Heart Rate Variability And Other Symptoms Improve With Upper Cervical Care

 In the Journal of Upper Cervical Chiropractic Research, a study was published on May 9, 2013, documenting a positive change in Heart Rate Variability (HRV) as well as a variety of other symptoms in a series of three different patients. HRV is used to measure the variation in beats of the heart. Since this is controlled by the nervous system, HRV is a good indicator of nerve system function.

The authors of this study relate the measurement of HRV to vertebral subluxation of the spine. The authors postulate that since subluxations cause interference to nerve system function, the effects of subluxations should be noted in HRV readings. In addition to the HRV, bilateral heat readings along the spine were used to establish a "pattern" by which to measure change or improvement.

In this study, three separate patients were documented while under (upper cervical) chiropractic care. The first case was of a 35-year-old male truck driver with right shoulder and neck pain that radiated into the right arm and forearm. He also had numbness in his right hand. He had been suffering with these problems for 10 years. A chiropractic examination revealed an upper neck subluxation, and a course of specific correction was initiated.

The second case was of a 67-year-old woman who was diagnosed with hypertension one year earlier. The patient stated that medication was ineffective. Her blood pressure at the time of the examination was 156/100. Her chiropractic examination also revealed subluxation in the upper neck and specific care for correction of her subluxation was initiated.

The third patient was a 42-year-old woman suffering with constant pain from between the shoulders down to her hips. She was also suffering from fatigue, loss of sleep, nervousness, difficult digestion, and constipation. A chiropractic examination also revealed the presence of subluxations for which specific adjustments were given.

In all three of these cases HRV was used to monitor the effects of the subluxation correction. Bilateral heat readings were also used to establish a heat pattern for each patient. In all three of these cases the HRV and the heat readings improved along with significant improvement in the symptoms that each of the patients experienced.

In their conclusion the researchers noted, "In these three cases, there appears to be a relationship between the improvements in bilateral skin temperature pattern analysis and heart rate variability following an upper cervical chiropractic technique. It is feasible that upper cervical chiropractic care can have a positive effect on the autonomic nerve system and there may be a connection between pattern reduction and improved heart rate variability."

(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.)
 

More Energy for Healing?

How to Get More Energy for Healing, Digestion, and Thinking

by Dr. Brandon Harshe

“Better than 90% of the brain’s output is directed towards maintaining your body in its gravitational field.  Therefore, the less energy one spends on one’s posture, the more energy is available for healing, digestion and thinking.”  -Roger Sperry, 1981 Nobel Prize winner for brain research

The first cervical vertebra, Atlas or C1, is the most freely movable vertebra in the spine, and the one most likely to cause irritation or tension to the spinal cord. It pivots around the second cervical vertebra, Axis or C2, connected only by ligaments and tendons, but no disc as in the rest of the spine. This is what allows the majority of spinal rotation to occur, but at the price of instability. In most cases, you will not feel the problem in your upper cervical spine.

When the head and neck misalign, you won’t feel it in most cases, but it will have a number of negative effects on the body. Because it is causing irritation and/or tension near the brain stem, vital organ function can be negatively impacted. Conditions such as high blood pressure, asthma, allergies, and digestive problems can arise. Because of a high number of sensory nerves in the upper neck called mechanoreceptors, head/neck misalignment can manifest itself in various conditions such as neck pain or stiffness, or tension headaches. You could even experience other conditions like migraines or vertigo as a result of having head/neck misalignment.  Or you may have no obvious symptoms at all.  (see editor's note below)

Head/neck misalignment can also cause an overall body imbalance that can result in overall spinal compensation. This will be characterized by spinal curvature, contracted or tight muscles on one side of the spine, postural imbalances such as a tilted head, high shoulder, and high hip, and an imbalance in leg lengths. Over time this could lead to forms of degeneration like bone spurs and fusion of the vertebrae, as well as back and shoulder pain, and even herniated discs.

So restoring proper position to the Atlas and Axis vertebrae have more of an effect on your overall well being than you have ever imagined. If you haven’t had your nervous system and upper neck checked, it’s time you did.

(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.)

Chronic Headaches And Upper Cervical Care?

Adapted from Chronic Headache Sufferers Find Relief

Many people are not 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 neck, 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 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 cure the problem.

Many of these headaches improve while under upper cervical care. A first visit to an Upper cervical doctor usually involves a spinal evaluation and tests such as x-rays. From there, the practitioner will determine the formula for the upper cervical correction. Patients often notice an improvement in symptoms, sometimes after only a few visits.

(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 headaches or any other condition, disease or symptom.)

Upper Cervical Care And How The Body Heals

How Does the Body Heal?

By Dr. Adam Tanase

A few months ago a Golden Retriever puppy jumped in my lap and somehow scraped my forearm. One of his little puppy claws drew blood, leaving a visible 3-inch cut. After a couple days, a rather unsightly scab formed that looked like I’d been slashed in a knife-fight…

Within 4-weeks, the wound completely healed. Today, the scar is barely visible. Now, this is the type of thing that most people take for granted. We pay little attention to the fact that whenever we get cuts or bruises, they heal automatically. Believe it or not, we’re actually programmed to do so… Our body’s have their own “instruction manuals” for how to function properly. Upper Cervical Care refers to this ability as innate intelligence.


