nervous system is responsible for all functions of the human body and is divided into three parts: the brain, brain stem, and spinal cord. The Atlas and Axis surround a portion of the nervous system referred to as the brain stem. Simply put, the brain stem is responsible for keeping you alive. It controls your immune system, emotions, vision, consciousness, hearing, balance, breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, muscle tension, posture, hormones, and many other functions. Also, almost every single nerve that travels from the brain to the body has to pass through the brain stem.

               

Misalignments of the Atlas and/or Axis may potentially injure, impair, compress, and/or compromise the function of the Brain Stem. In other words, an Atlas and/or Axis misalignment can decrease the function of the nervous system. Without proper brain stem function, the human body could ultimately reach a state of sickness or disease but at the very least it will decrease human potential/performance. Upper cervical doctors are committed to detecting interference to brain stem function and, if present, removing the interference to the brain stem and improving health and function!

Can Upper Cervical Care Help Me?

Yes! Upper cervical care can help everyone - newborns to seniors, "sick" or healthy. Everyone will benefit from proper brain stem function. If you are sick, and we detect irritation to your brain stem due to an upper cervical misalignment, we can help you! If you are not "sick", and we detect irritation to your brain stem due to an upper cervical misalignment, we can help you reach your optimal potential!

               

Regardless of which condition you may have, or not have,

you need a good nerve supply.

Regardless of whether you're an athlete, or a couch potato,

you need a good nerve supply.

Regardless of whether you eat organic food, or eat junk food,

you need a good nerve supply.

Regardless of whether you drink water, or drink whiskey,

you need a good nerve supply.

Regardless of whether you have cancer, or back pain,

you need a good nerve supply.

And upper cervical doctors can help with that, they can help you attain and maintain a good nerve supply and that is important to anyone who want to reach closer to their potential in life.  

Chronic Headaches and Upper Cervical Care

Many people aren’t 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 correcting the position of these injured cervical vertebrae, particularly C1 and C2. Realigning these vertebrae may 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 solve the problem.

Many of these headaches improve significantly during upper cervical care.  A first visit to an upper cervical doctor usually involves a spinal analysis and tests such as x-rays. From there, the practitioner will determine a upper cervical care will likely be of benefit to you. Patients almost always 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.)

7 Important Things To Remember About Upper Cervical Care

1. Upper Cervical Care is a specific system of analyzing and correcting the upper cervical vertebrae of the spinal column.

2. The atlas and axis are the only vertebrae in proximity to the brain stem. When they misalign to the extent that they put pressure on the brain stem and or spinal cord they interfere with the vital messages being sent to and from the brain to all parts of the body.

3. Any part of the body can be effected when there is pressure on the brain stem or spinal cord because almost all of the nerves have to pass through this area before reaching the part of the body they innervate.

4. Each correction is unique to the individual. Upper Cervical Care looks to correct interference to health and healing, not just treat your symptoms.

5. Upper Cervical Care isn’t about twisting, popping or pulling the spine. It’s about a very specific correction for the greatest results with the least amount of care.

6. Upper Cervical Care utilizes neurological tests, heat sensitive instrumentation and other means for detecting when interference from head/neck misalignment is present or absent. A correction is made only when nerve pressure is present.

7. Upper Cervical Care utilizes precise x-rays of the upper cervical area to determine which way the vertebrae has misaligned so that a precise and specific correction may be tailored and administered to that individual.

The Medullary Lock: The Basis Of Upper Cervical Care

Editor's note: This is a little on the technical side so some readers may get lost with some of the terminology. For some people who are more skeptical and analytical minded this will serve to explain upper cervical care in a more detailed way.

Medullary Lock

by KCUCS.com

The Brain Stem, from a Neuro-Physiological standpoint is the center of life in the body. It is one of the first organized structures formed in embryo (1) and the last place life is evident before a person passes. The lower portion of the Brain Stem lies in the cradle where the head sits on the spine. Therefore, a Head/Neck Misalignment can potentially manifest in a wide variety of symptoms and diseases.

The Medullary Lock is an elaborate network of hard and soft tissue that acts as a stabilizing support for the medulla and upper spinal cord. It secures the medulla and upper spinal cord in the center of the spinal canal and foramen magnum in cases of trauma. Otherwise, even minor slips and falls could be devastating to the body.

With atlas and/or axis misalignment, the very safeguards the medulla and upper spinal cord are afforded through the Medullary Lock become the very mechanism creating cord distortion.

The development of the Medullary Lock was built upon the foundation of Dr. John D Grostic's Dentate Ligament theory (2).

To introduce the Medullary Lock we need to consider 4 basic components.

1. Upper Cervical muscles and their roles
2. Supportive ligaments and membranes and their roles
3. 4 known structures with external attachments to the Dura Mater
4. One structure internally attached to the Dura Mater and intimately connected with the cord.

Each of these components not only work together but are synergistic one with another. There are 4 pairs of muscles called suboccipital muscles (3-5) that act to extend, rotate and laterally bend the Upper Cervical Spine and head. They as well are called proprioceptive muscles because they are chalked full of proprioceptive nerve fibers and carry the responsibility of relaying info to the brain stem as to head position at any given time.

