The body is like a well-oiled machine: when all the parts are in their proper places and functioning properly, the machine hums along and works great. However, if even one little cog in the machine is malfunctioning, it can lead to a breakdown of the whole thing. Any engineer or mechanic knows that there are certain parts on every machine that are essential to the overall functioning of the machine. To keep the machine running appropriately, it is important to keep certain parts in good condition, especially the system that controls the machine!
In the human body, the most overlooked part that is essential to your body’s functioning is the nervous system. We tend to believe that the cardiovascular, respiratory system or even the immune system are more important. However, did you know that these and ALL the other systems could not function independently or without the NERVOUS SYSTEM? Yup! And the part of the nervous system, the upper cervical spine is the most neurologically dense in the nervous system. It houses the main control centers for your cardiovascular, respiratory, and motor (postural muscles) systems. You’ll find this part of your spine starting just below the skull and going down the neck. These vertebrae’s job is to support the weight and movement of the head, as well as protect the spinal cord where it connects to the brain stem.
The neck and head are vulnerable and prone to injury from even jolts, accidents, or poor posture. It is easy for the vertebra in the upper cervical spine to become misaligned, and this can have a domino effect that causes a wide variety of issues that impact your health and well-being.
Of course, you’ve heard that chiropractic, in general, can help with pain—that’s not new news. However, upper cervical chiropractic has a huge advantage when it comes to correcting the “balance of the body” that is a primary cause of pain throughout the spine and even in the limbs. Many painful conditions can be traced to a misalignment in the upper cervical spine. When there is even a minute misalignment of the neck vertebrae, you unconsciously shift your body posture to compensate, putting undue strain on other joints, muscles, bones, and ligaments.
Think of the spine as a train with the upper cervical spine (C1/C2, atlas/axis) as the engineer to the entire train. Then the neck is the engine and the low back/pelvis the caboose! What happens when the engineer takes the train off the track? Right! The ENTIRE train goes off the track. If just the atlas (C1) is out of alignment this is what happens to your ENTIRE SPINE!
It was Dr. Rene Calliet’s 1987 book Rejuvenation Strategy that stated, “Most attempts to correct posture are directed toward the spine, shoulders and pelvis. All are important, but, head position takes precedence over all others. The body follows the head. Therefore, the entire body is best aligned by first restoring proper functional alignment to the head“. Dr. Calliet was the Director of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at USC’s School of Medicine at the time he wrote this book.
Corrections to realign the upper cervical spine can help you get a better night’s sleep. One simple reason for this is that a properly aligned spine will relieve you of the nagging aches and pains that otherwise might keep you up at night. As you can see from the picture above, having an atlas misalignment can greatly affect your low back and cause significant issues like sciatica, hip and leg pain that can keep you up all night!
Look at this study showing how detrimental low back pain can be to a good night’s sleep: “Non-specific low back pain leads to sleep disorders, which decrease the sleep quality and increase the unpleasant emotions and memories in return; these can exacerbate the severity of LBP, with the cycle repeating to form a vicious circle.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5436560/
In addition, an upper cervical misalignment can disrupt signals from the brain meant to regulate the cycles of wake and sleep. Researchers don’t fully understand how the sleep process works, but they know enough to recognize the role of the brainstem. This part of the body that controls many of the processes that take place without conscious decision making (i.e., breathing) also sends the signals that the body uses to regulate its own internal clock (called a circadian clock). That means both the sleep and wake cycles are dependent on the brainstem. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23950941/
Recent studies prove that the parafacial zone in the brain stem seems to regulate what is known as gamma-hydroxbuyrate (or GABA), which is a critical neurochemical that can induce healthy sleep.
Upper cervical chiropractors are trained to remove brain stem interference, should it stem from a mechanical misalignment, naturally correcting malfunctions and enabling patients to enjoy the benefits of healthier sleep. These benefits include a better state of focused relaxation while awake and lower blood pressure.
BONUS! Blood pressure study: “We conclude that restoration of Atlas alignment is associated with marked and sustained reductions in BP similar to the use of two-drug combination therapy.” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17252032/
The immune system is a complex system that helps the body fight infections and diseases. This entire system is controlled by the central nervous system. Misalignments in the vertebrae that cause inflammation and swelling may compress nerves, causing them to misfire. This leads to malfunctions. Let’s talk some history and show studies and research to back up this statement—'cause we are ALL about FACTS!