The cool thing about innate intelligence is that it’s free. You can’t buy it, borrow it, or even “learn” it. It’s just there, always and everywhere. But there’s one caveat… It can’t work properly if something interferes with it, disrupts it, or gets in the way.

Physical, chemical and emotional stress are particularly devious culprits, and will without fail impair your body’s ability to functional normally, ultimately impeding innate intelligence. This slows, limits, or even prevents the healing process from occurring.


Examples of physical stress include spinal misalignment, body imbalance, dehydration, repetitive micro-trauma, and poor posture. These have the ability to change blood flow, restrict movement, tighten muscles, strain ligaments, and alter body function.

Examples of chemical stress include toxins that don’t belong in the body… Things like processed foods, alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, artificial sweeteners, MSG, and other artificial lab-created chemicals that don’t occur in nature.

I probably don’t have to give you any examples of emotional stress, but I’ll list a few anyway… Relationship turmoil, death of a family member, anxiety, workplace demands, and financial woes are some of the heavy hitters.

The conduit for innate intelligence is the Nervous System. While there are three distinct forms of stress, they all impair the quality of function within your nervous system.

Medications can effectively help people “deal” with symptoms, but you’ll never find a medication that can mend a troubled relationship, bring back a deceased family member, negate the effects of alcohol/cigarettes, or restore spinal alignment. Drugs are great for patching effects, but they’re not all that reliable when it comes to actual healing.

Innate intelligence enables your body to heal. Facilitating it offers you the best chance to get well. This is the objective of Upper Cervical Care.

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.

What You Need To Know Before Beginning Upper Cervical Care

When a person seeks upper cervical care and when an upper cervical doctor accepts a person for such care, it is essential that they both are seeking and working toward the same goals. Upper cervical care has one goal. It is therefore important to understand the goal and the means to attain it. In this way there will be no confusion, misunderstanding or disappointment.

First, one must realize that upper cervical care is not a substitute for medical treatment of any kind, in any way, for any reason. Also, no statement of the upper cervical doctor is intended as a medical diagnosis and should not be confused as such. Patients usually want to get rid of whatever ailments, symptoms or conditions are bothering them. This, however, is not the goal of upper cervical care. Upper cervical care is not intended to be a treatment of the symptoms of a medical condition or to treat the cause or causes of a medical condition.

The purpose of upper cervical care is to restore and maintain the integrity of the spinal cord, especially the lower brain stem. These vital nerve pathways are housed in and protected by the bones of the spine. Small misalignments of the head and neck can interfere with the proper functioning of these nerve pathways. Head/neck misalignment can come from many causes and prevent various parts of the body from functioning properly.

By means of an upper cervical correction, head neck misalignment is reduced and an interference to proper nerve function reduced as well. The goal of upper cervical care is to correct head/neck misalignment for the purpose of allowing the proper transmission of information over nerve pathways so that every part of the body may have a proper nerve supply at all times.

This allows the innate healing ability of the body to work closer to maximum efficiency. With a proper nerve supply health improves. In some, symptoms clear up quickly. In others, the process is slower, and in some, it is partial or not at all. Regardless of what the disease is called, the upper cervical doctor does not offer to heal or even treat it. Nor do they offer advice regarding the treatment of disease. Their only goal is to allow the body to do its job. Their only means is the correction of head/neck misalignment in order to restore/maintain proper brain to body communication. They promise no cure from and offer no treatment of disease, conditions or symptoms.

Health Problems? … Cause/Solution

By Dr. Daniel Clark

Brain to Body Communication

When the brain can send unrestricted health and healing messages to all parts of the body, it has the natural, self-healing ability to regain and maintain optimal health.

Restricted Brain Messages

Head/Neck misalignment interference at the point where the head and neck join can disrupt or distort the normal flow of brain health and healing messages to the body. This can easily lead, or contribute, to the development of acute and chronic health problems.

Muscle or Joint Pain

Muscle or joint pain in the body is an indication of restricted brain to body communication.

Symptoms

Pain and Symptoms indicate restricted flow of brain healing messages to the body.

Optimal Health

We enjoy optimal health when the brain can communicate with all parts of the body without any interference.

Health Problems

Health problems develop when the brain is restricted from sending sufficient healing messages to the body due to misalignment interference at the top of the neck.

Body Imbalance

When the head (10 to 14 lbs. same as a bowling ball) is not perfectly balanced on top of the neck, the rest of the body will compensate to the shift of weight.

The spine and pelvis will twist, often causing one shoulder to move down and one hip to move up bringing the leg up with it to create body imbalance. (Short leg)
This can lead to the development of muscle and joint pain and numerous other health problems.

Maintaining Optimal Health

For the body to maintain optimal health, the head must stay straight and perfectly balanced on top of the neck to prevent brain to body misalignment interference.

Pain, Suffering And Upper Cervical Care

What are Your Symptoms Telling You?

by Dr. Tanase

My car has an unnerving ability to scare the bejesus out of me with it’s monitoring system.

It emits a piercing 2-second tone whenever I’m within 50 miles or less of needing to refill the gas tank. The same thing happens when the tire pressure drops, a tail light goes out, or when it’s time for an oil change. Basically, this tone will sound if anything malfunctions, prompting me to have it inspected. It won’t “go away” until I address the issue that triggered the warning tone.