There is an elaborate ligament system that secures the Upper Cervical spine (6-10). The Alar ligament attaches to the lateral margin of the dens about half way up from its base and connects to the medial aspect of the ipsilateral condyle. In the neutral head position these ligaments are in their most relaxed position. The purpose of the Alar ligaments is to check lateral bending and head rotation on the contralateral side. The Alar ligaments do afford some protection for the medulla in checking extreme head rotation. When Alar ligaments are compromised the atlas slides lateral ipsilateral upon lateral bending.

The tectorial membrane works together with the alar ligaments providing stability for the upper cervical region in flexion. The atlanto occipital membrane provides stability in extension. The anterior longitudinal ligament and posterior longitudinal ligament as well provide craniovertebral stability.

The muscles, ligaments, capsules and membranes all provide support for the cranio vertebral region working synergistically. They provide stability and positional awareness for the upper cervical region.

Some of these structures; ligaments, muscles and membranes have direct connection with the dura mater at the cranio vertebral junction. There are four known structures external to the cord that attach to the dura mater.

1. Attachment of the dura mater to the foramen magnum (11)
2. Attachment of the dura mater to the posterior arch of C1 & C2 (11)
3. Connective tissue bridge between the rectus capitus posterior minor muscle and the dura mater (12)
4. Connective tissue attachments between the ligamentum nuchae and flavum to the dura (13,14)

There is one internal structure to the dura mater, the dentate ligament, which stabilizes the medulla and upper spinal cord within the spinal canal space in the upper cervical spine. Dr. Grostic outlined its detrimental effects (2).

The Medullary Lock is a stabilizing factor for the medulla and upper spinal cord (15). The 4 known structures described above external to the dura and the one internal, the dentate ligament, all work together as a network of support. Regardless in what position the head moves, whether rotation right or left, flexion or extension, lateral bending left or right, or any combination, it is important for the medulla and upper spinal cord to remain fixed within their position relative to the spinal canal and foramen magnum. This becomes even more crucial in the cases of trauma. Movement beyond a small amount in the vertical superior or inferior, anterior upon flexion, posterior upon extension or any combination can prove to be fatal. In fact, it is reported that most fatal car crashes are the result of a fractured atlas. In these cases, it is easy to see how the Medullary Lock could lose its integrity.

The Medullary Lock is a mechanism that provides security and stability for the medulla and upper spinal cord. However, because of its mechanism of support, when the upper cervical vertebrae are in a 3 directional torque misalignment, stretch and tension are exerted through the dentate ligaments exerting forces on the cord as described by Dr. Grostic.

Dr. Grostic's dentate ligament cord distortion hypothesis was consistent with what BJ Palmer described (16) in Volume XVIII, regarding cord pressure.

BJ Palmer expounded upon the original 4 elements of a subluxation:

1. Misalignment
2. Occlusion of a foramen
3. Pressure upon nerves
4. Interference to the mental impulse.

BJ explained the necessity of a 5th element (17) describing the subluxation as a 3 directional torque, misaligning on three planes simultaneous. In this manner, the misalignment becomes permanent more or less. It is the permanency of the upper cervical subluxation that leads to the weakened ability of the body to adapt to the environment and grow in dis-ease.

The longer a person is able to stay balanced in the upper cervical area, remaining relatively clear from nerve interference, the stronger the Medullary Lock becomes. The stronger the Medullary Lock becomes the more difficult it is for a person to subluxate and the higher the potential is for that person to recover from long term illness or simply achieve their highest potential health. The reverse is true, the more unstable the Medullary Lock, the more easily it will be for that person to subluxate and the more susceptible the person will be in 'growing dis-ease'.

It is our opinion that over adjusting or adjusting too often, especially with upper cervical procedures, can weaken the Medullary Lock.

KCUCS practitioners view their purpose as Upper Cervical doctors to be guardians of the Medullary Lock, to facilitate more stability of the Medullary Lock over a long period of time. Putting particular emphasis on substantial long-term growth in health and life. This is consistent with what BJ Palmer referred to Accumulative Constructive Survival Value (ACSV) (18). The greater the ACSV, the greater the ability to grow in health, adapt to the environment and overcome disease.

REFERENCES:

