Why I Am a Lifetime Upper Cervical Chiropractic Patient

God has designed our bodies to be in alignment. Accidents and injuries tear loose the tissue that holds the spine in place, which creates a weakness and allows our spine to break down and lock into a stressed position.

A misaligned spine is a progressive condition that breaks down the structure and tissues of our bodies and disrupts the communication between the brain and the body. This disrupted communication leads to poor health.

As a steward of God’s gift, my body, it is my responsibility to take good care of it. As a child I took a number of falls that severely misaligned my head and neck and led to compensating misalignments in my lower back and pelvis.

In my early 20’s I was working at UPS and doing landscaping and I began to develop lower back pain. That was the first time I ever saw a Chiropractor. My lower back improved and soon my girlfriend at the time (later became my wife) began to develop severe breathing problems and pain in her upper back.

Eventually, I convinced Julie to see the doctor as well. Her breathing and pain remarkably improved. After our experiences and my personal relationship with the doctor, I started talking with him about becoming a chiropractor, and eventually that’s what I did!

Julie and I got married and we moved to California so I could go to chiropractic school. While in school I did very well and graduated near the top of my class, but after graduation when I began working as an associate doctor in a general chiropractic setting, I began to become frustrated by the fact that people needed to be manipulated all the time.

I knew God created our bodies better than that!

I began to look into other chiropractic approaches that could give my family and my community longer lasting results.

And that’s when God led me to NUCCA!

The NUCCA System allowed the doctor to make a more dramatic and longer lasting impact on the body. After becoming a NUCCA patient myself and getting my wife and kids under care, I began to realize that this is the ultimate way to keep the spine in alignment and the brain and the body working optimally for a lifetime!

So I began the long and tedious journey to become a NUCCA doctor and opened my own NUCCA office in 2008.

So my family and I will always be NUCCA patients. I will keep my spine in alignment until I go to Heaven to be with Jesus!

Sincerely,

Dr. Bill Davis

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Weight Distribution and Chronic Hip, Knee, or Foot Pain?

Image by Sidereal via Flickr

Searching for information about the importance of weight distribution to the health of the body will reveal information from the personal fitness industry, athletic training, podiatry and others all showing the importance of equal distribution of weight.  The human body weight should be distributed fairly evenly within about 5 lbs plus or minus.  For example, a 200 pound man should have about 100 lbs distributed to his right side and 100 lbs distributed to his left side.

In our office as part of our NUCCA evaluation we use 2 high end weight scales to see how a person’s weight is distributed.  The scales measure sway for awhile and then lock in the actual weight distribution.  The most I have ever seen is 57 pounds distributed unevenly (148 pounds distributed to the left and 91 pounds to the right!  This was a man with chronic lower back and one sided hip pain.  The chronic pain was resistant to all sorts of therapies and surgeries.

As a way of assessing progress when a patient is holding their correction, (which means that their hips, shoulders and legs are measuring level and balanced for the time between the last appointment to the current appointment), we will recheck the scales.  This particular patient went from 57 lbs unevenly distributed to 10 pounds in about 4 weeks (Left 124 lbs and Right 114 lbs) when he was in alignment for about 4 days!  His chronic pain was finally starting to improve as well.  What will happen when his weight distribution is normal and stays that way for weeks and then months?

I expect him to do better and better with his health.

So how did we do that?

The distribution of the weight of our body is very much connected to the position of our head.  Our heads are very heavy, they weigh 10-14 pounds and for our body to work most effectively, the head needs to be centered right over our pelvis.

Accidents and injuries to the head and neck can lead to a tearing loose of the tissue that holds the spine in place.  When these injuries occur to the upper neck it will create a weakness and allow the spine to break down and lock into a stressed position.  This misaligned position of the head will lead to compensations of the entire frame of the body.

The longer the weight of the body is distributed unevenly the more likely that your walking patterns, standing and exercise will be effected.

Hip, knee, foot and ankle injuries can be next.

If you have a chronic one sided hip, knee, or foot problem…have you checked to see if your head is on straight?

It could be the missing piece in the puzzle for your optimal health and well-being.

If you are in the Southern California area and would like to get your head and neck alignment assessed.  The go to www.nuccawellness.com and schedule an initial evaluation today.

Anywhere else in the world go to www.nucca.org or www.upcspine.com

Dr. William R. Davis Jr., D.C. is a Vista Chiropractor and Upper Cervical Specialist. He is in private practice in Southern California in the city of Vista. He specializes in correcting problems in the upper cervical spine (upper neck). This vital area is intimately connected to the central nervous system and problems in this area have been shown to be an underlying cause of a variety of different health problems. More information can be found on his website at http://www.nuccawellness.com

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Danger in Backpacks: Are our kids carrying too big a load?