While not every car on the road has this feature, every person reading this article does. You see, our bodies are designed with their own sophisticated warning systems. They’re called symptoms.

For some reason (convenience?), a lot of patients and doctors aren’t overly concerned with why the symptoms are present – they just want them to go away. One of the marvelous accomplishments of Modern Medicine is how they’ve created drugs and treatments that are really good at controlling these symptoms… Unfortunately, it’s almost always temporary. On top of that, serious complications or side-effects can result.

I’ve developed an acronym that represents how Americans view SYMPTOMs:
Something You Merely Patch, Treat, Or Mask.

What if I applied the typical medical approach of symptom-treating to the monitoring system in my car? Well, if I really didn’t want to hear the annoying sound, I could just drive around with noise-canceling headphones over my ears. If you’ve ever tried on a pair, you’d know how easily the “symptom” can be masked by these headphones.

But would that be a very good idea? If all I did was treat my car’s symptom, I’d inevitably run out of gas, get a flat tire, or witness my engine explode. Not good problems to have…

The same holds true for your health. Your body has all sorts of different warning indicators. Headaches, fatigue, dry-mouth, joint pain, numbness/tingling, constipation, and fever are just a few examples. Yes, they’re annoying and inconvenient, but that’s the point! They’re prompting you to take action and fix the problem.

You can choose to patch, treat, or mask these symptoms temporarily, but your body will eventually give out if you continue to neglect what triggered them in the first place.

Now’s a great time to start listening to your body. What are your symptoms trying to tell you?

Perhaps your body is saying it is time for upper cervical care.

Want To Enjoy Life More? Try Upper Cervical Care

13 Benefits Of Upper Cervical Care: Part 13

The primary reason for upper cervical care is so that you can get more out of life. Feeling good is an important aspect of enjoying life. While there are many people who seem to enjoy life despite physical pain and discomfort, there is no doubt that it is easier to enjoy life when you are feeling good. Being healthy is also an important aspect of enjoying life. While most people think that being healthy and feeling good are synonymous, being healthy is a great deal more than merely the absence of symptoms. There are many people who feel perfectly fine today who next week or next month will be dead or told they are dying from some disease. Feeling good is not health and health is more important than just feeling good.

There is a third level to enjoying life. It can be described as being all you can be, reaching your potential in life, functioning at your best. It is more than just feeling good and even more than just being given a “clean bill of health.” It is the difference between being competent at your work and being a success. It is the difference between muddling along in life and squeezing every ounce of joy from it. It is enjoying the reality of life rather than watching reality shows on television.

For all the advances in science and medicine in the fight against disease, for all the efforts people put into being healthy with exercise and nutrition, not too many people seem to be really enjoying life. With all the labor saving devices of modern technology, we should be doing more with our lives than increasing the time we can watch television. We should be enjoying more life and enjoy life more.

Upper cervical care enables you to enjoy more life. The mental energy traveling through your body over the nerve system is the life that not only makes you healthy but gives you the ability to function at your best. When the head and neck misalign, you can be deprived of a little bit of life and your ability to enjoy life more can be decreased. So in a way upper cervical care can many times restore life to your body so that it can heal itself, increase its level of health and function at its best.

There are a number of important areas involved in enjoying life more including spiritual, physical and mental. Upper cervical care does not have the answers to all of these areas, but having a good nerve supply touches upon so many that it can hardly be classified as just a health profession. It affects so many aspects of your life in a positive way that to be under periodic upper cervical care in order to keep the life energy flowing to all parts seems like a common sense action that no one could or would overlook. Yet so many people miss this simple but vital part of life and never enjoy life to the fullest. Have your nerve system checked regularly and enjoy life more!

Choices, Health And Upper Cervical Care

(Editor's note: Today's post comes from the Atlas of Life November 2010 newsletter. Click on the title below to view the full newsletter.)

YOU LOOK & FEEL HOW YOU CHOOSE TO LOOK & FEEL

By Dr. Brandon Harshe

When my kids do something wrong, such as hit or scream at one of their siblings, or they ignore instructions we give them, they will face some type of consequence. Usually, the perpetrator screams, or cries, or whines when handed his/her sentence. The one thing we almost always tell them is that they chose the consequence. By behaving badly, they reaped a negative result. I do not think they get that concept most of the time, but through repetition, they will grow up understanding it eventually.

In fact, this is something we all need to understand. Including me. I have my moments where things will happen and I get frustrated, wanting to blame some exterior source. But in reality, the true source of my problem came from me.

There is no truer example of this idea than our health. Diabetes does not happen by chance. Heart disease does not happen overnight. Cancer is not a curse of our genetics. These diseases, and really most diseases, are caused by poor lifestyle decisions, point blank. I am not talking congenital heart defects or Down’s syndrome, I am talking about diseases that develop over time.

No one held you down and shoved a Big Mac down your gullet. No one put a gun to your head and told you to eat too much pizza. No one forced me to eat too much Halloween candy out of my kids’ stash. No one tied you down and made you watch football and drink beer all day last Sunday. Those are choices we all make, and the results of those choices are our doing, not someone else’s.

How many healthy, athletic, people eating plant-based diets do you see currently diagnosed with Type II Diabetes? Personally, I have never seen one. How many calm, happy people have you met with high blood pressure? Probably not many.

