Avoid the Flu…Upper Cervical Care Can Help

The first line of defense against the flu or any contagious dis-ease is a healthy, fully functioning immune system. The immune system is affected by the nerve system through the connections with the endocrine and the autonomic nervous system. Stressful conditions lead to altered measures of immune function, and altered susceptibility to a variety of diseases. Many stimuli, which primarily act on the central nervous system, can profoundly alter immune responses. The two routes available to the central nervous system are neuro-endocrine channels and autonomic nerve channels. Upper cervical care improves this function by removing nerve interference and allowing brain to body communication to be resumed.

We encourage you to explore the wonders of upper cervical care if you currently know little about it. Who can benefit? – Everyone, from infants to seniors, mothers-to-be, athletes, and accident victims will benefit from a healthy spine and nervous system.

A Simple Concept

Upper Cervical Care is based on the universal law of cause and effect. For every effect or symptom (physical or mental), there must be a cause. Upper Cervical doctors focus their efforts on locating and correcting interference to the nervous system and this may be the cause of your health condition. Correcting this interference can allow the body to heal itself naturally. An Upper Cervical Correction is gentle and there is no forceful pulling, twisting or jerking motion of your neck. The correction is applied using a precise and controlled touch that allows the head, neck, and spine to return to their proper positions, restoring balance to the body and removing the interference.

What Is Upper Cervical Care?

Upper Cervical care is a rapidly growing form of chiropractic that focuses on the intimate relationship between the first two bones in the neck, called the Upper Cervical spine, and a vital portion of the nervous system, known as the brain stem. This relationship is essential to the body’s ability to preserve and restore health. Think of the brain stem as the control center that extends down an opening in the base of your skull, making it vulnerable to injuries or irritation around the upper neck. The brain stem works like a telephone cable with thousands of individual wires or nerve fibers sending signals back and forth between the brain and spinal cord to every cell, organ and system in the body. Every nerve impulse between the brain and the body must pass through the brain stem. The nervous system is responsible for all communication within the body. It coordinates and maintains your immune system, emotions, vision, hearing, balance, breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, muscle tension, posture, hormones, and every other function. Irritation or pressure within the central nervous system can interrupt communication between the brain and the body, thus contributing to a variety of health problems.

The top vertebrae, the Atlas, is especially vulnerable to injury or misalignment because it is the most mobile segment of the spine. If neglected, an Upper Cervical misalignment may lead to irreversible spinal degeneration and chronic ill health. Upper Cervical misalignments can be caused by falls, auto accidents, sports, job injuries, concussions, physical or emotional stress, poor posture, or even birth trauma.

To learn more about Upper Cervical Care, please visit www.uppercervicalcare.com or www.upcspine.com.

Protecting Your Upper Cervical Correction

By Dr. Michael Polsinelli

Of all the bones in the spine, the first one (the atlas) is the most vulnerable because it doesn’t have the bony locks that the others have, and it has to support a large amount of weight (the head). Because this misalignment can irritate the spinal cord, it can be devastating to our health. Using a light touch or gentle pressure, Upper Cervical Doctors are able to free the atlas bone toward the proper position. This will strengthen many postural muscles, balance the hips and legs, and allow people to function and feel much better.

Once we have had a misalignment of the atlas, it is possible for the atlas to misalign again. In addition to another injury, physical stress is another reason that we can go out of alignment.

Physical stress can be things like improper lifting or sitting. Sleeping on our stomach can cause significant stress to the upperneck. Heavy backpacks stress the spines of our children and teenagers.

Having our head in an extended position for any length of time can stress the upper neck. This includes painting ceilings, getting our hair washed at a salon, and getting our teeth worked on at the dentist. For painting, use ladders and extension poles. Wash your hair before going to the salon, or bend forward for the hair washing (at the minimum, use lots of towels under your neck and don’t extend a lot). Finally, talk to your dentist before major teeth work and set up signals so that you can take very short breaks (even as small as 4 seconds can reduce the stress).

Sleeping in awkward positions can cause our atlas to shift out of alignment. Don’t fall asleep on the couch or in a chair. The jerking of trying to stay awake in a seated position can also cause the atlas to misalign. Finally don’t sleep in a moving vehicle (especially if driving). The vibration of the vehicle can cause the atlas to go out of alignment since our muscles are so relaxed. Sudden movements can also be problematic. The worst is flying. There is not enough room to get comfortable, and the turbulence can knock the atlas out of position.

With everything, allow comfort to be your guide, make sure you are comfortable while sleeping, sitting and lifting. If not, change position or take a break. When the ligaments can’t do their job properly, the muscles will take over. We’ll notice tightness in our necks. If this occurs, take a break, lay down, nap if you can. If you are driving, park the car and put the chair back and rest for 5 minutes. This will allow our ligaments to get the break that they need, and allow us to hold our alignments. By listening to our bodies we can take better care of ourselves and allow the healing process to occur.

Once again, the initial misalignment is often caused by an injury, even if a subtle one at the time. Once we have had an injury we are vulnerable to going out of alignment again. By listening to our bodies and being smart, we can reduce the physical stress on ourselves. Finally, the longer we hold our alignment the less likely we are to lose the alignment, especially from day to day activities.