The 1918 flu pandemic established Chiropractic as a valid healthcare force. Although chiropractors don’t ever treat diseases, making sure the nervous system via the spine is in proper working order is one of many ways to keep the body strong and resilient when facing a health challenge. Afterall, chronic back and neck pain can truly affect all facets of your life and zap you of the energy you need to fight whatever ailment you may be presented with. That premise of Chiropractic hasn’t changed in the lifetime of the profession: well-being comes from the overall health and function of the spine and nervous system.
Recently published immune study and Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35463842/
Note: The Texas Board of Chiropractic Examiners have mandated we do not claim Chiropractic can help the body’s immune system, so I will simply post the statistics from Dr. Rhodes researched book, History of Chiropractic in Texas.
Statistics from that time reflect a most amazing, seemingly miraculous situation. These statistics were found and vetted by Dr. Rhoades in these states’ archives.
Here is what Dr. Rhoades found:
As noted, proper alignment of the upper cervical spine helps relieve pain, improves sleep, and keeps the body’s major systems functioning properly. It should come as no surprise then that many patients who get regular check-ups and corrections when necessary, will find that they have more energy.
Studies have also shown that upper cervical care supports those that have been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome—the mother of all energy zappers! https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Quality-of-Life-Improvement-in-Patients-with-Upper-Woodfield-Dickholtz/835cd29b27a86a4de96a08ef70f3dc3c2bd9e24f
It is hard to keep up morale when you suffer from pain, mobility issues, or chronic illnesses that interfere with your daily activities. It should come as no surprise, then, that any treatment alleviating aches, pains, mobility issues, sleep issues, etc., will have a positive effect on a person’s mental and emotional state. Some mental health issues, such as depression or anxiety, may also be due to blockages in nerve flow or vessels leading to the brain. Research shows some promise in upper cervical care in helping to treat such conditions.
While an estimated 19 million Americans suffer from depression, there are twice as many women suffering from it as men. People suffering from depression will have persistent sadness or pessimism. They have times of feeling helpless, hopeless, worthless, or guilty. Have difficulty concentrating or remembering things. They will lose interest in activities, have insomnia or oversleep. They can also have weight gain or loss and feelings of fatigue. They may also be irritable or anxious.
Depression can affect family and home life, as well as people’s performance at work. Severe depression can lead to attempts at suicide. If you or someone you know is suffering from depression, encourage them to take action before it gets out of hand. Upper Cervical Chiropractic may be a natural option for them should an upper cervical misalignment/subluxation be present.
The Journal of Vertebral Subluxation research published a study that shows that over 70% of the participants showed a “marked improvement” with treatment of the upper cervical misalignment. Fifteen participants were chosen based on a history of depression. An upper cervical misalignment was diagnosed using postural analysis as well as precise x-rays based on the Orthospinology Upper Cervical procedure.
Study: “The data supports the hypothesis that the orthospinology technique to correct the occipito-atlantoaxial subluxation complex using the Grostic procedure may relate to reduced depressive symptoms.” https://vertebralsubluxationresearch.com/2017/09/06/improvement-in-depression-following-reduction-of-upper-cervical-vertebral-subluxation-using-orthospinology-technique/
HealthWorks is dedicated to a comprehensive and specific approach to taking care of spinal and nervous system needs. Let us help you find out how taking care of the most important system in the body will create optimal health that will last a lifetime!
Chiropractic care has been a major part of my life since I was 18 years old. I became a Chiropractic Assistant back in 1991 when I graduated high school. I just didn’t really feel like college was something I wanted to pursue after my initial experience at The University of Houston and University of North Texas. So, I got a job…
When I became a chiropractic assistant, that’s when my love of chiropractic began. Since I was an early teen, I suffered from severe migraines. They were so bad that when they occurred, sometimes once per week, it would cause not just a pain so bad in my head I thought it would explode, but nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light and sound. It was a nightmare that typically lasted 24 hours.
As an assistant I received chiropractic care and the migraines got substantially less frequent and less severe, yet they did not completely subside. During my initial chiropractic journey, I was under wonderful care by some fantastic, dedicated and skilled doctors, but once I experienced the amazing benefits of upper cervical chiropractic, did I see how amazing, versatile and life changing this specialty in chiropractic truly was.
In case you haven’t noticed, there are Chiropractic offices on virtually every block. While all provide Chiropractic care, we all utilize different techniques within the field.
There are over 200 different techniques and many of which are variations of themselves, but the most researched, but unfortunately, under-utilized is Upper Cervical Chiropractic. Referring to the origins of upper cervical techniques, Dan Murphy, DC, DABCO, wrote: "Over the past 100 years, the practice of chiropractic has branched into dozens of specialty techniques. However, historically, for a third of this time, from the 1930s into the 1960s, the predominant practice of chiropractic involved primarily the upper cervical spine.”