Who hasn’t wondered whether small children lugging oversized, heavy backpacks to-and-from school might be risking serious injury to their growing spines and will one day suffer from serious back pain? 

Apparently, there is real cause for concern.

According to a U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission study, more than 75% of students ages 8-12 suffer from increasing back pain inflicted by carrying their schoolwork and supplies in backpacks or similar totes.

Some of our younger elementary school students are literally carrying one third their body weight for prolonged periods of time and distance. That puts a lot of stress on a body in the midst of development 

And, the heavy burdens are not just affecting those students small in stature.

Student back injuries are now widespread. 96% of the pupils monitored regularly haul much too heavy a pack on their back.  In 2001 alone, 7,000 children went to U.S. emergency rooms for backpack-related injuries. And, 60% of orthopedic doctors contacted regarding the study reported that they have treated children suffering from back pain caused by their heavy bags.

The study alluded to this startling calculation:  A child carrying a 12-pound backpack, and lifting it 10 times per day for the entire school year, has carried and lifted a combined load of 21,600 pounds — the equivalent of 6 mid-sized cars.

What we say at Breath of Life is that children should not carry backpacks that exceed more than 10% of their body weight — which translates into a 5 to 10-pound load for elementary students.    

Even with the continued progression of electronic learning – which one would think leads to fewer books – the backpack has become a survival kit for the action-packed lives that today’s children lead during and after school hours.  Parents and teachers have to take an active role in limiting what we literally load onto these children. If were don’t address it now, the picture of a child carrying numerous books – which many have seen as a sign for a bright future – could foreshadow a painful outlook instead.

Has your child already began to complain of back or neck pain?

A misaligned spine that is carrying those heavy loads could be the reason.

It is much easier to grow healthy kids than it is to repair damaged adults.

Get your child’s spine checked today!

Reference Material:

“Backpack-Related Injuries Send 7,000 to ER,” Ancaster News, Ontario, Canada, Sept. 1, 2006.

Dr. William R. Davis Jr., D.C. is a Vista Chiropractor and Upper Cervical Specialist. He is in private practice in Southern California in the city of Vista. He specializes in correcting problems in the upper cervical spine (upper neck). This vital area is intimately connected to the central nervous system and problems in this area have been shown to be an underlying cause of a variety of different health problems. More information can be found on his website at http://www.nuccawellness.com

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How can I get the normal motion back in my neck?

Image via Wikipedia

Many patients will come to me or other NUCCA doctors after they have tried everything and have seen everyone.  The most I have ever heard was 50 different doctors before seeing me!

Sometimes it must be hard to keep looking for answers.  But I want to encourage you that your body was designed to heal.  The cause of the problem is the key to getting well. 

Here is an example…Linda is a fitness trainer who for more than 25 years did not have normal motion in her neck.  It was so restricted that she couldn’t turn beyond 15 degrees to the left (normal is 70 degrees).  It all started like most problems in the neck with a head or neck trauma.

After a severe fall where she hit her head on a tile floor she couldn’t move her head to the right.  She saw dozens of chiropractors, trainers and other practitioners searching for a solution to this loss of range of motion with no results.

Finally she heard about NUCCA.

NUCCA is a unique form of spinal care focused on restoring the heavy head (10-14 lbs) to a balanced and normal position.  As that head is realigned, the spine begins to heal.  Over time range of motion improves.  In Linda’s case she is up to 50 degrees to the right and 70 to the left.  Continuing to keep her head balanced on top of the spine should allow those tissues to heal even more and range of motion to continue to improve.

Here is Linda’s story in her own words…

I had a serious head injury hitting my head on a tile floor when I was 24 years old.  I went to several different chiropractors over the last 27 years and none of them were able to help adjust my head.  

NUCCA is so different.  I felt a difference in the first session and Dr. Davis’s technique is so gentle.  My range of motion has improved greatly and the comfort of my neck, I am so grateful.  

Other parts of my body are also feeling the effects of being in alignment.  I sit straighter, stand taller, and feel better.

I’m also blessed by your entire staff.  

Dr Davis you rock!

If you have lost the normal range of motion in your neck, this is a sign that your body is trying to tell you that something is wrong.

Find a NUCCA doctor in your area to get a proper Upper Neck Evaluation today.