1. Sanes DH, Reh TA, Harris WA: Development of the nervous system, 2nd edit. 2006, Elsevier Inc. Burlington, MA ISBN: 978-0-12-618621-5.
2. Grostic JD: Dentate ligament - cord distortion hypothesis. CRJ Vol 1(1): Spring, pp 47-55
3. Gray H, Pick TP, Houdin R: Gray's Anatomy: The unabridged running press edition of the American classic. ISBN: 0-914294-08-3.
4. Hallgren RC, Fernandez C: Suboccipital muscle contribution to tension-type headache chapter 7 in diagnosis and management of tension-type and cervico-genic headache. Jones and Bartlett, Sudbury, Massachusetts, 2008.
5. Hallegren RC, Andary, MT, 2008. Under-shooting of a neutral reference position following cervical motion in the sagittal plane. J Manipulative and Physiol Ther, 31(7):547-552.
6. Bogduk N, Mercer S: Biomechanics of the cervical spine, I: normal kinematics. Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon). 2000; 15:633-648.
7. Dvorak J, Panjabi M, Gerber M, Wichmann W: CT-functional diagnostics of the rotatory instability of upper cervical spine, 1: an experimental study of cadavers. Spine, 1987; 12:197-205
8. Penning L: Kinematics of cervical spine injury: a functional radiological hypothesis. Eur Spine J. 1995; 4:126-132.
9. Swartz EE, Floyd RT, Cendoma M: Cervical spine functional anatomy and the biomechanics of injury due to compressive loading. J Athl Train. 2005 Jul-Sep; 40(3): 155-161.
10. Singh AP: Biomechanics of upper cervical spine. Bone & Joint. Feb 10, 2010, http://boneandspine.corn/spine/cervical-spine/biomechanics-of-upper-cervical-spine/
11. Hinson R, Zeng ZB: Epidural attachments in the Upper Cervical Spine. Abstracts from the 15th Annual Upper Cervical Spine Conference, November 20-21, 1998, CRJ, 1999;6(1):31-32.
12. Hack G: Anatomical relation between the rectus capitus posterior minor and the dura mater. Spine, 20(23): 2484-2486
13. Shinomiya K, Dawson, J, Spengler DM, Konrad P, Blumenkopf B: An analysis of the posterior epidural ligament role on the cervical spinal cord. Spine, 1996; 21(18):2081-2088
14. Dean N, Mitchell B: Anatomic Relation between the nuchal ligament (ligamentum nuchae) and the spinal dura mater in the craniocervical region. 2002 Clin. Anat. 15:182-185.
15. Kessinger, R: KCUCS instrumentation module notes. 2009, Cape Girardeau, MO, pp 20-23.
16. Palmer BJ: The subluxation specific the adjustment specific, Vol. XVIII. 1934, Palmer School of Chiropractic, Davenport, IA. pp 322-323.
17. Palmer BJ: The subluxation specific the adjustment specific, Vol. XVIII. 1934, Palmer School of Chiropractic, Davenport, IA. pp 248-251
18. Palmer BJ: History repeats, Vol. XXVII. 1951, Palmer School of Chiropractic, Davenport, IA. pp 707-708.

Questions About Upper Cervical Care?

adapted from: Frequently Asked Questions About Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care

By Dr. Brandon Harshe

Below are typical questions regarding Upper Cervical Care by new patients. If you find you have a question about Upper Cervical Care that is not addressed below, contact Dr. Harshe here (or myself and we) will be happy to answer it for you.

What is Upper Cervical Care?

Upper Cervical Care is a very specific technique in which a misalignment of one or both of the top two cervical vertebrae is reduced. These misalignments cause interference to nervous system communication between the brain and body. The specific direction of the misalignment is carefully analyzed so that restoring normal alignment of one of these two upper cervical bones will be as precise as possible. The specificity of Upper Cervical Care is what makes it so gentle. The top vertebra in your spine, the Atlas, is the only vertebra capable of freely moving and narrowing the opening in which the spinal cord travels through. Because of its relative instability compared to the other 23 vertebrae, the Atlas only requires a quick, gentle force to restore its proper position.

Is Upper Cervical Care painful?

No. As stated above, the specificity of the Upper Cervical analysis allows for a very gentle force to move the Atlas (C1) and/or Axis (C2) in a very specific direction. This allows the body to begin its return to its optimal spinal alignment and thus proper brain to body communication.

Will Upper Cervical Care make me sore?

Usually no. In some rare cases, people might experience more pain after an upper cervical correction simply because their spine is realigning, doing something it hasn’t done in a while, maybe ever. This is similar to exercising for the first time after being sedentary for years. In these cases, healing may take longer.

Is Upper Cervical Care a one time thing?

No. However, the goal of Upper Cervical Care is to have you holding your spinal alignment as long as possible. Depending on the person, this may be days, weeks, or months at a time. It is similar to getting in shape. You won’t achieve the level of fitness you desire after one workout, and the alignment in your spine won’t return to its optimal position after one office visit. It may change significantly, but in most cases, will take time to restore completely. Holding your alignment is what keeps the stress and tension off your spinal cord. This allows your body to function at its highest potential and heal itself optimally. We want you to only come in as often as your spine dictates to us, ie. if you are maintaining your correction on multiple visits in a row then we need to see you less.

Will Upper Cervical Care relieve my pain?

It depends. When the Atlas has become misaligned, it can cause endangering stress or tension on the spinal cord near the brain stem. This can result in any combination of symptoms; from conditions like low back pain and headaches to digestive issues and high blood pressure.

The goal of Upper Cervical Care is not to relieve your pain, but to open up the nervous system communication between the brain and the body so that your body can heal itself effectively. This happens by reducing head neck misalignment. This will not only reduce the stress and tension on the spinal cord, but may also balance the body by returning it to a more optimal alignment.

Often times when these things happen people experience an immediate reduction in their painful symptoms.

If you only practice Upper Cervical Care, does that mean you can’t help the back or other parts of the body?

No. Reducing the misalignment in the upper cervical spine allows the spine to reduce its compensations. If you think about the spine as three segments, it makes more sense. There is the skull, the Atlas (c1), and the rest of the spine from Axis (C2) down to the sacrum. Since the rest of the spine from C2 and below is connected by intervertebral discs and ligaments, it moves similar to a wave when head/neck misalignment is present. Think of it as if the spine has been wound up. This winding up involves vertebral compensations, stress and tension on the nervous system pathways, with often a resulting muscular and/or visceral disfunction.

By reducing head/neck misalignment, the spine is able to unwind, so to speak. As a result, the spinal compensations diminish, the nervous system can communicate optimally with the body, and overall bodily function improves.

In short, reducing interference at the level of Atlas affects the entire body, not simply the upper cervical spine.

