What is a Subluxation?

Some of you may be wondering what this word SUBLUXATION means. Yeah it is not a word that you hear in everyday medicine because it is a term that is used in chiropractic only. There are many definitions of subluxation and how it functions in the body. Here is a general definition how B.J. defined it. "A condition of a vertebra that has lost its proper juxtaposition with the one above or the one below or both, to an extent less than a luxation, which occludes an opening, impinges nerves and interferes with the transmission of mental impulses from the brain." 

Some of you are thinking, "ah a pinched nerve." But there is a lot more to it than just a simple pinched nerve or a bone that is out of place.
There are many different opinions on what a subluxation is; some chiropractors even differ on what they see subluxation as, some don't even believe it exists. This lack of continuity is what has held us back from a more unified group of practitioners. There is often more debate on why one's practice method or definition of subluxation is wrong then there is on the similarities. For the purposes of this post I will stick with the definition above in the context of upper cervical.
The physiological aspects of a subluxation deal with a bone that has lost its proper position and nerve that is being interfered with, these are core principles to subluxation. This interference is often likened unto a garden hose. As the hose is obstructed, i.e. stepped on the flow diminishes. But subluxation is not just a diminished flow of nerve impulses; there could be too much flow or an abnormal pattern of flow. It all comes down to an abnormal flow of the nerve impulses to and or from the brain.

The nerves are part of a system, there are nerves that take signals from the environment and send the signals to the brain, like the incoming mail. Then there are responses that come from the brain to the environment. Now I want to clarify something here the environment that I speak of could be the skin, the digestive system, the heart or circulatory system, and all the other parts of the body that are controlled and regulated by the nervous system. When there are problems with the flow of the signal to and from the brain the results will have problems and this is the basis for the cause of disease. It all comes together now as you process what a subluxation is and how it works.

In upper cervical it is the top two bones in the neck that are most important. All nerves in the body are associated with this area whether it is direct or indirect, this is a crucial area. They either pass through these two bones, which is every nerve minus the twelve that are called cranial nerves, or they are associated with it by connections or synapses in the area. Minor stress on the tissue can cause a malfunction and again this abnormal flow is what can cause disease.

Subluxation is not the beginning of disease it is again a result of an outside force acting on the body. I am going to talk briefly on what are the possible causes of subluxation. Some are subjective but none the less relevant. The obvious cause is a traumatic force. Slips, a blow to the body, car accident, child birth, and anything that can transfer energy into the body via motion are all things that can cause a subluxation. Now there are the more hidden causes; sleeping on your stomach or sleeping poorly, bad posture, lack of exercise, diet, stress, and many more unknown contributors. These are the root causes of subluxation that in turn can cause disease in the body.

This information is a brief overview of the term subluxation and how it can cause disease in a person. There are many causes of a subluxation and many problems associated with them, but Ihope you have a better understanding of what subluxation is and is it possible that you may have one that you have been living with for years and not known that it could be the cause of you XYZ problem.
For those of you that are visual learners here is a brief clip on what subluxation is.
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Sick of Dealing with Depression?

Antidepressant drug usage is on the rise. One out of 10 women in America are now taking prescription drugs to combat depression.

Millions of stressed out Americans swallow pills daily in hopes that they will work some kind of magic and make their life a little easier, a little less stressed. They think that maybe this pill, that white powder, or these capsules will make them feel better once they dissolve in their stomach, enter the blood stream, travel| to the brain that it will do something, do anything to relieve their present state of dis-ease.

Can anyone miss the heavy advertising on television of the various antidepressants? As you watch these commercials, note the careful language they use in suggesting that depression "may" be caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. Then they go on to tell you how the medication "can correct” this biochemical imbalance. Antidepressant pharmaceuticals is a multi-billion dollar industry, and what many Americans don’t know is that there has never been definitive research that proves that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. The problem with the theory that depression is a  consequence of a "chemical imbalance in the brain" is that depression can be both triggered by and resolved by life events. In fact, the relationship between brain chemistry and life experience is a two-directional phenomenon: Life experience affects brain chemistry at least as much as brain chemistry affects life experience.

A true diagnosis of major depression involves some combination of most of the following: inability to feel pleasure of any kind, loss of interest in everything, self—hatred or guilt. inability to concentrate or to do the simplest things, sleeping all the time or not being able to sleep at all, dramatic weight gain or loss, and suicidal thoughts or actions. Truly depressed people do not smile or laugh; they may not talk; they are not fun to be with, they do not wish to be visited. They may not eat and sometimes have to be fed with feeding tubes to keep them alive, and they exude a palpable sense of pain. Depression is a thing unto itself, an undeniably physical and medical affliction.

A Growing Trend

More than 17 million children worldwide have been prescribed psychiatric drugs; more than 10 million of these are in the United States. These drugs include addictive stimulants, antidepressants and other  psychotropic (mind-altering) drugs for educational and behavioral problems.

