A Letter From A Skeptical Patient Of Upper Cervical Care

Editor's note: Today's post is about a patient's experience while under Upper Cervical Care. The method used was NUCCA.

A letter from a patient

by Dr. Deb Sesker

Note: This letter comes from a patient named Robyn, who has received NUCCA care for the last five years. She sent this to us via email in January of 2011.

Deb Sesker and NUCCA has completely changed my life. I have had chronic back pain since I was 9 years old after I was kicked behind my right ear by my horse. Then, at 15, I fell on the ice and broke my tailbone. Between the ages of 16 and 21, I was in five major car accidents where all vehicles were totalled. At 36, I was rear-ended by a teenage driver talking on her cell phone, and suffered whiplash.

I have spent thousands of dollars at conventional chiropractors, hours at acupuncturists and physical therapists, and even considered back surgery.

The surgeon refused to operate on me because he said I had a herniated disc and degenerative arthritis in my lower back. He said, “If I operate on you, you will be in a wheelchair within 5 years. You just need to learn how to live with the pain (and, by the way, here are some pain pills).” I walked away from the pain pills but was very depressed that I was still unable to find a cure.

My life was an everyday struggle because of the pain in my lower back. I literally cried every single day because I still had to work and make a living, and sitting at a computer all day was excruciating. I taught aerobics and rode on RAGBRAI and lived my life but suffered through it the whole time. I was determined I wasn’t going to let this pain ruin me, but I still suffered terribly.

One day a friend of mine told me that a coworker had come to work literally exclaiming with joy that he had found a miracle! Jumping up and down! The coworker told my friend that Deb Sesker and NUCCA had changed his life. He had been in constant back pain for five years and was now miraculously pain free! My friend called me immediately and the minute I hung up the phone with him I called Deb at Balance First. I begged her to see me the next day.

I have to admit I had a tremendous amount of skepticism about all of this because I had tried so many other avenues of relief to absolutely no avail. Quick fixes that gave me a few days of relief and then back to the chiropractor again; always worried that I couldn’t do any activity to my full potential for fear of aggravating my pain. I had been disappointed so many times that I was incredibly skeptical.

BUT, without hope there is nothing, so I always kept the faith that I would find the fix. And I found her!

I have lived a very different life after my first visit five years ago. Except for the occasional visit back to Deb for an adjustment because of self-injury (mistakenly shoveling snow, haphazardly climbing trees, or lively yard work), I live virtually pain-free. I, too, have had a miracle!! I can do all the activities I love to do; gardening, hiking, biking, sitting pain-free at a two-hour concert, or just watching a movie on my couch. Life is good.

Make sure to look at the diplomas on her walls. She was valedictorian of her class at Palmer College of Chiropractic at the wonderful age of 39. She is the epitome of what a doctor should be. She genuinely cares for her patient’s health and well-being, and is also a Take Shape for Life Regional Director. She cares about the whole person and will be able to counsel you in many different areas of your life.

I believe in Deb and NUCCA so much that every member of my family has been adjusted by her and THEIR lives have been changed, as well. In my line of business, I have had an inordinate number of opportunities to talk to complete strangers, and in the course of conversation, I discover that these people are in back pain. Maybe it is because I am so aware of how it affects everyday life, or I can see pain in their face when I am talking to them; for whatever reason, I discover they are in back pain. In the past five years, I would estimate that I have encouraged, and literally begged at times, 100 people to visit Deb. I KNEW she could change their lives. Quite a few of those people have contacted me later and thanked me for sharing Deb with them. They, too, had found a miracle!

–RLW

(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.)

Is Upper Cervical Care New Age Medicine?

Adapted from: 3 Reasons Upper Cervical Care Isn’t New Age Medicine

by Dr. Tripp Stover

For those of you who are familiar with new age thinking, you will be familiar with the emphasis on positive thinking. Clearly it is better to think positively and focus on the good. In other-words, a thankful attitude is better than negative thinking. But, with new age spirituality, there is the belief that we shape and to a large extend, control our reality. One can see how important positive thinking would be if we actually control or significantly affect our own reality or the events that happen in our lives. Just think of how devastating it would be to think negatively! You might just bring the sky crashing down. This “power” we have is usually based on the idea that we are divine in some way; part of God, or a “little god.”

So how does this relate? Along these lines, much is made of the “mind-body” connection in new age health care. Mind over matter. If you believe, it will work. I often hear people say their belief in upper cervical care is a key ingredient to its effectiveness in their case. Although I believe a patient can sabotage recovery if they are not committed to care, I know upper cervical care will work even if someone is skeptical. The science behind it will work if we believe in it or not. Just like gravity. It will pull an object to the ground every time, no matter how hard we try to believe otherwise.

The point is that upper cervical care is based on science and it is well supported by scientific literature. One only needs to open up the book Upper Cervical Subluxation Complex: A Review of the Chiropractic and Medical Literature by Kirk Eriksen, D.C. and the follow up book by Eriksen and Roderic Rochester, D.C., Orthospinology Procedures: An Evidence Based Approach to Spinal Care to see how much science there is to support upper cervical care. These two books are current favorites of mine, but there are many others.

Another interesting point that refutes claims that one must believe in the care they are getting, and the benefits of care are more of a mind over matter placebo effect is the area of care for animals. A recent article talks about a doctor that sees animals as a major part of his practice. It’s not for everyone, and not for me though I’ve seen it work with my pets and the pets of a select few friends. The point is, an animal has no preconceived notions about what should or could happen. Or even that the doctor is there to help. So when an animal benefits, we know upper cervical care must be having a positive effect on physiology.

In summary, upper cervical care is not new age medicine or just a belief system because it works on animals. Sounds strange to say it like that. But it sure does take it out of the mind body area.