Dr. William R. Davis Jr., D.C. is a Vista Chiropractor and Upper Cervical Specialist. He is in private practice in Southern California in the city of Vista. He specializes in correcting problems in the upper cervical spine (upper neck). This vital area is intimately connected to the central nervous system and problems in this area have been shown to be an underlying cause of a variety of different health problems. More information can be found on his website at http://www.nuccawellness.com

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NUCCA and Insomnia: Your Brain won’t turn off!!!

Image via Wikipedia

Dr. Davis here from Vista California…

How does a Brain Stem Subluxation (a problem in the upper neck) cause you to not be able to sleep?  Are you a person who has a hard time falling asleep?  Staying asleep?  Or you just can’t turn your brain off?  Maybe you do sleep but you wake up in the morning just as tired as you were when you went to bed?  Even when you get enough sleep?

It has been known for some 40 years that waking and consciousness depend upon nerve cells within an area of the brainstem called the reticular formation. The Brain stem is a part of the brain that dips down into the top part of you neck (upper cervical spine).  These nerve cells activate portions of your brain that produce wakefulness and in turn sleep.

Magoun states that the central reticular formation of the brain stem exerts ascending (up to the brain) and descending (down from the brain) influences upon the cerebral cortex and upon the motor outflows from the spinal cord.  Tractionization of the brain stem by a misalignment in the upper neck causes a disruption in the function of the reticular formation of the brain stem resulting in a variety of postural changes verified by the National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Research Foundation. 

So when a person has accidents and injuries that tear loose the connective tissue that hold the spine in place it will create a weakness and allow the spine to begin to breakdown and lock into a stressed position.  And this is a progressive condition…so the longer the spine is left in that state the worse it gets.  This tractionization on the brain stem is the underlying cause of the sleep problems in so many of our patients.  A Simple postural and neurological evaluation by an upper cervical specific chiropractor will tell you whether or not you have this common condition.

Who do you know that isn’t sleeping?  We spend a third of our lives in bed…how important is it to our work, family, and personal lives that our sleep is good and restful?

If your life is not what it should be because of sleeping problems, then you should be evaluated by an Upper Cervical Specialist as soon as possible. 

Get your head on straight and get back to sleeping the way that you should.

Find out more info at www.nuccawellness.com for those in Southern California.

Anywhere else in the country go to www.nucca.org or www.upcspine.org

 

 

God Bless and Be Well,

Dr. Bill Davis

Upper Cervical Specialist

Breath of Life Chiropractic

 

 

 

 

        

 

 

 

 

 

         

References:

1. Magoun, H.W. (1968) Brain stem, Encyclopedia Brittanica, Vol. 4.

2. http://www.sleephomepages.org/sleepsyllabus/e.html

 

 

 

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Cortisol, Chiropractic and the Chronic Stress Response

Dr. Davis here from Vista CA…

The Mayo Clinic states that ”the long-term activation of the stress-response system — and the subsequent overexposure to cortisol and other stress hormones — can disrupt almost all your body’s processes. This puts you at increased risk of numerous health problems, including:

• Heart disease
• Sleep problems
• Digestive problems
• Depression
• Obesity
• Memory impairment
• Worsening of skin conditions, such as eczema”

What is the Chronic stress response?  “It is a state of ongoing physiological arousal.  This occurs when the body experiences so many stressors that the autonomic nervous system rarely has a chance to activate the relaxation response. (We were built to handle acute stress, not chronic stress.) This type of chronic stress response occurs all too frequently from our modern lifestyle, when everything from high-pressured jobs to loneliness to busy traffic can keep the body in a state of perceived threat and chronic stress. In this case, our fight-or-flight response, which was designed to help us fight a few life-threatening situations spaced out over a long period (like being attacked by a bear every so often), can wear down our bodies and cause us to become ill, either physically or emotionally. In fact, it’s estimated that up to 90% of doctor’s visits are for conditions in which stress at least plays a role!”

The 9th International Conference on Spinal Manipulation in Toronto in 2002 reported that patients undergoing spinal adjustments displayed dramatic decreases of cortisol through the post-treatment period, suggesting that there were physiological consequences that led to improved immune system function.  Cortisol is a hormone that actually reduces the function of the immune system leading to poor health.

Chiropractic reduces the stress response by decreasing cortisol and other hormones and therefore improves immune function.  This explains why our patients who are under regular spinal care for years are able to stay healthy.  Most of our patients rarely have colds and flu as long as they maintain their alignment.  This also explains why kids that grow up with an aligned spine in my experience have less colds and flu and are just generally healthier overall.  If cortisol level stays where it is supposed to be than the immune system works the way that it was designed to work.