In 2003, the FDA approved Prozac® for treating depression in people 18 years and younger. However, reports of young people committing or attempting suicide while using the drug became too numerous to ignore. The following year, the FDA reviewed 24 studies and concluded that the drugs in question doubled the risk for suicidal behavior. 

By 2004, the FDA ordered that the most serious alerts, called ”black—box warnings,“ be added to all antidepressant drug labels. This warning clearly states that antidepressants raise the risk of suicidal thoughts and hostile behavior in children and adolescents, in spite of the evidence and clear warnings, preschoolers are now the fastest growing age group taking antidepressants.

Health or Money?

David Healy, in Let Them Eat Prozac {NYE} Press, 2004], calls it “a creation of depression on so extraordinary and unwarranted a scale as to raise questions about whether pharmaceutical and other health care companies are more wedded to making profits from health than contributing to it"

Dr. Irving Kirsh, a University of Connecticut psychology professor had to use the Freedom of information Act to extract startling information from the Food and Drug Administration. in over 50% of the trials used by the FDA to approve the six leading antidepressants, the drugs failed to outperform the placebo sugar pill.

Upper Cervical Care

While science has not determined the exact cause of depression, research has pointed towards a likely involvement of the brain stem and upper cervical spine in many mood disorders. in fact, the brain stem (whose lower portion is located in the uppermost part of the spine) is involved in the regulation and control of brain chemistry as well many other vital functions.

Even a mild concussion to the head, neck or upper back can increase the risk of depression. Studies show that depression is a common diagnosis in patients with whiplash, an injury that can directly affect the upper neck and lower brain stem. Following the trauma, mood disorders can be triggered immediately, or they can take months or even years to develop. Exciting new studies show “significant improvement“ in depression test scores after specific upper cervical corrections. This noninvasive and safe alternative should be the beginning point for all who believe that they are suffering from depression.

The goal of upper cervical care is not to treat the disease, but to correct head and neck alignment and restore “brain to body communication” thereby allowing the body to heal on its own without the use of potentially dangerous drugs or surgery. 

Welcome to Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care

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 removing interference to the nervous system that may be the cause of your health condition. Removing this interference can allow the body to heal itself naturally without the use of potentially harmful drugs or surgery. 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.

The most common misconception about upper cervical care is that it only helps back and neck pain. Nothing could be further from the truth. Although our doctors can certainly help those suffering from neck and back pain, these patients represent a small fraction of the patients seen in an upper cervical doctor's office. Patients suffering from a variety of conditions have had their health restored through upper cervical care. This approach confirms the fact that the body is a self-healing organism directly controlled and coordinated by the central nervous system which is protected by your skull and spine.

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 controls 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 creating a variety of health problems.

The top two vertebrae, the Atlas and Axis, are especially vulnerable to injury or misalignment because they are the most mobile segments of the spine. If neglected, an upper cervical misalignment can lead to irreversible spinal degeneration and chronic ill health. Upper cervical misalignment s can be caused by falls, auto accidents, sports, job injuries, concussions, physical or emotional stress, poor posture, or even birth trauma.

 HOW IS UPPER CERVICAL CARE DIFFERENT? 

While excellent medical care is available for critical situations and acute trauma, these cases represent a small portion of today's health care problems. Many people live with chronic conditions that have progressed for years despite traditional health care. Furthermore, in recent years, side effects from drugs have become a major concern for patients (e.g. Celebrex®, Vioxx® and Oxycontin®). By some accounts, hundreds of thousands die annually in the United States due to medical errors and adverse side effects.

Too often, patients discover upper cervical care after having undergone years of traditional health care that only treated the symptoms or effects of their conditions. Prolonged treatments that ignore the cause may permit health problems to worsen to the point that they require surgical intervention. This is where upper cervical care differs from traditional medicine. Upper cervical care strives to correct the underlying cause of health problems. Doctors who are part of the international network of Upper Cervical Health Centers have extensive post-doctorate training and education in the brain stem and the upper cervical spine. Countless patients across the country have achieved a greater state of health without the risk of potentially harmful drugs or surgery.

WHO CAN BENEFIT?

Everyone — infants to seniors, mothers-to-be, athletes, and accident victims will benefit from a healthy spine and nervous system. If you have a health problem, the doctors of Upper Cervical Health Centers will strive to correct its cause, not just treat the symptoms. If you are symptom-free, upper cervical care is one of the best ways to stay healthy. Upper Cervical Health Centers has offices throughout the United States and Europe.



If you are interested in learning more about upper cervical care or would like to find an office located in your area, please visit UpperCervicalCare.com.

In the Charlotte, NC Metro are you can contact Dr. Grammer at 704-588-5560 to make an appointmnet.

A Renascence to Life

I have to apologize for my lack of diligence in keeping this blog updated. For the past two years my time has been strapped and I have had little free time. The waters have settled and now I can devote more of my time to the things I love, Chiropractic, and to be more specific Upper Cervical Chiropractic. I have a series of posts that I am going to publish in the year mainly as education for the masses. They will range from condition base approaches, philosophical principles, to research articles. These articles will be posted weekly in order to serve the suffering of the world.