Spanish
Korean
Recently we had a patient come in for care suffering from vestibular neuritis and a host of symptoms associated with it. A local publication called natural awakenings picked the story up and we thought that it was prudent that we share the story on our website also. Instead of the normal blog article we decided this time to just do a question and answer format about this case. We hope that this information reaches people who are suffering and it leads to their healing story also as it did with Julie!
1. Can you describe the physical condition that your patient was experiencing when she came into your office in search of relief?
Julie suffered with chronic :
By downloading the Digital Patient Chart mobile app you can better control your patient portal.
photophobia (intolerance to lights)
hyperacusis (sensitivity to sounds)
severe vertigo - could not drive for one year
eustachian tube dysfunction bi lateral - both eustachian tubes were closed and this also caused loss of hearing
tinnitus - ringing int he ears
insomnia
migraine headache
blurred vision
2. What treatment protocol did you use to address her health conditions, and can you walk me through what a patient is to expect in your office?
When any patient comes to our office we review their health history, run them through a battery of neurological tests that tell us whether or not they have an upper cervical spine misalignment, and if so where is it. Then precision 3-d imaging (cbct - cone beam computed tomography) is used to view the joints of the vertebrae that are misaligned (we know this from the testing). The imaging allows us to know the direction of misalignment, the angle of the joint that is misaligned, the magnitude (how many millimeters), and this information is used to give a custom tailored spinal correction. Of note, the correction that is made uses no twisting, popping or pulling. I call the correction finesse and precision not force. Basically the patient is lying on their side and the measurements gleaned from the cbct imaging are used to make a very precise quick correction to get the joint that is misaligned back in motion. When there is a spinal misalignment in the upper neck (atlas and axis) it causes interference to the central nervous system, specifically the brainstem. The brainstem is the seat of control for all autonomic (automatic) functions in the body such as ; heart function, blood pressure regulation, postural muscle tone, organ function, and everything else in our body we do not consciously control.
Once the spinal correction is made the patient is rested in a bed for 20 minutes to allow the body to relax and re center the corrected vertebrae. Thereafter each patient is monitored on regular visits to check to see if the misaligned vertebrae is in its normal position or not. The goal of our work is for the vertebrae to stay in its normal position for as long as possible so the damaged soft tissue can heal up in its normal position and the interference to the central nervous system is no longer present. This allows the body to return to normal function and in doing so many different chronic health issues that people would not relate to the neck can recover. The laundry list of conditions that have responded to our work is long. No matter what the condition is , if an underlying structural issue is corrected which allows the body's healing potential to improve it can then go in and heal and repair numerous different issues.
3. How successful was this modality for alleviating the patient’s symptoms, as well as healing the root cause of her condition?
Julie has now been under care for 21 days and she reports that 75 percent of the health issues she suffered with for the past 1.5 years have improved or completely cleared.
Her vertigo is gone. Her hearing has returned to normal, the fullness in the ears is gone. her sensitivity to sound and light is 75 percent better. She drove her car to our office for the third visit, which is the first time she has been able to drive in over a year and a half. She has been unable to drive because of the vertigo and cognitive issues. The only thing that hasn't come around yet, which is unusual, is her sleeping problems.
While Julie has made a massive quick shift in her health status we are always educating our patients about complete recovery. We are thrilled that she is doing so much better symptomatically. She has had tremendous relief which has changed her life, given her hope back , and returned her to living again. However, it takes time for the underlying soft tissue injuries, ligament injuries, etc to heal completely. Symptoms can change rapidly but complete structural recovery can take months. So we educate patients past "feeling better" to actually complete recovery. Ligaments can take 18 months to completely heal because they have little blood supply. Healing is slow, so as a patient improve we are monitoring how long their correction is staying where it belongs and this dictates the frequency of their care. Our long term objective, once the patient is well, is to have them come in for a check up every few months to maintain their health gains and recovery.
Blair Upper Cervical Care is NOT a cure all however our objective is to get to the root cause not to treat the symptom. Because the central nervous system is the underlying master control system for every cell function in the body it just makes good sense to make sure that system does not have any irritation or interference to it, regardless of whether you are chronically ill or not.
4. What other types of chronic health issues can the Upper Cervical modality be used to treat and resolve with long-term success?
The top ten conditions we see regularly in our office:
1. Vertigo
2. Meniere's disease (tinnitus, eustachian tube dysfunction, hearing deficits, brain fog, severe vertigo)
3. Post Concussion Syndrome
4. TMJ/TMD
5. Insomnia
6. Headaches and Migraine Headaches
7. Any chronic pain - low back , neck , hip , shoulder arm,
8. Chronic Sinus Issues
9. Fibromyalgia/ CFS
10. Trigeminal Neuralgia, Occipital Neuralgia, Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia
5. Is there anything else you want readers to know about this particular case, as well as your treatment method as a whole?
If you are sick and have almost given up that you can live life normally again, NEVER GIVE UP. Sometimes you need to look outside of what you have been told your entire life with regards to our healthcare system to find answers. Be your own advocate, seek out people with your same condition that have gotten better and find out what they did. There is a wealth of knowledge out there and healing is possible if you do the things that are necessary for the body to heal. Sometimes healing requires several different avenues and combinations of natural health disciplines to get the job done. If you are chronically ill and you have not had your upper cervical spine checked by an upper cervical chiropractic don't wait any longer - get it checked!
Leave a comment