Upper Cervical from the Specific

This is great information about Upper Cervical Care from the website www.thespecific.com. I have also added a link to their site on the sidebar of this blog.

Specific Chiropractic is not about getting adjusted or even receiving adjustments; it is about living a life free of nerve interference. In fact, our goal in care is actually to deliver as few adjustments as possible.

Upper Cervical Specific Chiropractic Care focuses on removing nerve irritation to restore communication between the brain and the body. Restoring function at the level of the brainstem and upper cervical spine (the control center of the body) is essential so that the body may heal itself and have optimal vitality. With the nervous system functioning at 100% the body has the potential to heal itself from even the most complex of ailments.

The words "Upper Cervical" refer to the first two bones in the neck. They are very unique vertebrae, vastly different than the other 23 bones comprising the spinal column. In fact, they have special names. While most people understand the common letter and number system for the vertebrae of the spinal column, the first bone has a particular name, The Atlas. The second bone is referred to as The Axis. These two vertebrae are the only two vertebrae between which there is NO DISC. The absence of the intervertebral disc allows for a greater range of motion. Because of this increased range of motion, these segments are much more likely to misalign, causing nervous system interference at the level of the brain stem. The misaligned segments are identified through the use of Digital Laser-aligned Radiography. Because the misalignment is very slight (measured in millimeters) it is very important that precise x-ray equipment is used.

This nervous system interference can be detected through the use of Computed Infrared Thermography. Thermography has been used for thousands of years to diagnose the sick. In modern times new medical breakthroughs have allowed us to further understand the link between thermal imbalances and nervous system dysfunction. For this reason we utilize thermographic scans both pre- and post-adjustment. It is of absolute importance that the patient understands that results do not come from the adjustments themselves, but rather from the patient achieving a healthy and fully functioning nervous system. For that reason, we utilize thermography to indicate when nervous system interference is present, and therefore, whether or not the patient needs an adjustment. Furthermore, thermography is utilized post-adjustment to be sure that the proper adjustment has been made and that nervous system interference has been reduced or eliminated.

Finally, an Upper Cervical Specific Adjustment is made to the misaligned segments. This is a quick, impulse-type thrust applied to the upper part of the neck. It is safe for patients of all ages. We have experience applying the adjustment to patients ranging in age from 1 day to 95 years old! After the adjustment, the patients will enter a post-adjustment recuperation suite where the patient is placed in a recumbent position for approximately 20 minutes to allow the body to accommodate the adjustment and allow for a longer holding adjustment. Following the post-adjustment recuperation, the patient is scanned with the infrared thermography one last time before going home.

When I Cancelled Plans To Commit Suicide…

...I had no idea we would eventually help thousands of people, with all sorts of health problems, around the world get their normal lives back. After 12-years dealing with the agony of Trigeminal Neuralgia, the unbearable pain robbed me of hope and all desire to live.

The disease, TN, better known as the ‘Suicide Disease’, is an incurable nerve condition of the face. TN is the most painful condition experienced by man, with suicide being the only documented means of lasting relief. Years of medical treatments that included powerful epileptic drugs left me doped like a zombie.

Rhonda, my wife, researched several major surgeries that could sever the nerve leaving me with facial paralysis, or cover the nerve, which might cause blindness, but they cost in excess of $40,000, while offering a limited chance of success. I was running out of time, trying to escape this pain that had taken over my life.

The ‘traditional’ medicine as well as natural treatments, like dental work, acupuncture, chiropractic and herbal (natural) healing offered only temporary reductions or provided no relief. No remedy or drug lessened the horrible pain inflicted by the excruciating spasms I called ‘the beast’. After 12 years of suffering, the only option that made sense to me was to end my life.

One night my wife Rhonda heard a radio broadcast by a motivated woman who shared her remarkable, emotion-packed story of a relatively unknown scientific procedure which reduced her crippling misery with Fibromyalgia, eventually restoring her to a pre-agony state of being.

This turned out to be the very procedure that ultimately ended my pain and eventually brought back my life. My wife scheduled a meeting with an upper cervical doctor close to our home. Within three days of the first realignment of my head the pain was greatly reduced, by the third treatment (9 days later), I was pain free! The cost of finding relief equaled the cost for two months of the three drugs I had taken for over 10 years.

I completed full treatment, and now see my doctor for check-ups only. The only recurrences have been after trauma to my head. The spasms left as soon as I was re-x-rayed and the upper cervical area (C1C2) was corrected again.

-James Tomasi, pastor, author, and Upper Cervical Care advocate.

This head/neck misalignment can cause or contribute to a whole host of health problems because it interferes with body balance and the proper function of the nerve system. This one tiny problem affects your posture and balance (aching joints/pain) and how your nerves work (factor in many diseases). You owe it to yourself to see if this can help you. Find hope at www.thepowerofuppercervical.com and visit www.upcspine.com to find out more and to find a doctor near you.

The Beginnings of Upper Cervical Research

From www.neurologicalfitness.com

NEUROLOGICAL FITNESS INTERVIEW:
LISA ZAYNAB KILLINGER, D.C.

Interview:

1. What surprised you the most when you actually began to work with the B.J. Palmer Clinic (BJPC) files?

As a Palmer student in the 1980's, I had never been given any information regarding B.J. Palmer's research. My perception of B.J. Palmer was more of a showman than researcher. When I began to read through the patient files of the B.J. Palmer Clinic, I was very surprised at how detailed they were, and how well the patient care was documented. I then began to realize what dedication B.J. Palmer had to chiropractic research. He utilized every state of the art tool available in his time, to assess the Palmer Clinic patients before and after their adjustments. Another surprise to me was how infrequently patients were adjusted. Many patient files showed one or two adjustments over months of observation and evaluation. This careful monitoring and follow-up impressed me greatly.

