Most people think that Upper Cervical is only good for neck and back pain. This couldn’t be further from the truth. People with musculoskeletal pain only represent a small fraction of those helped by Upper Cervical care.
Upper Cervical, and Chiropractic in general, is based on the universal law of cause and effect. If there is a problem with the function of the body, there must be a cause for it. Unfortunately, allopathic medical care only focuses on treating effects, rather than addressing the cause of the problem.
For example, let’s use a very common condition in the United States like High Blood Pressure or Hypertension. Nearly 1 in 3 adults in the US suffer from high blood pressure and 50,000 people a year die as a result of this condition. It’s diagnosed when a person’s systolic pressure is 140 or higher with a diastolic of 90 or higher. A medical doctor will take your blood pressure and notice it is high, then give you a medication to artificially lower it. Then in order to maintain a more “normal” blood pressure, you have to continue taking this medication for the rest of your life.
As an Upper Cervical Chiropractor, I understand that the elevated pressure is a SYMPTOM and I look for the underlying cause of the condition. The cause is most certainly NOT the lack of medication in the body! Sometimes it’s something as easy as altering the diet. Other times it’s something more sinister and elusive, such as an upper cervical Subluxation.
In upper cervical care, we focus on the top 2 bones in the neck, Atlas(C1) and Axis (C2), that protect the brainstem. This delicate area is a neurological Grand Central Station if you will. Think of it as “Houston Control” for the body. Because these two bones are the smallest and most freely moveable in the spine, they are the most susceptible to misalignment. Because of the proximity of these vertebrae to the brain stem, when they misalign it negatively affects the communication between the brain and the body, including the circulatory system. This can lead to a number of problems with heart function including arrhythmias, palpitations, and high or low blood pressure.
Our approach is to locate the misalignment and adjust it. This gentle force unlocks and aids in the realignment of the structures. This, in turn, removes the neurological interference and restores normal communication between the brain and the body. That is the sole objective in our office. We understand that once the interference has been removed, normal function ensues and the body begins to do what it does best, HEAL ITSELF! Now that the brain can communicate with the heart properly again, blood pressure will improve. In a study done by George Bakaris, MD, he found that “this procedure has the effect of not one, but TWO blood pressure medications given in combination”! That is INCREDIBLE!
So, if you, or anyone you know, is suffering from high blood pressure, share this information with them. It could be the ONE thing that can make ALL the difference.