I know that if I eat at CiCi’s Pizza, I will feel flu-like symptoms and an overall sluggishness the next day… Basically I feel like garbage. That is how my body responds to my choice of eating awful food. Sure it’s a cheap place to take a family of six out to eat, but is it really worth it? Instead of trying to find some kind of medication that will take away my symptoms, I choose not to eat there anymore. Problem solved.

How about contracting a cold virus, or bronchitis, or the flu? Is that not something that happens to us by chance? Sometimes, but how many of us have been stressed with midterms, finals, work deadlines, meager finances, marital issues, or the death of a loved one? Those things put us into a state of stress, and that keeps us in sympathetic mode. The sympathetic nervous system is what controls the fight-or-flight response. Once in a while, it might be needed. But on a long term basis, this is what wears our bodies down, overuses our adrenal glands, and weakens our immune system, along with being sedentary and eating junk all the time, making us more prone to contracting a virus of some sort.

Dealing with that stress properly is what will keep us in parasympathetic state, which is where we want our bodies to be most of the time. I once heard Dr. Wayne Dyer mention that stress is not a physical, tangible thing. We cannot grab it out of the air. It is simply an idea in our mind. Replacing those stressed out thoughts with positive thoughts takes some work, but once you get the hang of it, life starts getting a little better.

Knowing that, and making healthier choices with our diets and activities, maybe, just maybe we can get to that level of optimal health we all want to experience.

It just dawned on me that, outside of (getting upper cervical care), I have not been to any kind of doctor in over 12 years. I have made choices in my life that keep me from needing to go to a medical doctor for anything. I am not perfect by any means… I still have so much to improve upon (ask my wife). But at least I am ahead of the game with my physical health.

You can be too. Quit sitting around, eating junk, and watching too many reality shows. Get up, exercise, eat some fruits and veggies, think positive (and get your nerve system and upper neck checked periodically).

I Spy Books, Thermodynamics and Upper Cervical Care

Why is it that kids’ rooms always seem to be a mess even one day after they have cleaned it? “Clean your room” may be the phrase that parents most commonly use in the home. Of course, as adults we are usually no better. I am writing this at my home, a place where I often get the feeling that I am living inside an I Spy book. It can take an hour every night to tidy up the house at the end of the day and a day later it reverts back to the house of I Spy legend. Clutter and disorganization is the ruination of many a happy home or office and in the long run probably a greater thief of time than keeping things orderly.

For those of you with a similar problem, take heart. It is not your fault, it is the result of a scientific law. It is called the Second Law of Thermodynamics. It says that all processes manifest a tendency toward decay and disintegration. This results in a net increase in what is called entropy or a state of randomness or disorder of the system. In other words, things just naturally fall apart, break down and become disorganized. That is the natural bent of houses, children’s rooms, cars, home appliances, flower gardens and the human body. We even describe it as we get older in terms like “my body is falling apart.” As a side note, the Second Law of Thermodynamics is something the evolutionists do not want to talk about. How can the world and man be evolving to a greater degree of complexity when this scientific law says just the opposite?

So what is the answer to messy rooms and a random and chaotic universe? We know the cure for the messy room or cluttered desk is intelligent action, organizing things, filing away papers (where they can be found when needed) and putting the toys and dirty clothes where they belong. That is the only answer. Even better is intelligent action on a continuous basis. When the mail comes in, you go through it, throw away what you do not want, act on what needs your attention and file away what you want to keep. Have the children pick up their toys and put them away when they are done playing with them. A continuous intelligent effort is the answer to clutter.

Similarly, a continuous intelligent action is necessary to keep this world in an organized state. When it comes to living organisms in general, and human beings in particular, upper cervical doctors call that continuous intelligent action the innate (inborn) intelligence of the body. It is responsible for every physiological function in the body from digesting breakfast to making brain cells. When there is an interruption in continuous intelligent action in the body we say the body is in a state of dis-order or in-coordination. Sometimes the lack of intelligent action manifests certain symptoms which medical doctors describe as disease. Often it demonstrates no perceptible manifestation, no more than that one toy sitting on the floor off to the side which should have been put away.

Due to the complexity of the human body continuous intelligent action necessitates a properly functioning nerve system. When the head and neck become misaligned in such a way that it interferes with the nerve system there is dis-order in the body. Without any attention from the innate intelligence, the human body disintegrates back to the dust from which it came. Without the full attention of the innate intelligence the body will begin to move faster and faster toward a state of cellular chaos and ultimate dis-order. The Second Law of Thermodynamics will get us all in the end. It is a law. However, helping your nerve system function free of interference with periodic upper cervical care checkups can reduce the effects of that law.

Adding Or Subtracting From Your Future?

Have you ever asked yourself where you want to be with your life in the future? In these instant-gratification, quick-fix, drive-thru days in which we live, people tend to focus on what is happening and how they feel right now. Not feeling good? Pop a pill to ease the pain. Hungry? Grab some fast food. Bored? Turn on the television. Tired? Get a cup of coffee. So many people make decisions and take actions based on a current event, without looking at the possible consequences. Let me ask you, have you ever known a very happy, healthy and successful pill-popping, fast food-eating, 10-hour-a-day television watching person on a constant caffeine high? Me neither. Quick fixes maybe comforting in the moment, but they rarely provide long-term solutions.