Post Polio Syndrome And Upper Cervical Care

(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 Post Polio Syndrome or any other condition, disease or symptom.)

Post Polio Syndrome, the Brain Stem and the Upper Neck

by Dr. Bill Davis

What happens to the human body as a result of an head/neck misalignment is variable. One patient may develop Migraine Headaches another Lower back Pain and still another pain in the face or digestive problems.

Why is that?

The short answer is that the brain is changed.

When the spinal column is misaligned as a result of problems in the upper neck it begins a cascade of events that contributes to poor health.

Frequently it begins with accidents and injuries that tear loose the connective tissue that holds the spine in place in the upper neck. This creates a weakness which allows the spine to breakdown and lock into a stressed position. The head will frequently tilt to one side, the shoulders will tilt. Standing up one of the hips will be higher than the other due to uneven muscle pulling, lying down one of the legs will be shorter than the other due to spastic contracture of the muscles around the pelvis.

Once the structure of the body is in this misaligned position pressure begins to develop into the nervous system beginning in the lower part of the brain where it enters the spinal cord at the level of the Atlas (top bone in the spine). And extending down from there into the spinal nerves that go into the legs and arms and into all internal organs.

So what does this all have to do with Post Polio?

If you had Polio as a child and years later you began developing strange symptoms that are being traced back to the original Polio virus than you may have been told that there is not much that they can do for you.

But if there is problems in the body as a result of a trauma to your head, neck or spine and there was some underlying neurological problems as a result of the damage from the Polio, than the combination of the two issues may lead to the symptoms of post polio.

Problems in the upper neck at the level of the atlas cause dysfunction into the brain stem. Brain stem dysfunction has been linked to the development of post polio syndrome as Dr. Susan Pearlman of the UCLA Post Polio Clinic has stated in her work looking at Polio above the neck.

When the underlying spinal problems in the upper neck are corrected and brain stem function is improved amazing things happen with a variety of different body systems including many of those connected to post polio and the lower brain stem including improvement in:

Fatigue
Joint Pain
Muscle Pain and Weakness
Atrophy
Cold Intolerance
Breathing Problems
Problems Swallowing
Blood Pressure Changes

In my Upper Cervical office I have seen changes in all of these symptoms in those with Post Polio and other conditions as well when the underlying injuries to the upper neck are corrected and allowed to heal.

So have you been diagnosed with Post Polio Syndrome?

Do you have a history of head, neck or spine trauma?

What would happen to your body if that pressure that has developed from the upper neck problems were removed?

Would you get better?

Only one way to find out…have an upper cervical analysis in an upper cervical care office.

Find out more info at www.nuccawellness.com or www.nucca.org or www.upcspine.com.

Multiple Sclerosis and Upper Cervical Care: Results, Discussions and Conclusions

Editor's Note: This is the last of a seven post series where I have shared five case reports on patients with MS that received upper cervical care and the results that occurred. The full article with all the reports can be read at length here.

RESULTS

At their first upper cervical chiropractic office visits, computerized thermal scans showed thermal asymmetries and cervical radiographs showed upper cervical misalignments in all five subjects. Because these exam findings indicated upper cervical injuries, all five patients consented to upper cervical chiropractic care. The five subjects underwent upper cervical care for a minimum of four months and a maximum of two years at the time of this paper's submission for publication. Before the intervention of upper cervical chiropractic care, four out of the five patients (Cases 2 through 5) showed patterns of constant, progressive MS symptoms for a minimum of six months. After upper cervical care, MS symptoms were improved or corrected, including L'hermitte's Sign, paresthesias, pain, balance, muscle weakness, bladder control, bowel control, cognitive ability, vision loss, insomnia, dizziness, and fatigue. The only case that followed the typical MS relapse-remit pattern, Case 1, had a history of MS relapses once per year for nine years. After the intervention of upper cervical care, this subject had no further relapses and remained symptom-free for two years. Therefore, results of the five cases indicated that upper cervical chiropractic care prevented the progression of MS, stopped the MS relapse pattern, and improved and/or reversed symptoms of

DISCUSSION

An important parallel in the MS patients' medical histories was their recollection of head and/or neck trauma(s) prior to the onset of MS (also mentioned in the Palmer case described in the Introduction). All five patients remembered specific incidences of trauma preceding the onset of MS symptoms such as a fall on an icy sidewalk, an auto accident, and a ski accident. In addition, all five individuals showed evidence of upper cervical injury during exams (digital infrared imaging and cervical radiographs). The body of medical literature detailing a possible trauma-induced etiology for MS, or at least a contribution, is substantial. (33-35) In fact, medical research has established a connection between spinal trauma and numerous neurological conditions besides Multiple Sclerosis, including Parkinson's Disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), epilepsy, migraine headaches, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), vertigo, and bipolar disorder, to name a few. (36-43)

While medical research has shown that trauma may lead to MS and the other neurological conditions mentioned above, no mechanism has been defined. It is the author's hypothesis that the missing link may be the injury to the upper cervical spine. While various theories have been proposed to explain the effects of chiropractic adjustments, a combination of several theories seems most likely to explain the profound changes seen in these MS patients due to upper cervical chiropractic care. After a spinal injury, central nervous system (CNS) facilitation can occur from an increase in afferent signals to the spinal cord and/or brain coming from articular mechanoreceptors. (44-48) The upper cervical spine is uniquely suited to this condition because it possesses inherently poor biomechanical stability along with the greatest concentration of spinal mechanoreceptors.