Why is Upper Cervical Chiropractic so under-utilized?
With that said, finding an upper cervical chiropractor is sometimes not an easy task and the fact that I stumbled upon such a treasure in my early chiropractic career, I feel so very blessed.
Upper cervical corrective care is a logical, effective, safe and scientifically proven procedure in the Chiropractic profession. It is designed to restore Atlas/C1 Alignment (Body Balance) to remove interference at the point where the head and neck join, in order to re-activate the body’s natural self-healing process by relieving pain and discomfort within the musculoskeletal and neuromuscular systems. Anytime our body experiences pain, this causes extreme stress within and can cascade into other inflammatory issues or can even exacerbate existing health conditions.
Chiropractic and medical experts agree that electrical and chemical messages control, monitor and maintain all body functions. These messages also direct all body healing. These messages leave the brain by way of the brainstem, pass through the top two bones in the neck (C1/C2), down the spinal cord, and throughout the entire nervous system to all parts of the body.
Atlas/C1 misalignment can cause interference at the point where the head and neck join and disrupt or distort the flow of these vital health and healing messages to any part of the body. Disrupted or distorted brain messages will allow pain and other problems to develop. At HealthWorks our objective is to restore Atlas/C1 alignment and reactivate efficient flow of neuromuscular and musculoskeletal health and healing messages to the affected part of the body so its natural self-healing process can regain and maintain optimal nervous system health.
When an Atlas/C1 misalignment is corrected and body balance is restored so healing messages can flow uninterrupted to the affected area, muscles begin to relax immediately, blood and oxygen circulation is increased, and the body’s natural self-healing process begins. When there is pain or suffering, always check for Atlas/C1 misalignment to determine if the brain is efficiently communicating with all parts of the body.
Any part of the body that cannot communicate efficiently with the brain will develop health problems. Therefore, it would be logical to say, the proper diagnosis for health problems that respond to the Upper Cervical Correction is “Head/Neck Misalignment.”
Here’s a list of common issues that respond very well to Upper Cervical Correction:
And so many, many more!
An atlas/C1 adjustment is the most comprehensive and “full-body” adjustment you’ll ever receive!
Here are some stories of our patients that are equally as jazzed about their experience with upper cervical chiropractic care:
I started seeing Dr. Taylor in late 2020 after being struck by a landscape trailer in 2019, during which time I suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) including two hematomas. Recovery has been slow, and my neurologist tells me I may not fully recover the short-term memory that I lost due to the accident. Conventional doctors haven't been much help in aiding me past the residual frustration and anger issues I have faced since the accident.
I was particularly glad to find a practitioner who understands and actually treats persons with TBI such as myself. Dr. Taylor's certification in Upper Cervical treatment was the key element in my decision to seek chiropractic care from HealthWorks. it is my understanding that Dr. Taylor's Diplomate of Chiropractic Craniocervical Junction Procedures (DCCJP) certification is unique and that she is the only such diplomate in the DFW Metroplex.
The care I have received at HealthWorks has been superlative, and I have experienced improvements to my mood and cervical spinal issues. Each of the doctors is friendly, welcoming, and knowledgeable, as is the staff. I always feel that this team's number one focus is on healing, a refreshing change from typical conventional medical practices.
Jane C.
Your facility is wonderful and everyone is kind and patient. When I first came in I wasn’t able to stand for more then 20 minutes without sitting down or kneeling. I could feel a lot of pressure in my back and as soon as my first adjustment was done I felt like a normal person and was able to stand without the pain. Now I am able to focus much better because I am not having to think about the pain traveling up my back. You guys are a life saver and thank you for everything that you have done for me and my family.
Thanks,
Chris Hesson
Dear Dr. Taylor, good morning.
Of course, it is my pleasure to share my experience at Healthworks. I'd have to give a short history of my health and my previous chiropractors, to fully bring to picture the impact of what Healthworks gave me.
My first experience of lower back pain was around 6 years back, when I finished assembling my TV stand. I was living in the San Francisco Bay Area then, and I was trying to find a good chiropractor. But sadly, all of my chiro's were giving me adjustments that give me temporary relief. They made me believe that it is going to be a long way to feel and get better. My previous chiro, in fact, knew I had 1 short leg, and scoliosis, but did not tell me if we needed to check the Atlas bone alignment. He told me I have to wear padding in my shoes on the short leg. I knew that this was not right. My lower back pain and knee pain and overall fatigue was a dampener when it came to living a normal life, including playing with my kids (8yr old boy, and 4 yr old girl). But, you know, God has a plan for us. My work and family brought me to Dallas, and through Jenny, I came to know about Healthworks.