I am asking you to think about what you want to be, not in the present moment, but in the future. Let’s take your health as an example. Your health is based on many factors: exercise, diet, nerve supply, rest, genetics, etc., but the key thing to understand is your health today is the result of actions you took (or failed to take) in the past. You may think that how you are today is just a current event, but in reality it is the result of a process. This may sound elementary, but if you take this concept to heart and put it into action, it can literally be life changing. Everything you do today is going to determine how you will be in the future.

This concept of looking at life as a process and not just a single event has been discussed in upper cervical care for decades. There is a concept of “survival values.” Things that we do each day are either positive or negative towards our health and function in the future. Positive activities, such as having a proper nerve supply, eating nutritious foods, resting, etc., are known as “constructive survival values.” On the other hand, negative events like injuries, drugs, toxins, emotional stress, watching 10 hours of television a day, eating fast food, etc., are known as “destructive survival values.” In this model, your life and health are determined by the accumulation of both constructive and destructive survival values over time. When you look at things such as health as a process and not merely an event, you begin to realize the importance of constantly and continually striving to add constructive survival values to your life.

Since health is just one aspect of human performance and human performance is in large part regulated by the nerve system, upper cervical care can play a key role in your health over time. By having upper neck misalignments that can interfere with nerve function gently realigned you allow your body to better express information through the nerve system. This can contribute to better performance and better health, and is a constructive survival value towards your life and can benefit your health in the future.

If you want to be better in the future than you are today, one step in the process is the periodic upper cervical evaluation. Having your spine checked only when you have a symptom simply shows that you are not interested in improving your life in the future and that you are only looking for a quick solution to a current event. While it is true that the upper cervical corrections may provide you with a quick-fix, that is not necessarily the intent. Upper cervical care is in many ways about adding constructive survival values to your life so that you will be better in the future.

Upper Cervical Care...Magic or Miracle?

Below is a recent post from Dr. Andy Gibson in DuBois, PA. His blog can be viewed here

Greetings friends and warm welcomes! It's unbelievable how fast the summer season is going. We celebrated our Grand Opening in grand fashion for sure! The month of July was spectacular and was filled with some amazing transformations, some tears of joy and a lot of "cautious optimism." That is why the title of this post is "magic or miracle?"

Again, it seems that trends come and go in the office much like the tides at the beach. Recently, the latest bunch of new practice members seem to share the same outlook on life when it comes to their health. I submit they all have been told they "just have to live with the pain." Well, after each of their first Upper Cervical Corrections, EVERY SINGLE one came back on the follow up visit and said the following words: "I'm not sure what you did to me, but I think I feel better." I asked them each the following questions: "You seem unsure about how you are feeling, why is that?" EVERY SINGLE person responded with: "I'm not sure I can believe it. It seems too simple, what you did."

At this point it becomes clear, I'm either a magician or a miracle worker, or so I'm told. Well, let me assure you I am neither. I am a specific Upper Cervical Doctor and I focus all of my efforts on a 1-2 millimeter misalignment of the atlas and it's direct relationship to the brainstem. When the atlas misaligns, life begins to stink in a hurry and it only gets worse as you age. When we unlock the atlas from it's life-robbing position and the body sets it in a life-giving position, life begins to smell like roses and continues to get more beautiful everyday! That's all I do!

Magic is illusions, slight of hand, voodoo, occult etc. . . Miracles are supernatural, mysteries and are often laced with Divine intervention. Upper Cervical Care is a precise, scientific and philosophically sound chiropractic procedure. Do miracles occur in my office? EVERY DAY! But not because I am a miracle worker. Rather, when you stop to consider the people and paths they walk and how at some specific point in time, our paths meet. . .it's no coincidence they are in my office. THAT IS A MIRACLE. Perhaps I get credit for the "miracle assist", but the work was in progress for months and/or years. I simply move the bone. God does the healing.

Friends, life is supposed to be lived in a state of "Ease". Anything less than that is "dis-ease." Call it magic or miracles or heck, call it nonsense, but ask those people how they feel and they will call it undeniable. They are back to their true state of ease.

Isn't it your turn to feel the "ease" of life?

Gibson Upper Cervical
Restoring Hope. Renewing Health.

Understanding Symptoms

No one enjoys feeling poorly, or suffering and experiencing pain. Symptoms are unpleasant. We have been taught to view them as bad and we seek ways to alleviate them as quickly as possible, but it is often without regard for our health or without understanding their role in our health and well-being.

It is important that we understand that pain and symptoms are not always bad. Our body was designed with an intricate warning system in order to make us aware of injury, harm and danger. Pain tells us to avoid hot stoves, remove the pebble in our shoe and in a hundred other ways, how to prevent injury and harm. To cover up pain in these types of situations is not only unwise, it is dangerous and often invites further serious injury. It is like having an expensive fire alarm system in your home and disconnecting it before going to sleep so that it does not awaken you in the middle of the night. That is its job! Further, symptoms can possibly be an indication that the body is doing its job perfectly. Eating tainted food could precipitate a bout of vomiting and diarrhea. While they are admittedly two of the most unpleasant symptoms, they could save your life as they rid your body of unwanted toxins. Trying to prevent these symptoms could be harmful to your body.