2. How has your work with the BJPC files affected you as a clinician?

I am humbled as a clinician at how carefully the B.J. Palmer Clinics documented chiropractic care. Clinicians often fall into the trap of just writing a bare minimum in the patient file due to time constraints of a busy practice. The message I get from working with the BJPC files is, "document, document, document!" I think most clinicians know the importance of documentation, but if our predecessors could do such a fantastic job of it half a century ago, we should certainly document our patient care perfectly today. Documentation is the key to research, and subsequent dissemination of information about chiropractic care.

3. Do all the cases you're reviewing and working with involve strictly HIO? If not, what types of techniques were used?

In all of the files I have reviewed, including the 1930's-1960's, an atlas or axis adjustment is the only treatment recorded in the files. I have conducted semi-structured interviews with several of the DCs who worked in the BJPC regarding the exact chiropractic procedures used. Each clinician has indicated to me that the adjustments were exclusively Toggle-Recoil (former Upper Cervical Specific) adjustments, usually performed on a side posture table. The knee-chest table was also used, but sporadically. One clinician who worked in the clinic in the mid-late 1950's stated that "when a side posture table wasn't available, or the room was too small for a side posture table, a knee-chest table was used." He also stated that the type of table used was a matter of personal preference, but that it was not a big issue.

4. What have you learned from working with the BJPC files that would make you a better patient educator? Please share that with us!

As a researcher, I want to be very careful about making statements that are not supported by the scientific literature. Working with the BJPC files has opened my eyes to a level of care-giving and patient monitoring that most of us may never live up to in our own practices. Patients came to the Palmer Clinics by ambulance, in wheelchairs, on crutches, and came to be treated at the best, or at least one of the best facilities that chiropractic had to offer at the time. It was a sort of chiropractic ICU. The patients didn't just come for back and neck pain. Around half of the patients, from my preliminary review of the files, came in with viscerosomatic or neuromuscular disease. These people saw the big picture, and came to understand the nervous system's relationship to all body systems. Seeing this in the files has really sparked my enthusiasm for chiropractic and in never underestimating the body's power to heal itself. This renewed spark will carry over into my enthusiasm for patient education.

5. What do you find different about a scientific endeavor guided by a specific set of principles and a specific philosophy?

Pure research or scientific endeavor is simply curiosity, and through that curiosity asking research questions. In scientific research you have to ask those questions, and then report the answers you find regardless of whether your results match your philosophies. Although B.J. Palmer was definitely outspoken on matters of philosophy, I really think he went about reporting what happened in his clinic, and in his studies of field doctors' practices, in a very 'research-minded' way. I will always admire Dr. Palmer for his contribution to our profession, and for working so hard to be a researcher (not an area in which he had training). I hope that all chiropractors will respect the very respect-worthy research that is currently being done in chiropractic. I also hope they will strive to be effective research consumers, keen to the methods of evaluating the quality of the research, and recognizing its strengths and its limitations.

Blood Pressure Emergency

HYPERTENSIVE Emergency Returns Within Minutes to the Pre-crisis Level Following an Upper Cervical Spinal Adjustment

Paul Mullin, D.C., and Robert Sinnott, D.C., L.C.P. (Hon.)

ABSTRACT

Objective: To define hypertension, hypertensive emergency, and to report a case in which a patient found immediate resolution of a hypertensive emergency subsequent to the delivery of an upper cervical adjustment. Authors are cited who have published hypotheses attempting to explain a possible link between upper cervical dynamics and lowered blood pressure.

Clinical Features: A 71-year-old male, who was experiencing a hypertensive emergency (300/204 mm Hg) with signs of encephalopathy, found immediate resolution following an upper cervical adjustment when four days of hospitalization and pharmaceutical measures had failed.

Intervention and Outcome: Upper cervical X-rays were analyzed for subluxation. A thermal pattern of the cervical spine, implying subluxation, was established using the Tytron 3000 paraspinal scanner.

The subluxation was then adjusted using the Palmer Upper Cervical Specific Toggle Recoil on a Zenith toggle table with a drop headpiece. The patient experienced immediate relief from the vertigo, and the blood pressure quickly returned to a pre-crisis level of 156/96 mm Hg. The patient has been feeling well, and his blood pressure has been stable for more than two years. The atlas subluxation has only been adjusted twice during the entire time frame.

Conclusion: The prompt drop in blood pressure and remission of associated symptoms following an upper cervical adjustment begs the question: Is there a relationship between these seemingly unrelated entities? Previous reports and hypotheses regarding hypertension and hypertensive emergencies are cited in an attempt to explain possible mechanisms.

HYPERTENSION AND NEUROLOGY

BY GILBERT SCHMIEDEL, D.C.

Blood pressure of 140 mm Hg systolic and 90 mm Hg diastolic is now considered by many authorities to be high blood pressure—hypertension.