Hyperafferent activation (through CNS facilitation) of the sympathetic vasomotor center in the brainstem and/or the superior cervical ganglion may lead to changes in cerebral blood flow, including ischemia. (49-55) Because of the close association between the nervous and immune systems (the immune system recently has been reclassified as the neuroimmune system), upper cervical injuries affecting sympathetic function consequently may cause a cascade of non-favorable immune responses. (56-58) Among these are uncoordinated immune tissue responses (auto-immune responses) and the release of cortisol, which ultimately can result in decreased immune function.

It is likely that the five MS patients sustained injuries to their upper cervical spines (visualized on cervical radiographs) during spinal traumas they experienced. It is also likely that due to the injuries, through the mechanisms described previously, sympathetic malfunction occurred (measured by paraspinal digital infrared imaging), possibly causing decreases in cerebral blood flow. Consequently, because the nervous and immune systems are so closely intertwined, it is possible that CNS facilitation and cerebral ischemia could have stimulated an auto-immune response such as myelin destruction. According to the results of each of the five patients discussed in this report, it seems correction of the upper cervical injury not only stopped but also reversed the pathological processes involved in MS. However, few conclusions can be drawn from a small number of cases. Therefore, further research is recommended to study the link between trauma, the upper cervical spine, and neurological disease.

CONCLUSION

All five patients discussed in this report recalled experiencing head or neck trauma(s) prior to the onset of Multiple Sclerosis symptoms. In all five cases, evidence of upper cervical injury was found using paraspinal digital infrared imaging and upper cervical radiographs. After IUCCA upper cervical chiropractic care, all five cases reviewed revealed improvements in Multiple Sclerosis symptoms. In fact, correction of the five patients' upper cervical injuries appeared to stimulate a reversal in the progression of MS symptoms. To the author's knowledge, these are the first cases reported on this topic using thermal imaging and knee-chest adjustments since Palmer's research seventy years ago. Further investigation into upper cervical injury and resulting neuropathophysiology as a possible etiology or contributing factor to Multiple Sclerosis should be pursued.

Birth, Kids and Upper Cervical Care

(Editor's note: I know that I just posted something on this recently but I have read a few birth stories over the last two days and wanted to post a bit more on the subject. Enjoy!)

How often have you heard people say, “One day I felt fine, and then the next day I was just. . .”? Probably enough that you do not even recognize the absolute absurdity of that statement. Except for severe traumas, such as car accidents, major falls, gunshot wounds, poisoning, etc., people do not suddenly become ill. Disease does not occur spontaneously. Small traumas, long-term abuse and negligence, though unnoticeable at first, take their toll on the body over a period of time. By the time the first symptoms appear, the body has already been malfunctioning for some period of time--often years.

This is the primary reason to have children evaluated by an upper cervical doctor. Studies indicate that up to 80% of children may sustain and injury to neck during the birthing process which is is not noticed at the time. Many of them will go 20, 30, or 40 years or possibly the rest of their lives with that injury creating interference in their nervous system. Even those who are not injured upon birth will have a variety of stresses put upon their neck and back as they grow. How many times does a child fall while he or she is just learning to walk? And after they learn to walk, don’t they run, skip, stomp, jump, and hop? Don’t they fall out of bed, fall out of trees, fall off their bikes, fight with their brothers and sisters, stand on their heads, play football, basketball, hockey, dance, gymnastics, and on and on and on?

Any one of these things is enough to injure the upper neck. Left uncorrected, the interference that results will also begin to take its toll on the body. Lowering the ability of the body to be well will make it less able to concentrate, less able to fight off disease, less able to coordinate and harmonize, less able to make the food that is eaten into usable form, and less able to clean the blood of toxins. It will make it less able to make the proper chemicals in the proper amount to control all the body’s functions, and less able to be strong, flexible and healthy.

It is important to note that the mechanism that originally brought two cells together and created the miracle that is you is still at work in you as it is in every other living being. It continually creates new tissue and maintains you in existence. The very mechanism by which we are able to be well is the same mechanism at work in the child. It is no less effective in the child than it is in the adult. Therefore, if it is important for you to be checked periodically by an upper cervical doctor to insure head/neck alignment and a nerve system free of interference, isn’t it equally important to have your children checked for the same interference?

Many people are concerned about the forcefulness of a correction to the upper neck for a growing child. This is not a concern with upper cervical care. Due to the precision involved, the corrections are gentle for everyone kids included. Children, on the whole, require far fewer corrections than adults, mostly because time and the results of abuse and negligence have not yet taken their toll. Who better than children to be under upper cervical care? Who could profit more than those who have not yet developed problems?

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?