I visited the Healthworks website, and read about the write ups from Dr. Taylor, Dr. Christy and Dr. Penson. Your stories gave me faith and I thus embarked on a journey with healthworks.
Dr. Taylor corrected my Atlas bone, and this corrected my hip alignment. Dr Christy or Dr. Penson gives me weekly adjustments, and I'm amazed at how the doctors know which of the bones or muscles need correction by just moving the neck, arms or legs. This has reduced my overall body pain, knee pain, and lower back pain. I can lead a normal life now, sit and get up normally without knee pain, play with my kids as long as I want to.
I also have my inflammation reduced by laser therapy, and get the regular machine massage on my hips and lower back. That really relaxes my lower back a lot. Immense thanks to Audrey for her help. I have my once a month Organ reflex exam by Dr. Taylor, where I get to know what nutritional corrections I need to make, and now I feel a lot better than I was 3 months ago. I have also started to follow a healthy diet and regular exercise. I feel strong and healthy now. I also get the ion cleanse by CJ, which helps to cleanse out toxins from my internal organs. The benefits of a knowledgeable chiropractic care cannot be summed up in just words alone.
Aside from the Chiropractic care, I'm treated like family by the doctors, Kaitlyn, Marissa, CJ, Audrey, and it is always a joy to come to Healthworks, knowing you are in good hands. I do really feel a lot more flexible and stronger now and that is because, again I reiterate, due to the knowledgeable chiropractic care at Healthworks.
Sincerely,
Shinoj Yohannan
HealthWorks is dedicated to a comprehensive and specific approach to taking care of spinal and nervous system needs. Let us help you find out how taking care of the most important system in the body will create optimal health that will last a lifetime!
If we find we’re not the best to help with your condition, we promise to refer you to someone who is.
As chiropractors, this is the number one question we get asked daily. Unfortunately, we don’t have a crystal ball to give our practice members an exact answer, but wouldn’t that be so awesome if we could? Although, this is impossible for us to answer specifically, we do have some parameters and guidelines that could give you a ballpark timeframe in which you’ll get relief, but also some pointers to help move your healing forward faster and more efficiently. At HealthWorks, we believe that healing is a team effort, and we are your cheerleaders!
The main factors that determine your healing time can be in the multiples as you can see. Of course, we live in a microwave society and are used to things being done in 30-seconds or less. Unfortunately, this is not the way the human body heals. The fact is, it’s not that simple.
That's probably not what you wanted to hear, but many factors go into the alignment and the recovery afterward. During your initial examination, HealthWorks will get an extensive history of your condition. We'll need to know where your pain is and how long you've been dealing with your issue so we can come up with a clinical estimate on any damage to your spine.
This will include the mechanics of your spine, the curves of your spine, and the range of motion of your spine. There are extensive diagnostics that are taken on your initial visit to get to the underlying cause of your pain and condition. At HealthWorks, we never like to guess! The fact is, the vast majority of our cases are helped through chiropractic care, however, from time to time, we do have patients that come in and we find a situation that could best be handled by a medical professional. Some examples are vertebral fractures, aortic aneurysms, congenital anomalies, bone cysts, possible bone cancers and infections and even previous surgeries where the hardware has broken off! Although these instances are very rare, rest assured that HealthWorks will leave no stone unturned and make sure you are a candidate for chiropractic care through a careful and thoughtful diagnostic process before we ever get started with your first alignment.
Seems like a weird question, I know. Of course, your main objective is to get out of pain! But, did you know that unless you treat the underlying issue, your pain will continually come back, and you will never get rid of the pain. Who wants to be on a roller coaster ride like that for the rest of their lives?? Not me!
Unfortunately, pain or lack of pain is not the greatest indicator of whether your problem has been corrected—the pain is usually the very first thing to go! Thank goodness! However, it typically provides a false sense that the problem is gone, when in actuality, correcting the cause is just in its infancy.
When joints are out of alignment and have been moving improperly for years, this creates inflammation. Inflammation causes pain. Chiropractic adjustments restore proper motion and movement to the joints over time and reduce the inflammation—pain starts to diminish. However, this is when the real work begins! Once the joints start moving properly, proper structure of the spine—the true cause of most spinal/back/neck issues, can finally be addressed. So, the very worst time to stop chiropractic care is when you are finally out of pain!
Who do you think would have less pain, the picture on the left or on the right? Each adjustment builds on the next which creates stronger structure and better biomechanics every time.