We also must understand that symptoms may be indicative of a serious medical problem that requires immediate attention by a physician or some other provider of therapeutic measures. To make this determination necessitates extensive years of study and training. Your upper cervical doctor has chosen not to pursue that education or provide that service. Diagnosis, the art of finding the underlying cause of symptoms, is not part of the practice of upper cervical care (UCC).

Finally, we must understand that the service the upper cervical doctor provides is not related to symptoms. This is what makes UCC different from therapeutic services like medicine. Head/neck misalignment that interferes with the proper functioning of the nervous system may or may not have any obvious symptoms. That is what makes it so dangerous. It can occur in anyone and give no indication of its presence. But when the head/neck are misaligned, the entire body can be deprived of its ability to function at its fullest potential. That is a serious matter. To wait until symptoms appear, as a result of perhaps months or years of improper function, it not the best approach to maintaining one’s health.

While UCC is not a treatment for symptoms or their cause, the person receiving care must have an understanding of the role of pain and symptoms so that he or she can make intelligent decisions regarding matters of health. We will be happy to explain to you further our role in your health and well-being so that you can be a better informed person and a better expression of life and health.

The Cause Of Allergies

I know you have seen them. They are everywhere! People rubbing their eyes, sneezing, sniffling and complaining. Some of them deny it saying, “I do not have allergies,” or, “I never had allergies before” and many others just try to grin and bear it. Knowingly or not, more than 50 million Americans suffer from allergies. The culprits in these most annoying conditions (i.e., the allergen) include some of the most ordinary things, such as cats, dogs, grass, dust, pollen, copper coins, nickel-coated earrings and buttons, insects and insect stings. I once met someone who told me they were allergic to air. I imagine if you are allergic to dust you might as well be allergic to air.

Despite the variety of substances that an individual can or may be allergic to, all allergies result from the same basic cause: an immune system that is unable to distinguish between the harmful and the friendly. This is an extremely important point. Many people have the misconception that it is the dust or the pollen (the allergen) that causes the allergic reaction. It is not! It is the body’s inability to adapt to the allergen that is the problem!!! If pollen were the problem, everyone would have allergic symptoms in the presence of pollen, and that is not the case. Rather, it is the body’s inability to adapt to the allergen that is the problem.

For example, an article in the newspaper noted that the pollen count was almost 50 times above what is considered normal to the Clean Air Council. The purpose of the article was to provide readers with tips on how to control allergic reactions, all of which boiled down to avoiding the allergen. The article noted that the high levels had caused reactions in people who had never experienced them before. At first glance, this might seem to suggest that indeed it is the pollen that is the cause of allergies. However, as long as there are still people who do not develop symptoms in the presence of these unusually high levels of pollen, then pollen is not the cause.

You see, everyone is born with a certain potential for adapting to pollen (as well as to every other allergen), and some have a greater potential to adapt than others. For those who express no symptoms when in the presence of high concentrations of specific allergens, it is because their bodies are working the way they should. Their bodies do not see pollen as harmful (which it is not) and consequently, do not declare war on it by trying to rush it out of the body by either sneezing or washing tears across the eyes. More importantly, while everyone is born with a different potential to adapt to allergens, some may have the potential to adapt but are not fully expressing it because of interference in their nervous systems caused by head/neck misalignment.

The medical world admits that the best way to treat any allergy is to avoid the allergens that cause it, but how does one avoid air or dust. We suggest that one of the best things you can do for allergies is to be sure your nervous system is free from interference with Upper Cervical Care so your body can work at its highest potential to recognize what is harmful and what is not.

Upper Cervical Care Do’s and Don’ts

Before and after each Upper Cervical Correction, it is vital that these measures be taken to protect your correction. Adhering to these guidelines will help ensure the longest lasting correction and help you reach your optimal health potential. Questions are encouraged because the better you understand why upper cervical doctors do what they do, the more you can help them help you.

Follow these helpful hints:

Avoid the following before office visits:

4 hours before your appointment; NO over the counter drugs, pain relievers (Example: Tylenol, Excedrin, Advil), antibiotics, or antidepressants.

2 hours before your appointment; NO caffeine, cigarettes, or chocolate, or use of heating pad or ice on your neck or back.

30 minutes before your appointment; NO sugar or candy.


*Upper cervical doctors are measuring brainstem and nerve function; the above products alter their readings. They must have accuracy in these readings in order to increase the odds of success in your case. Please let them know if you have used any of the above products or other prescription drugs before they test you.

Avoid the following for at least 24 hours after a correction:

Repetitive arm motions (sweeping, vacuuming, yard work, etc.)

Bumps, jolts, and vibrations (mowing or tilling, running heavy machinery, etc.)

Overhead work (reaching overhead and looking up)


Avoid the following:

Sleeping on your stomach with your head turned to one side

Using big, thick, fluffy pillows


Do the following:

Keep all your appointments at your appointed time. This “schedule of corrections” is tailor made for you to ensure maximum correction.

Drink 8 glasses of clean water, either spring/purified, or reverse osmosis, (not tap water), per day

Start walking. Walking on even surfaces helps strengthen your correction and builds strength and stamina.

Rest flat on your back with pillow under your neck during the middle of the day (10 to 20 minutes). This helps maintain your correction.

Let the doctor know of any slips, falls, bumps or other injuries, no matter how insignificant.

