What is Causing my Seizures?

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A recent case study published by the legendary Dr. Roy Sweat is linking head trauma, concussions and seizures together.  According to the case study there are about 500,000 brain injuries in the United States every year. Of the people hospitalized for a brain injury only 5-7% ever experience a seizure disorder from their injury. Seizures within the first week of a brain injury, in the elderly, and immediate seizures (within 24 hours of a brain injury), are more likely to lead to post concussion seizures.

Dr. Sweat’s patient had developed a number of symptoms as a result of the head injury 10 years earlier, where she slipped and fell getting out of the shower and hit the back of her head.  She immediately had a migraine and a seizure and was taken to the emergency room.  Later she was released after medical tests were normal.  She continued to have symptoms sporadically over the next 10 years finally getting progressively worse in the last part of the decade including:

• Positional seizures (When bending forward she would experience a seizure that would leave her unable to walk or talk for several days)
• A wide gait, left sided walking and swaying that got progressively worse
• Extreme exhaustion
• Restricted range of motion in her neck
• Blurred vision
• Blood Pressure fluctuations (Ranging from high blood pressure to low blood pressure)

After a thorough evaluation in an upper cervical chiropractic office the 76-year-old patient was found to have an Atlas Misalignment based on objective measurements.  She was then x-rayed and her misalignment was mathematically calculated to decide the type of correction that was necessary.

After her first Atlas correction she was able to look over her shoulders, her wide gait was improved. She was no longer feeling like a seizure was coming on.  After 2 months of care the patient was re-evaluated and the objective findings were much improved including neurological, muscular and postural testing. The patient had no seizures since the first correction, normal, pain-free neck rotation, normal walking pattern, increased energy, improved clarity and brightness in her vision and improved hearing. The patient has her blood pressure checked regularly with her family practitioner and no longer experiences blood pressure fluctuation.

So what about you?

Have you ever had a concussion?  Lost consciousness?  Had stitches to your head?

Has is that trauma effecting you?  Maybe you are having seizures or some other symptoms that are effecting the quality of your life.

Then an upper neck evaluation is extremely important.  There are very few doctors that have the training and experience required to properly evaluate and correct an underlying cause of a variety of different health problems called an Atlas Misalignment.

To find a doctor in your area go to www.upcspine.com or if you are in the southern california area go to 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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Weight Distribution and Chronic Hip, Knee, or Foot Pain?

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

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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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What is the cause of Meniere’s Disease?

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According to Wikipedia…”Ménière’s cannot be cured, treatments focus more on addressing symptoms.”

From a medical perspective Meniere’s Disease is an incurable condition.  Once you have it, you always will and it will only get worse.  But from an Upper Cervical Chiropractic perspective the symptoms of Meniere’s Disease are frequently eliminated or significantly reduced when the upper neck misalignment is corrected. 

Why is there such a different perspective?

It really goes to the basics of chiropractic philosophy versus medical philosophy.

Chiropractic philosophy teaches that the body is designed to be healthy and if there is a problem with the body then there is a cause of that problem.  Medical philosophy comes from mechanistic and reductionistic viewpoint that says the whole is the sum of the parts only and that are bodies are not designed but evolved.  The medical answer is to cover up the symptoms or the effects of the problem with drugs rather than address the underlying cause or perform surgery to remove parts that are deemed unnecessary (i.e. appendix, tonsils etc.).

So what does this have to do with Meniere’s disease?

If you have been diagnosed with Meniere’s, then you have been struggling with a combination of symptoms, classically vertigo or dizziness, hearing loss and tinnitus or ringing in the ear.  Now most people are going to be struggling with these symptoms for some time before there are diagnosed.  And once diagnosed the medical doctor will must likely tell you that they can try to control the symptoms as much as possible with drugs or possibly surgery.

