Back Pain, Headaches, Fatigue and Upper Cervical Care

(Editor's Note: The following is a patient's experience with an upper cervical doctor that practices the NUCCA technique.)

In my 25-year search of long-term relief from chronic lower back pain, headaches that would last for days, and fatigue, I have subjected myself to a number of styles of chiropractic, medicine, acupuncture and pain medications. Quite by accident, I found upper cervical care and was skeptical of a method that focused almost strictly on the neck and yet promised a holistic approach to well being and health.

On my first visit, I was suffering from pain between my shoulder blades, lower back, and sciatica. In addition, I had been unable to rotate my neck fully for almost a year. Furthermore, I was a chronic user of sinus medications, ibuprofen (6 tablets, twice daily), acid reflux medication, and anti-depressants. The doctor explained how by putting my upper cervical in alignment my body chemistry would align and many of my non-back issues would subside.

I have been receiving the Upper Cervical procedure for 2 months and I cannot imagine ever having to seek another form of treatment and have encouraged all of my friends and family to convert or begin seeing an Upper Cervical Chiropractor. Not only are my initial back symptoms almost nonexistent many other medical issues have corrected themselves. I cannot remember the last time my neck stuck in a position, had to rotate my entire body to look over my shoulder, or felt the tingling numb sensation down the outside of my arm radiating into my hand. The burning pain between my shoulder blades is gone and I have not taken ibuprofen or sinus medication since I began treatment. My lower back is continuing to be treated, but am not crippled at the end of the day.

The most dramatic difference for me is the fact that I finally feel like a normal person. I am able to work eight hours a day, 40 hours a week without debilitating back pain, headache, or fatigue. I do not fall in bed exhausted at 6:00 p.m., but am able to have a life aside from my job. I no longer take acid reflux medication, although I have had the disease my entire life due to a deformed lower esophageal sphincter - the "flap" that controls acid from entering the esophagus and I no longer take anti-depressants.

-Jamie, 49

What Can Upper Cervical Care Do For _______?

I don't know about you but I often get questions similar to the ones below and I thought Dr. O'Shea does a great job of answering them. While this post is not written from an Upper Cervical Care perspective directly it illustrates, hopefully, the mindset that many patients start at and where we hope to take them. He has a focus on nutrition which, while not being my focus, I feel is as equally important to a good nerve supply. I like his no nonsense approach and putting the responsibility directly where it should be, with the patient. Not saying we do not have a responsibility but each individual person is ultimately and totally responsible for their own health. Anyway, here is what Dr. O'Shea has to say, enjoy.

From THE LAST RESORT
by Tim O'Shea

(Read the whole article here)

People keep asking me - what can you do for diabetes? What can you give me for arthritis? What do you got for high blood pressure, weight loss, thyroid, hot flashes, cancer, reflux, chronic fatigue... What they're really saying is - what magic bullet can you give me that will allow me to continue my current lifestyle of self abuse? I know where this idea came from. It's how we're raised: solving health problems is not our responsibility. See the doctor. He'll know what to give us.

When it comes to health, we try the easiest stuff first. Doctor appointments, tests, MRI, procedures, drugs, and more drugs - sometimes even surgery. All the things that THEY do - anything that doesn't require our participation. The comforting illusion that we're doing something about our problem by letting somebody else do it.

After a while, when all this has failed, a little light goes on - for some. And that's the idea that these guys really don't know what they're doing. And that if you're going to stop this downward spiral, it'll be totally 100% up to you.

Blind luck may suddenly reveal that the cause of most of your health problems is what you're putting in your mouth, both food and drugs.

And now you've come to that point of self-loathing or desperation or confusion or being fed up or whatever where you really want to make a change because you know you have to. Maybe it's a chronic digestive problem. Or a "weak heart." Or diabetes. Or chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, or MS. Or arthritis, or allergies, or asthma. Or a cross reaction from those combinations of medications that all those guys are giving you, without much consideration or concern, after that 5 minute office visit. With a nurse.

Lotta people jumping ship here. And many of you are washing up on my beach. After we start getting the spine in order, you want to know what else you can do. That's when we start looking at detox - cleaning out poisons that are stuck in the colon, the blood, the tract, the arteries. Rotting food, experimental medications, years of over the counter stuff, all those party drugs - it's stuck inside you. Time to clean house. Time to try something - anything, because whatever you've been doing so far just isn't working. You know you're dying, and that's not just an expression.

So here's your last resort - participation . Do-it-yourself health care. Many people find out, some too late, that this is the only thing that was ever going to work in the first place. What particular disease you have doesn't really matter that much. So much of it is just a name game anyway - they're usually just guessing. If your body's going to survive, the same rules of cell nutrition apply in every case. No matter how advanced your particular problem, you're still just flesh and blood like every one else. Your body follows the same physical laws. Every day you're alive, certain fundamental problems occur for your cells. Either these problems get solved or they don't.

It's really very simple once you realize that you're only going to be putting stuff in your mouth that will do one of two things:

cleanse and/or nourish

Couldn't be simpler. No matter what ideas you may have or what physical condition you're trying to solve, or what you've been through, if some of your cells are still alive, this is the basic program, the starting line for everyone.

So give yourself one last break. Whatever you need to do to get the self confidence to win this battle, do it. If this is the hardest thing you've ever had to do, seems like life's been pretty easy so far.

Quoting Henry Ford, “Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right”.