Sleep with a pillow designed to contour and support your neck, either flat on your back, or on your side.

Include your family in your care. The more your family understands Upper Cervical Care, the more support they can provide.


While upper cervical doctors do want their patients to feel better, do not expect them to treat your symptoms. The corrections they make are not designed for pain or symptom relief. They are designed to remove an interference to healing, so the body will heal itself. As the body heals, symptoms will go away. Be a patient patient. Corrections are only given when objective tests say you need one. Please don’t expect a correction based on how you feel.

If you have a problem with any of these, please do not get under care, as it is not a good fit for you at this time. If you have just begun care and have a problem with any of these let your upper cervical doctor know immediately so they can resolve the issue before you start something you cannot finish.

When To Call In The Upper Cervical Doctor

I received a comment on recent post basically asking, "When should a general/full-spine Chiropractor refer a patient to an Upper Cervical Doctor?" What indicators should they look for in a patient to know when they should perhaps be evaluated by an Upper Cervical Doctor?

I listed some of these in a post back in December called Signs And Symptoms Of An Upper Cervical Injury.

Here they are again:

1. Is your posture poor? Do you have rounded shoulders &/or forward head posture? Does your head feel heavy to hold?

2. Is your head tilted to one side and/or your head rotated to one side when you look in a mirror? This can be very subtle.

3. Does your nose or nasal septum deviate to one side? If so, you may find that it deviates towards the side to which your atlas has moved forward (e.g. nose deviates to the left; then atlas is forward on the left)

4. Is one of your shoulders lower than the other? Pull your shoulders back and down and look carefully for one lower than the other. Again it can be subtle.

5. Press firmly but gently with your thumb into the impression just below your skull at the top of your neck on both sides of the back of the neck. This is known as the sub-occipital area. Find the base of your skull and press the soft flesh around that area. Is this tender or painful for you?

6. Do you have some shoulder and/or neck pain/aches, which don't seem to go away?

7. Does your jaw click when you open your mouth? Further check on this; Put your pinkies (little fingers) into your ear canals and chew normally. Do you feel a bumpy dislocation like feeling? This should be a smooth action in your joints.

8. Do you have any lower back pain or mid back pain (under the shoulder blades)?

9. Can you move your head from side to side without pain or restriction? Is there a loss of Range of Motion (ROM)?

10. Do you have any sand paper, clicking or crunching sounds when moving your head from side to side in a 'NO' action?

11. Is your hearing a problem or do you have other ear symptoms (e.g. tinnitus, watery sounds, blockages, vertigo, Meniere’s Disease, otalgia, recurrent ear infections)?

12. Do you often get headaches or migraines?

13. Can you remember any trauma (even minor) to the head, neck or shoulders?
14. Was your birth difficult?

15. How’s your vision? – Sensitive to light, especially at dusk, floaters?

16. Do you experience any dizziness, vertigo or movement sensations? Does the ground seem to move away from you?

17. Do you experience any tingling and burning sensations especially in fingers and toes?

18. Do you have confirmed Scoliosis of the spine, from x-rays? Do you have one leg shorter than the other or is your pelvis higher on one side?

19. Have you had any x-rays, CT scans or MRIs taken of your neck? Do these reveal loss of normal neck curve), even a small amount?

Most of these can be and often are indicators of a person's need for general Chiropractic care. The only thing that I would add is that if a general Chiropractor is seeing a patient and noting minimal, short term or no changes in the indicators on this list, that their patient is presenting with, then an Upper Cervical evaluation is probably a good idea. An Upper Cervical evaluation may also be in order if they have wide spread symptoms/pain that just doesn't seem to really go away.

I hope this helps provide some guidance to aid in patients getting the care they need and the results they are looking for.

Another Thought On Upper Cervical Care

Think of your body like a highway. There are always construction zones, detours, accidents, road blocks, repair zones, etc. on a highway. This interferes with your ability to get where you want to get when you need to get there. In terms of the body, you know that the nervous system is the system that controls and coordinates every other function and system in the body. The roadblock of the body’s nervous system is head/neck misalignment. The message will still get there but not at the right time or in the appropriate quantity. All of the problems that the body can have often times can be traced back to a communication breakdown of some kind. In many cases this communication breakdown is due to a head/neck misalignment.

Upper Cervical Doctors, by correcting this imbalance, remove these roadblocks or interference. When the body is clear of this interference it is like having a highway with no work being done to it. You know at your present speed how long it will take to get where you are going and that the road your on takes you right there. Everything is communicating in the body at its most optimum capacity.

Upper Cervical Care by removing interference in the nervous system promotes the maximum expression of the body's inborn potential for life. Upper Cervical Doctors don't cure or treat anything. Only the body can do that. After all that is what it was designed to do. The body is so much more miraculous then so many people give it credit for.

I was reading some things that I have collected over the years and one of them that comes to mind was about the 7 wonders of the world. It was about a grade school class and they came up with your usual choices; Taj Mahal, Great Pyramids, etc. but one little girl had some trouble. She had this list: 1. To see 2. To touch 3. To smell 4. To taste 5. To hear 6. To laugh and 7. To love. This small girl hit it right on the head. The seven, if not more, wonders of the world are with us all the time.