Who do you know that is chronically stressed?  Who do you know that is sick frequently?  A Brain Stem Subluxation could be the underlying cause.  Find out more about brain stem subluxations and how to correct them at www.nuccawellness.com

Dr. William R. Davis Jr., D.C. is a Vista Chiropractor and Upper Cervical Specialist.  He is in private practice in Southern California in the city of Vista.  He specializes in correcting problems in the upper cervical spine (upper neck).  This vital area is intimately connected to the central nervous system and problems in this area have been shown to be an underlying cause of a variety of different health problems. More information can be found on his website at http://www.nuccawellness.com

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Stomach Sleeping Destroys your Spine

Dr. Davis here from Vista CA…

Do you regularly sleep on your stomach?  This is the one habit that is the most harmful to the health and function of our spine and our nervous system.  When the head is turned to the side and then the weight of the body is placed upon it…the muscles, ligaments, tendons, joints, discs, nerves, etc. are compressed.  The application of this stress of stomach sleeping will lead to an acceleration of degeneration of the discs and joints.  Some of the worst degenerative disc disease that I have seen in the spine is in those that have spent their life sleeping on their belly.  We spend a third of our lives sleeping!

So if you shouldn’t sleep on your stomach…how should you sleep?  Flat on your back is best.  Some people will find that placing a pillow underneath the knees will be more comfortable.  You should always sleep with only one pillow under your head though so the neck is in a relaxed position.  If you are unable to sleep on your back then the next best option is on your side.  When you are sleeping on your side, you want to make sure that your head and neck are in as an aligned position as possible.  You should only use one pillow that is thick enough to support between your shoulder and your head.  Most people have a pillow that is too thin to sleep on your side…so there head is side bent all night.  The most vulnerable position for the neck to be in is side bent or extended. 

If you are thinking of making a change to your pillow, the best pillows that I have found are available at the select comfort stores in most malls or online at  http://www.selectcomfort.com/.  The make a customized design pillow that is unique to the person.  They will measure you, find out if you have a firm or soft mattress, find out what type of materials you want to put in the pillow, and design a pillow for you to sleep on your side or your back.  The pillows run around $125 or so and are very worth it.  

To break the habit of stomach sleeping sometimes you have to get creative.  I have had patients sew a tennis ball that they had cut in half to a t-shirt and wear that when they slept!  But most people don’t have to go to that extreme…just understanding the importance of spinal alignment and knowing that stomach sleeping will destroy the spine is enough.

To find out more about problems associated with stomach sleeping go to www.nuccawellness.com

God Bless and Be Well,

Dr. Bill Davis

Upper Cervical Specialist

Breath of Life Chiropractic

760-945-1345

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Sitting is at the Root of all kinds of Evil for your Spine Part 2

Dr. Davis here again from Vista CA…

Last week we looked at what sitting does to the spine and some ways to mitigate the effects.  Please go back and take a look at that post if you haven’t already.  The sitting position according to fitness expert Juan Carlos Santana does four main things to your body….

1. Creates muscular weakness
2. Low Functional Capacity, which can lead to being overweight, orthopedic problems with the joints, spine and other chronic problems
3. Short and Weak hip flexors-the muscles that allow you to flex your hip become both short and weak which can lead to lower back pain and other problems
4. A Spine that collapses into flexion due to fatigue-head will move forward, shoulders will slouch, upper back will round…think of a little old lady bent forward over her walker!

Some of the best ways to break these habits is exercise.  Tip #4 is to exercise as much as you possibly can.  As we exercise we begin to break through the chronic patterns that are muscles, ligaments, tendons, joints, nerves etc. get in to.  Well what exercise is best?  I always say the best exercise is the one that you will do consistently!!!  You can learn all sorts of different exercises but if you don’t do them…it doesn’t matter!  Good general exercise is walking, swimming even using the elliptical.  However, you don’t want to have an exercise that you are primarily sitting for…if you sit all day…get your body in a different position!  So stay away from biking, rowing, and other primarily sitting exercises.

Tip #5 is to work on that posture.  One great exercise for posture is called the Bruegger Exercise.  Here is a picture of the exercise seated…you can do this at your seat as you work…http://www.nespineinstitute.com/file/sites%7C*%7C39%7C*%7CBruggerPtEd.pdf Here is a video of it being performed with a theraband.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20HoUCMAoMs  You can also do this exercise standing up against a wall.  The keys to doing it right is to keep the shoulders down away from the ears so that you are activating the muscles around the shoulder-blade.  You also want to keep the head in line with the spine and not jutting forward.  Keep the hands turned out away from the body.  When doing this position you are reversing all of the motions that you normally perform while seated.  It is a great exercise but again consistency is the key.  It needs to be done daily to make a difference for someone who sits all the time. 