Why? Is this a condition unto itself or is it compensation or a normal reaction to the demands of the body? Certainly the blood pressure (controlled ultimately by the nervous system) will elevate to accommodate exercise or increased body activity or other body needs. The blood pressure is often elevated during periods of stress or anxiety. However, increased blood pressure is often associated with pathological conditions that increase the body’s demands for increased circulation; vascular disease, kidney or respiratory conditions, obesity and hormone disturbances invariably place an abnormal demand on the heart. Many of these conditions and others are, of themselves, often responsive to Upper cervical care and therefore, concomitantly, high blood pressure may be alleviated. Some of these conditions may be the subject of future articles.

I would like to specifically address what might be called idiopathic hypertension—with no apparent etiology. Toward that end, let’s consider the neurological implications of cardiac control. The heart is one of those organs mutually innervated by two major components of the autonomic nervous system: vagal and sympathetic elements.

The autonomic elements of the vagus nerve arise from the nucleus ala cinerea in the medulla oblongata. Fibers from these neurons synapse with neurons in the cardiac plexus (at the base of the heart). The fibers from these neurons are generally inhibitory for the myocardium and constrict the coronary arteries.

The sympathetic elements arise from intermedio lateral cells of cord levels T 1-4. These fibers are conducted out of the neural canal through intervertebral foramina formed by upper thoracic vertebrae and ascend via the cervical part of the sympathetic gangliated trunk to the superior cervical ganglion (lies alongside C 2-3 vertebrae), middle cervical ganglion (at juncture of C 5-6 vertebrae), and stellate ganglion (at C7–T1 vertebrae). Fibers from these cells pass through the cardiac plexus and carry impulses that are the accelerators for the myocardium and cause dilation of the coronary arteries.

In addition to the autonomic (visceromotor) elements given above, there are vaso afferent structures that reflexively influence cardiac activity. The carotid body (glomus caroticum) located near the juncture of the common carotid artery and carotid sinus, which is a dilation at the commencement of the internal carotid artery, are respectively concerned with chemoreception (CO2 and O2) and baroreception (blood pressure reception). Other chemoreceptor cells are located in the heart wall. The glossopharyngeal, vagus and sympathetics supply these specialized receptor cells. The nucleus of the tractus solitarius (which receives impulses from the baroreceptors and chemoreceptor cells), nucleus ala cinerea and reticular formation (which carries autonomic impulses from the brain centers of the hypothalamus to intermedio lateral cells of the spinal cord) are found in the medulla oblongata, specifically that part of the medulla oblongata supplied exclusively by the lateral branch of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (a branch of the vertebral artery).

Atlanto occipital complex is most directly related to the neurovascular elements influencing cardiac function. Misalignment of the atlas or occiput may physically affect the medulla oblongata and the neuronal elements concerned with cardiac function; including the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (ala cinerea), nucleus solitarius (which receives vaso afferent impulses from blood pressure receptor cells and chemo receptor cells), and the reticular formation (of which some fibers synapse with intermediolateral cells in upper thoracic cord levels).

Along with neuronal elements directly affected, the vascular elements may be compromised, including the posterior inferior cerebellar artery, the lateral branch of which is the only source of blood to vital parts of the medulla oblongata. In conclusion, high blood pressure is often the consequence of many other predisposing factors—many of which are amenable to Upper Cervical care. High blood pressure may, however, be due to interference with the complex control system of the heart. In this case, interference at the atlanto occipital level is most likely and should be especially scrutinized by the Upper Cervical doctor.

Hodgkins Case

By: B.J. Palmer , Case Study
Entered Clinic April 5, 1955. Male – age 16.

Upon entry to the Clinic, it was reported that the patient’s condition had been medically diagnosed as Hodgkin’s Disease.

Two weeks prior to entry into the Clinic, surgery had been performed over the upper cervical region to remove a cyst. The condition was first noticed at Christmas time of 1953. It was freely movable – appeared hard to the touch.

It was related that analysis made at one of the leading medical sources indicated an involvement of the lymphatic system. The patient was told that the blood picture was no unusual. General health seemed to be good. He was very active. Recommendations were made for a series of radiation treatments, but none were taken.

Previous examinations indicated everything in normal range, including the blood picture, with the exception of a high blood pressure. Also, a trace of sugar was showing in the urine.

Laboratory examinations indicated everything in normal range, including the blood picture, with the exception of a high blood pressure. Also, a trace of sugar was showing in the urine.

The spinographic analysis indicated an Axis Left Lamina listing.
The patient was adjusted on April 6th, with a favorable change showing on the post check. There was a tendency for the pressure reading to return on the 2 days following the adjustment.

However the reading began to settle down by the third day following the adjustment and, with the exception of 3 rough readings, it settled down to a comparatively good reading for the time the patient was in the Clinic.

Daily Case Reports:

Following the adjustment on April 6th, the patient noticed that the right hip, which had been involved to some extent, was feeling a little better.

There was evidence of constructive changes taking place through the cervical area.
April 8th – “Just a little pain on the left side. Sleeping like a log. Eating good.”
April 9th – “Sleeping and eating good. No pain whatever.”
April 10th – “ Just a little stiffness through the neck.”
April 12th – “Feeling good. Eating good. Sleeping good.”
April 13th – “Feeling good. No more difficulty with the pain on the left side.”

From April 13th through April 17th, there was no particular change, but “feeling good”.

After returning home, the parents wrote on July 11, 1954, that their son was continuing to feel good and did not have the side-aces anymore.

On November 3, 1954, the Field Chiropractor wrote that the boy’s condition seemed to be about the same. He stated that there had been no noticeable enlargement of any lymph glands and the pain in his side had not returned.