Our own bodies deserve so much of our appreciation. It truly is amazing what it does every single second to keep you alive. Give your body a break and make sure that its’ communication system (nervous system) is free of that nasty roadblock known as head/neck misalignment. It’s the least that you could do. Especially after all that it has done for you.

Upper Cervical Care: Two Questions To Consider

When a person with any type of symptom enters an Upper Cervical Care office for the first time, there are two questions that person needs to consider for the Upper Cervical Doctor to be sure that the person understands the Upper Cervical objective. This is important so there are no misconceptions or failed expectations on the part of the person seeking care. The first question is:

What will you do if following the Upper Cervical correction your symptoms do not go away?

If the answer is that you will seek care elsewhere, further clarification is required. If a symptom of a medical problem does not disappear under Upper Cervical Care care, it may be a wise decision to be examined by some other professional. It is critical for people to understand that Upper Cervical Care does not provide treatment for medical conditions. It corrects Head/Neck Misalignment so that the body can work closer to its maximum potential. The hope is, of course, that in so doing, the body will have a greater ability to heal itself, enough so that the cause of the symptoms will be in part, or wholly resolved. While that is something everyone would like to see happen, it is not the Upper Cervical Care objective, simply because it is something your Upper Cervical Doctor has no control over. It is up to every individual body to heal itself. Here is the point: if the symptoms do not go away, the body still needs a good nerve supply and it still needs to have a full complement of vital mental impulses, life’s information traveling to all the parts in order to function at its best. In other words, regardless of whether the problem goes away or not everyone still needs to have their spine checked and Head/Neck Misalignment corrected. Body Imbalance decreases everyone’s quality of life. They cause the body to work at less than its intended level. If someone has a medical condition that needs to be treated, he/she still needs (maybe especially needs) the body to work at its highest level possible. So the answer to the above question should include continuing under Upper Cervical Care.

The second question is:

What are you going to do if following an Upper Cervical Correction your symptoms do go away?

It is interesting that both questions address opposite circumstances but both should elicit in part, the same answer. Again, everyone would like to see symptoms go away while under Upper Cervical Care. However, there is no way to know whether that is a direct result of being under Upper Cervical Care. We do know that by being under Upper Cervical Care the body can work better than it would if it were in a state of imbalance. But the Upper Cervical Doctor's real interest and objective is making sure the body works at the highest level it is able to at all times. That necessitates having your spine checked periodically regardless of how you are feeling or whether any particular symptom has gone away. When it comes down to it, the answer to both questions is based upon the fact that the Upper Cervical Care objective is to enable your body to work better and that is important for all people, under all circumstances, at all times.

We are not saying that you need to get checked constantly but we are suggesting that periodic check-ups are helpful once our objective of care has been established. We want to accomplish our objective as quickly, precisely and completely as possible so that we can see you for the rest of your life as few a times as possible.

Signs and Symptoms Of An Upper Cervical Injury

These are the signs and symptoms that may indicate that you have an upper cervical spine injury, which may have gone undetected for some time. Remember these are just indicators but one should strongly consider being evaluated by an Upper Cervical Doctor if they are experiencing even just some of what is listed below. However, the posture, head tilt sign, shoulder height sign and ear symptoms will, in my opinion, make it a strong possibility that you do have such an injury.

1. Is your posture poor? Do you have rounded shoulders &/or forward head posture? Does your head feel heavy to hold?

2. Is your head tilted to one side and/or your head rotated to one side when you look in a mirror? This can be very subtle.

3. Does your nose or nasal septum deviate to one side? If so, you may find that it deviates towards the side to which your atlas has moved forward (e.g. nose deviates to the left; then atlas is forward on the left)

4. Is one of your shoulders lower than the other? Pull your shoulders back and down and look carefully for one lower than the other. Again it can be subtle.

5. Press firmly but gently with your thumb into the impression just below your skull at the top of your neck on both sides of the back of the neck. This is known as the sub-occipital area. Find the base of your skull and press the soft flesh around that area. Is this tender or painful for you?

6. Do you have some shoulder and/or neck pain/aches, which don't seem to go away?

7. Does your jaw click when you open your mouth? Further check on this; Put your pinkies (little fingers) into your ear canals and chew normally. Do you feel a bumpy dislocation like feeling? This should be a smooth action in your joints.

8. Do you have any lower back pain or mid back pain (under the shoulder blades)?

9. Can you move your head from side to side without pain or restriction? Is there a loss of Range of Motion (ROM)?

10. Do you have any sand paper, clicking or crunching sounds when moving your head from side to side in a 'NO' action?

11. Is your hearing a problem or do you have other ear symptoms (e.g. tinnitus, watery sounds, blockages, vertigo, Meniere’s Disease, otalgia, recurrent ear infections)?

12. Do you often get headaches or migraines?

13. Can you remember any trauma (even minor) to the head, neck or shoulders?

14. Was your birth difficult?

15. How’s your vision? – Sensitive to light, especially at dusk, floaters?

16. Do you experience any dizziness, vertigo or movement sensations? Does the ground seem to move away from you?

17. Do you experience any tingling and burning sensations especially in fingers and toes?

18. Do you have confirmed Scoliosis of the spine, from x-rays? Do you have one leg shorter than the other or is your pelvis higher on one side?

19. Have you had any x-rays, CT scans or MRIs taken of your neck? Do these reveal loss of normal neck curve), even a small amount?