To completely understand your case, and how soon you will be feeling better, precision diagnostics provide the information as to where you are right now and where, realistically we can take you on your health and healing journey. Without these parameters, it’s really just a guessing game—and HealthWorks does not like to guess—if we haven’t said that numerous times before!
Many new patients get frustrated when they come to our office and they don’t get treated on the very first visit. I get that! You’re in pain and you want relief NOW! Totally understandable. However, would you like a surgeon to open you up without knowing where he needs to go or what is actually the problem? Hopefully, your answer is, NO!
HealthWorks has had a handful of cases in which we’ve had patients come in with seemingly chiropractic issues and once we do the complete diagnostic study, we find they have something that is out of our scope of practice or that needs to be evaluated first with another physician before they start care in our office. Rest assured that no matter what, HealthWorks will be sure you are a candidate for our care prior to your very first alignment!
X-rays are one of the most questioned by patients. We’ve been scared all our lives into thinking that X-rays are harmful and we should avoid them at all costs. Although, I can understand this line of thinking, the science does not support that general spinal films, applied using a digital system, along with the lead filters we utilize, the radiation is reduced from 65-97% depending on the area imaged. https://eriksenchiropracticlaser.com/storage/app/media/xray-filters-021218.pdf
The CoreScore evaluates the function of the nervous system. The spine and spinal nerves reside in the spinal column and therefore the evaluation of this function is crucial in finding out what nerves are irritated and what nerves are functioning well. This allows us to determine the cause of the problem and not simply chase your symptoms around.
Here’s an example of a CoreScore report:
Think of these numbers like grades; the higher the better, with 100 being the perfect score. We use these scans not only to find out where you are when you first come in, but how you are progressing during your course of care.
This scan shows us how well your body is able to adapt to external stressors-chemical, physical and emotional. In other words, how much ability you have to heal and change, and what kind of initial outcome we can expect.
This scan, called a Surface Electromyograph, reveal surface electricity and the variations from one level to the next. Subluxations cause changes in muscle tone that show up on this scan as changes in surface electricity. It determines how well the nerves to your muscles are functioning.
This scan measures heat along your spine. When misalignments are present, there can be a change in temperature from one side to the other (asymmetry), due to changes in blood supply. This helps us determine what nerves, that supply information to your organs and glands, may be inflamed and irritated.
Overall, the CoreScore helps us determine the overall health of your nervous system. The nervous system is very elusive and where you feel the problem, may not be the cause. This, along with correlating your other diagnostics give us a great roadmap to determine the very best course of care for you individual case.
I’ve gone extensively over how posture is so important when it comes to spinal health and well-being in previous blogs, so check those out too! Essentially, posture is the “window to the spine”. It allows us to see what muscle groups are functioning properly and which ones may be compensating depending on how your present. Here’s a great example of a before and after posture change after being under care:
Palpation is when the doctor feels your spine to determine what segments are moving and which ones are “stuck”. Vertebrae should rock evenly back and forth without any inflammation or tenderness around them. We also determine what muscles are more tense and tender—this feedback from you is a very important part of your case history.
The Supine Leg Check is one of the first neurological signs that the very top bone of your spine, C1/Atlas is out of alignment. What!? What do you mean? What do my legs have to do with my spine? Well, I’ll tell ya. The atlas surrounds part of the brain stem. The brain stem controls many things like your breathing, heart function and yes, your postural muscles. When the atlas is out of alignment, it puts subtle pressure on the brain stem causing it to send aberrant information to the postural muscles, like a muscle spasm on one side of your body that torques your hip and pulls your leg up. This make it look like you have a “short leg”.
These diagnostics provide us with the very best clinical knowledge to guide you throughout your corrective care. Although it’s impossible to give you a date and time as to when the pain will go away, these tests will provide us with the information we need to recommend the very best detailed program to get you back on track with your health and get you back to living!
HealthWorks is dedicated to comprehensive and specific approach to taking care of spinal and nervous system needs. Let us help you find out how taking care of the most important system in the body will create optimal health that will last a lifetime!
If we find we’re not the best to help, we promise to refer you to someone who is.
Quality Care You Can Trust. We offer our patients all the attention and care they deserve in order to get them feeling healthy again.
Monday
8:00 - 8:45 AM | 10:00 - 11:45 AM | 3:00 - 5:45 PM
Tuesday
7:15 - 9:30 AM
Wednesday
8:00 - 8:45 AM | 10:00 - 11:45 AM | 3:00 - 5:45 PM
Thursday
8:00 - 8:45 AM | 1:00 - 2:45 PM
Friday
7:15-8:45 AM | 10:00 - 10:15 | 11:00 - 11:45 AM