Most people today once they go home from the doctor with a label the first thing that they will do is google Meniere’s Disease and get info from places like  National Institute of health, Wikipedia and a variety of other websites outlining the condition.  Looking at the NIH’s website in all that bleak information there will be one mention of head injury as a possible cause (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001721/) but no mention of what to do about the head injury that may have caused the condition.

Head injury affects the alignment of the upper cervical spine (upper neck).  Once the upper neck is misaligned pressure begins to develop into the all important nerves at the base of the brain.  This brain stem pressure can lead to vertigo, hearing loss, ringing the ears and many other conditions.

If someone was to Google Meniere’s Disease and the Upper Neck a very different picture would be found.

One of hope, healing and the logical connection of the head or neck trauma to the onset of the symptoms and how once the underlying head and neck injuries are healed the symptoms of Meniere’s go away or are greatly reduced.

So do yourself a favor if you have been diagnosed with Meniere’s…don’t just look at the medical perspective but look into the best kept secret in health…Upper Cervical Chiropractic and seek the cause of the problem.

To find out more about upper cervical chiropractic go to www.nuccawellness.com.

Dr. William R. Davis Jr., D.C. is a Carlsbad 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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Whiplash, Head Injuries and NUCCA Part 1

I have decided to do a series of blogs on what happens to the brain, brain stem, spinal cord and structures of the spine in a whiplash type injury and how Upper Cervical Care is so effective at restoring normal function to the body.

An injury to the neck caused by a sudden movement of the head, backward, forward, or sideways, is commonly referred to as “whiplash”. During such an injury, neck ligaments and muscles can be sprained or strained and vertebrae can be misaligned. While the term “whiplash” is most frequently used to describe auto accident injuries (in which a person is rear-ended, hit head-on, or hit from the side), whiplash can also frequently occur during ski accidents, bike accidents, falls, blows to the head, concussions, and other head/neck traumas.

Auto accidents are also the most common cause of closed head injuries due to acceleration/deceleration of the brain.  The brain is a soft structure confined in a non-yielding body structure the skull.  The mechanism of injury is either a shearing of axons or impact of the brain against the bony skull.  The rapid acceleration and deceleration seen in whiplash can often result in closed head injuries.

MINOR HEAD INJURIES CAN RESULT IN LONG TERM COMPLAINTS SUCH AS HEADACHES, DIZZINESS, VISUAL DISTURBANCES, FATIGUE, SLEEP DISTURBANCES, DIFFICULTY WITH CONCENTRATION, AND PERSONALITY CHANGES, ETC.

Whiplash has been shown with or without head contact with an object to be the most common cause of post-concussion syndrome as well.  The cognitive defects in whiplash victims, characterized by headaches, fatigue, dizziness, poor concentration, sensitivity to light, difficulty with processing and  attention.  These brain injuries are often overlooked in whiplash patients.

Following the whiplash accident, symptoms can be triggered immediately or can take months or years to develop. The purpose of upper cervical chiropractic care is to reverse the trauma-induced upper neck injury; thereby reducing irritation to the nerves in the brain stem and spinal cord that can trigger pain and other symptoms. After an accident, an upper cervical examination utilizing Laser-aligned Radiography and Digital Infrared Imaging is necessary in each individual’s case to assess whether an upper cervical injury is present and whether benefit from upper cervical care can be achieved.

References:

www.erinelster.com

www.drlicata.com

CROFT A.: WHIPLASH AND BRAIN INJURIES 1992

BARNAT, M.R.: POST-TRAUMATIC HEADACHE PATIENTS.  HEADACHE 1986

 RADANOV, B.P., ET AL: COGNITIVE DEFICITS IN PATIENTS AFTER SOFT TISSUE INJURY OF THE CERVICAL SPINE.  SPINE 1992

ZUMSTEG, D. ET AL: WHIPLASH AND CONCUSSION. CANADIAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGICAL SCIENCES 2006

Dr. William R. Davis Jr., D.C. is a Oceanside 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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