Other good anti-sitting exercises can be viewed at the following videos….

Diagonal Chop http://www.ehow.com/video_2350741_diagonal-woodchop-exercise.html

Side Bridge http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUhweriKcAA

Opposite Arm, Opposite Leg Reach http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSq-6_gBwkY

To find out more about how posture effects health and what to do about it…go to www.nuccawellness.com

God Bless and Be Well,

Dr. Bill Davis

Upper Cervical Specialist

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Sitting is at the root of all kinds of evil for your spine Part 1

Image by joelogon via Flickr

Dr. Davis here from Vista CA…

In our industrialized society most people sit a majority of the time. We sit in the car and commute to the office, then we sit at work staring at a computer 4 hours and then we go to lunch and sit and eat.  Then we go back to the office and sit another 4 hours and then get back in the car drive home.  Later after sitting at dinner we will sit on the couch and watch television another 3 hours and then go to bed!  WOW!!!  That is a lot of sitting!  Lets look at sitting a little closer…what happens to our bodies when we sit?

Well the longer you sit the more your posture begins to breakdown.  If you are sitting for a few minutes it is much easier to keep a good posture.  When you sit for hours the chances that your posture is breaking down is very high.  So tip #1 is to sit as little as possible.  If you can stand to do a task then do it.  A least once per hour you want to get out of your chair and walk around and change the posture that you are in…something that helps you to remember to do this is to drink lots of water…which is tip #2.  Drinking at least 8 glasses of water per day…preferrably more.  A good rule of thumb is to only drink water and drink approximately 1/2 of your body weight in ounces per day.  So if you weigh 150 pounds then you should drink 75 ounces of water per day.  The more you weigh the more you need to drink to be healthy.  So if you are drinking water all day then you will need to get up and go to the bathroom which will greatly benefit your spine as well…it’s a win-win.

The third tip is to change positions as much as possible when you are sitting.  Change the angle of your chair, the height of your chair, move things around throughout the day.  Your body gets bored sitting in the same position all the time!  Move around!  Our bodies were made to move! 

Stay tuned for more tips next week for those that are sitting there lives away!

To find out more about posture and how it relates to health go to our website www.nuccawellness.com

Related Articles

• Finding the Best Ergonomic Reclining Computer Chair (brighthub.com)
• Your Job Can Kill You — Here’s What You Can Do About It (alternet.org)

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Do you have a bad side of your body?

Dr. Davis from Vista…

Do you notice that you have a bad side?  Maybe you see that your right knee bothers you, you have headaches on the right side and your right shoulder hurts.  Or the left side of your lower back is painful, left ear ringing and your left foot hurts…etc.  Or have you been told that your right knee has severely degenerated, but your left one is normal…no degeneration.  Haven’t you had your right knee as long as your left knee? 

Frequently we hear that one side of the body is doing worse than the other…What does this mean?

When there are accidents and injuries to the head and neck a condition known as an Atlas Subluxation can develop which will lead to a misaligned spine.  See our post on the misaligned spine here for more information https://nuccadoctordavis.wordpress.com/2010/07/13/is-one-of-your-legs-shorter-than-the-other/

Once the spinal column is misaligned…just like a car that is out of alignment you will get unequal stress to different parts of the car…you will also get uneven stress to different parts of your body when there is a misalignment.  That is exactly what Donna was feeling when she first came to our office…here is her story…

“When I first came to see Dr. Davis I was experiencing unexplained pain in my left wrist, since I am left-handed this began to concern me and it began to keep me from doing everyday chores, etc.

 To begin with the pain in my wrist has completely gone away and pain from an old injury to my left foot and ankle has greatly improved.  All of this without any medication!  Since I am an advocate for natural remedies versus drugs this outcome is a great joy to me!

I also have been able to begin an exercise program of walking and find I now can walk well without pain.  Also my breathing while walking has greatly improved…I am thrilled!!

I would encourage anyone who needs to come in for care based on my experience.  Through the knowledge Dr. Davis has to allow our bodies to heal themselves…my life has vastly improved…body, mind and spirit!!!

I have really enjoyed the friendly, peaceful and professional atmosphere of Breath of Life.  But I believe what has impressed me the most of all is the high level of integrity of the office.  Dr. Davis has taught me how to learn to relax again and let my body heal itself….thank you!!!

Donna A.             August 2010

Do you have a chronic one-sided condition that has not resolved?  The structure of your body could be misaligned causing that “unexplained pain” like Donna was experiencing.  Find out if you can be helped by going to www.chiropractorvista.com and getting a NUCCA evaluation today.

Dr. Davis

Upper Cervical Specialist

Breath of Life

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