Epilepsy and Upper Cervical Care

by Dr. Fred Barge

My first encounter with epilepsy came in my first two weeks at The Palmer School of Chiropractic, April 1951. I had just turned 18 that January and I was a very young and green Fred Barge that entered P.S.C.

I obtained a room in a rooming house and the person in the room next to mine, was a man of about 35 years of age, his name was Bob, a patient at the B.J. Palmer Research Clinic. Bob stood about 6 foot and 3 inches and weighed in at least 225 pounds, a towering figure indeed. One evening I was studying at my desk in my room, door open, I began to feel a presence behind me, I turned and there stood Bob, a vacant look on his face. I spoke to him and received no reply but in an instance he fell to the floor in a violent grand mal seizure, with loss of bladder and fecal control. I did what I could to move things so he would not hurt himself as he thrashed around, it seemed an eternity but he quieted down and an exhausted embarrassed man lie before me on my apartment floor soiled by his incontinent condition. Thus my introduction to epilepsy.

I helped him to the bathroom we shared and then into his room where he reclined and fell into a deep sleep. I did not see Bob until the next evening when his story unfolded. Some years ago, he was referred by a chiropractor to the B.J. Palmer Research Clinic for his epilepsy. After about 6 to 8 months care, he was in complete remission and he returned to his home state, Texas, to the care of his local chiropractor. He stated to me that he was completely free of the problem for over six years. He owned a bar in Texas and in a scuffle with a besotted patron he was struck on the head and the seizures returned. I don’t know if the epilepsy was ever brought under control again as I moved to a boarding house with some friends and lost track of Bob. However, in the B.J. Palmer Research Clinic, where I interned, a goodly number of epileptics were cared for, and in talking with my Father, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins, success stories in the care of children with epileptic seizures were common.

Coincidentally my first case in practice was an epileptic boy named Bob. He had the same massive grand mal seizures and as I recall he had two to three seizures a week. He was about 8 years of age, embarrassed by his problem, he was often truant from school and his parents had to literally force him to go. The drugs also made him lethargic and somewhat retarded acting and even on drugs he had seizures every week. After taking cervical and full spine x-rays of Bob, the young Barge, Neurocolometer, chirometer and portable toggle table in hand made house calls to care for the young man.

Soon after I cleared his Atlas (within the first two months of care) Bob ceased having seizures in the day time hours, he had them only at night. Once fully aware that he was free of them in the day a new boy blossomed forth, his parents cut down the drugs and he was soon drug free and going to school regularly. I even introduced him to my favorite hobby, fishing. There was a slough off the Mississippi River about 2 miles form his home and he became an avid fisherman. Yes, he still had a few spells at night, but by the time he was 16 he had been free of spells for 3 years, and was able to get his drivers license.

Today Bob still occasionally sees one of my associates and to my knowledge he is completely free of his problem. From this one case the word got out that Dr. Barge through chiropractic care, helped in epilepsy. And thus in my practice, I cared for many an epileptic patient with good and sometimes complete results. I even adjusted some epileptic dogs, one Cocker Spaniel named Susie. She ran freely in rural farm area near Lacrosse, most everyone in the farm community saw Susie have one of her frequent “fits”. Her master called and asked if I could help an epileptic dog, I stated chiropractic could help any creature with a backbone and I began adjusting Susie. When she subsequently recovered, the word again spread. I even had a gruff old male patient sign the referral space on my clinic entrance form saying “Susie Sent Me”.

Upon my questioning he said “if you fixed that dog you must be able to fix anything”. I have seen them all, Grand Mal, Petite Mal, the so called epileptic equivalent, psychomotor epilepsy, behavioral seizure (out bursts of foul words, spitting, etc.) Did I help them all, I believe so, and they all received some relief. Did some completely respond? Yes many. I had a farm boy who could drive a tractor again and work the farm, I had two brothers with 250 to 300 petite mal seizures a day, they wore football helmets as the seizures combined to make them lose their balance and fall. They both responded and finally had only 5-6 spells a day with just momentary blinking. Oh yes, I had results with epileptics.


Good Things To Do in Patient Management:

Stop high energy foods, care for them like diabetics, I’d say to their parents, no sugar, watch the sugar content of all foods, like catsup. Have the child get adequate rest, no exhaustion!

Upper Cervical Care
Correct the Occipital Atlanto Axial Subluxation (head/neck misalignment).


Most cases of Idiopathic Epilepsy have an upper cervical subluxation and if caught early on, the adjustment solves the problem. Clear the subluxation and leave it alone!

“Enuf” Said

The Mouse That Roared: Connecting the Nervous System to Diabetes

Excerpt from Dynamic Chiropractic, Jul 16, 2007 by Rosner, Anthony L

With a clarion-like pronouncement that would do Gabriel proud and which brings tears to the eyes of basic science researchers seeking their day in the sun with a medical breakthrough, researchers from the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto proclaimed a link between the nervous system and diabetes. In a paper published in the basic sciences journal Cell, Razavi and her colleagues stated: "Our observations open new avenues for therapeutic strategies, raising the possibility that sensory nerve dysfunction may contribute to prediabetes initiation and progression in diabetes-prone humans."...

...What does all this mean? A neuropeptide is intimately connected to a hormonal defect leading to diabetes. In addition to suggesting further research leading to a possible new means of treating this debilitating and fatal disease, it tells us in no uncertain terms that the nervous and hormonal systems are intertwined. This obviously leads to the question of neural integrity and chiropractic. It offers more than a modicum of support to the very sparse observations in anything but the established frontline refereed medical journals that manipulation seems to have a palliative effect in diabetic patients:

1. One very preliminary observation tells us that in two patients undergoing a neurovascular technique, such complications as vision deterioration or development of foot ulcers seen in diabetic patients did not occur.

2. In another observation that was only barely more robust, using markers that are far more objective and reliable, Kfoury demonstrated that in a single patient, both glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin levels returned to normal after chiropractic adjustments.

Granted that these two factoids may be equated by some to reading tea leaves, they still provide food for thought when coupled with the thorough and groundbreaking findings of Razavi and her colleagues. This entire story emphasizes on no uncertain terms how basic research can uncover such key information to understanding the processes of disease and degeneration. It is the only way in which future productive clinical trials can be designed. And even though the chiropractic community can bask in the glory of having its central premise of chiropractic (the connection between neural integrity and health) supported in this research, it must learn from this key investigation to never lose sight of the basic sciences in being able to justify its means of health care delivery.

And of course Upper Cervical Care is targeted at removing, as precisely and completely as possible, the irritation to the most important part, the brain stem!

Autism: Upper Cervical Care vs. General Chiropractic

Clinical Efficacy of Upper Cervical Versus Full Spine Adjustment on Children with Autism WFC'S 7th Biennial Congress Conference Proceedings MAY 1-3, 2003, 7th Ed: 328-9 Children with autism are presented with multiple categories of clinical pictures that affect their social, sensory, speech, and physical development. In addition to chiropractic care, parents of autistic children seek all possible therapies available. In this study, the clinical outcome of chiropractic care showed higher efficacy of upper cervical adjustment when compared to full spine adjustment in autistic children.

What Is Upper Cervical Care

The Blair Chiropractic Society wrote the following when asked what upper cervical care is:

“The Upper Cervical technique is a specific system of analyzing and adjusting the upper cervical bones of the spinal column. These bones can misalign in such a way as to interfere with the brain stem and spinal cord as they exit through the floor of the skull and into the neural canal. Special attention is given to the first two bones in the neck, the atlas and axis, as they are the most freely moveable bones in the spinal column and the ones most commonly misaligned.

After many years of research and study of all the techniques that were developing at the time, Dr. B.J. Palmer, the developer of chiropractic, realized that the only place a person could truly have interference to the nervous system was at the level of the base of the skull; and the atlas and axis. There are no discs between the skull and the atlas, or between the atlas and axis. Most movement of the head and neck occur at this level. The joint surfaces in this area move more on a horizontal plane rather than a vertical plane as in the rest of the spine. This area is not supplied with the abundance of supporting ligaments that are found in the rest of the spine. As a result of these characteristics of the cervical spine, it becomes the weakest link in the chain when exposed to the forces of trauma such as the birth process, falls, auto accidents, stress etc.

Dr. Palmer conducted studies in Germany on cadavers and found that the brain stem or medulla, extended into the spine to the level of the second bone (axis) in the neck, at which point it becomes the spinal cord extending downward. The brain stem has been referred to as "Houston Control". It is the area where nerve cell centers are located that control many of the major functions of the body such as heartbeat, respiration, digestion, elimination, our heating and cooling mechanism, constriction and dilation of the veins and arteries, muscle coordination, etc. Most of the functions of the body that we don't have to consciously think about are controlled at the brain stem level.

The brain stem at the level of the atlas consists of approximately ten billion nerve fibers sending messages through the spinal cord to the cells of the body and from the cells back to the brain. These nerve fibers are arranged in small bundles called nerve tracts. These nerve tracts are either sensory or motor. The motor nerves allow us function of the organs and systems while moving the body about its environment, via the musculoskeletal system. Gray's Anatomy states, "The nervous system is the master system of the body controlling and coordinating all the functions of the body and relating the individual to his environment."

The atlas and axis are the only parts of the backbone in proximity to the brain stem. When they misalign to the extent that they irritate the brain stem and or spinal cord they interfere with the vital messages being sent to and from the brain to all parts of the body. If for example the atlas is irritating the part of the cord that sends messages to the left hand, that individual may experience a numbness, burning or tingling sensation in that hand. If the nerve tracts at the brain stem level that go to the heart are being irritated that individual may experience high blood pressure, palpitations or an irregular heartbeat. Any part of the body can be affected when there is irritation in the brain stem or spinal cord because almost all of the nerves have to pass through this area before reaching the part of the body they innervate.

When the atlas or axis misaligns to the extent that it interferes with nerve tissue and reduces the mental impulses it is termed a subluxation. A subluxation may be present for months or years before producing any outward signs such as pain or symptoms, causing the body to break down.

The purpose of the Upper Cervical technique is not to diagnose or treat diseases or conditions, but to analyze and correct vertebral subluxations in an accurate, precise and specific manner to allow the body to mend, repair and maintain health from within.

The Upper Cervical technique utilizes neurological tests, heat sensitive instrumentation and other means for detecting when the vertebral subluxation is present or absent. The adjustment is administered only when nerve irritation is present. The Upper Cervical technique utilizes precise x-rays of the upper cervical area to determine which way the vertebra has misaligned so that a precise and specific adjustment may be tailored and administered to that individual.”