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Every day, people in Brisbane suffer chronic pain, balance problems, or other neurological symptoms.
One thing that all these people have in common is that there is a reason for their symptoms.
Everything that occurs in the body is the consequence or effect of some original cause.
In other words, symptoms do not just appear for no reason.
Now, what that underlying cause maybe, that is different from person to person. There are many potential CAUSES of disease and disease-like conditions. Generally, they may fit under five general headings:
- Exercise - Namely a lack thereof
- Nutrition - Including excess of bad things ingested, inhaled, or injected into the body
- Sleep - Insufficient recovery
- Stress Management (aka Adaptability) - Too much stress, but also inadequate stress-coping strategies
- Body Function - That all parts of the body are working in harmony.
A loss of health does not come from a deficiency of some wonder drug.
A loss of health comes from some imbalance or breakdown in one of the five areas above!
The question is, which one is it?
This is one of the most important tasks for any doctor, practitioner, or specialist in Brisbane to help you identify. Otherwise, you can spend a lot of time, money, and energy working on the wrong thing.
Health is Non-linear and Multifactorial
Still, when it comes to improving one’s health, it can be a complex task.
The reason is that we, as human beings, are not simply a bag of physical bones enclosed in a skin-tight suit and animated with electrical wires, plumbing, and battery acids.
The human body is a dynamic unit that coordinates and controls every function and is continuously adapting to the stresses and strains of the environment.
Why is it important to understand this?
It is because the way that many Brisbane doctors describe the body - as a machine - is not entirely accurate. It’s a good analogy in many ways. However, there are limitations.
Especially when it comes to matters of health, it is imperative to recognise that the human body is both non-linear and multifactorial.
Non-linear means that A does not always cause B.
Multifactorial means that B is not only caused by A.
Let’s use the example of migraines or headaches. One of the most common underlying causes of headaches and migraines is a biomechanical issue with the vertebrae in the upper neck (C1, C2, and C3 vertebrae) that affects the nerves that supply the head and face.
However, does this mean that every single mechanical problem with the C1, C2, or C3 vertebrae causes migraines or headaches?
The answer is no.
Because of the way that the human body is wired, a biomechanical problem in the upper neck can also have the potential to cause a number of other problems including TMJ disorders, dizziness, vertigo, shoulder pain, low back pain, myofascial pain syndromes (e.g., chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia) and ever certain other neurological conditions.
It also goes the other way. One potential cause of migraines and headaches is mechanical issues with the alignment in the upper neck. However, you may also suffer migraines or headaches because of TMJ or dental issues.
Or chemical issues like food sensitivity or a hangover.
Or mental or emotional stress, which amplifies the headache into a migraine.
So when it comes to understanding any symptom in the body, it is important to realise that any diagnosis is simply an EFFECT, and for any treatment to be effective it is important to identify that the most likely CAUSE of that effect is, realising also there may be multiple potential causes for the same effect.
Is your Atlas a missing piece to the puzzle?
That is why it can be so especially frustrating for many people looking for answers for chronic and challenging healthcare problems in Brisbane.
It is because there can be more than one thing going on. And despite spending great amounts of time, money, and energy into being well, seeing many doctors, specialists, and practitioners from around Brisbane, there is still something holding them back.
There is still a piece of the puzzle that hasn’t yet been solved.
I often use the analogy of a combination lock where you need all three digits in the right order, otherwise, the lock doesn’t open. Without the final digit, the first two do nothing. But if the only one you have is the last digit without the first two, nothing happens either.
This is the reason that we offer the unique form of healthcare service that we do at Atlas Health in North Lakes (north Brisbane) known as Blair upper cervical care.
The atlas (aka C1) is the first vertebra in your neck, which protects your brainstem, which is the master control centre for your nerve system. It is also the gateway for all communication messages between your brain and body.
If the alignment and movement of the atlas are ever affected due to a physical injury (quite common in our experience), there can be direct negative effects on the function of your nerve system resulting in a number of health problems.
Even people who do not experience physical pain at the top of their neck can still have a misalignment in their upper neck that could be affecting their overall health and not even know it.
Under these circumstances, the misalignment of the atlas could negatively affect normal body function. If so, even if your exercise, nutrition, sleep, and stress management strategies are all perfect, this problem could have the potential to impair your health and hold back the entire health process.
This is not to say that a misalignment of the atlas is the cause of all human ailments. It isn’t.
What this is to say is that if you may be experiencing a chronic or challenging health issue that no doctor or specialist in Brisbane has yet been able to identify, one of the missing pieces of the puzzle could well be the alignment of your C1 vertebra.
Upper cervical chiropractic Brisbane
Blair upper cervical care is a special division of chiropractic developed and researched in the USA.
The focus is on the alignment of the vertebrae in the upper neck - C1, C2, and C3 - because of their potential impact on the spinal cord and circulation within the brain.
The entire Blair upper cervical chiropractic process is unlike general spinal manipulation. First, there is no testing, cracking, or popping the neck. The adjustment is quick and light, using the amount of force you would use to click a pen.
The difference is the level of customisation and degree of specificity that goes into the adjustment. Every human being is different on both the outside and inside. By performing a variety of physical, neurological, and special imaging assessments first, we are able to identify the exact location, direction, and degree of any misalignments in your neck, and thus tailor a precise correction designed just for you.
Indeed, the adjustment is often only the first part of the process as we also look to help people achieve the greatest possible benefits by making further lifestyle recommendations and referrals ultimately so that people can get not only the best short term relief but also the best long term chances for success.
Our practice, Atlas Health Australia, believes in the innate potential for every human being to be well and to enjoy the quality of life that they desire. We work for people with chronic and often frustrating conditions who have been everywhere so that they find the answers and solutions that they are looking for.
Our principal chiropractor, Dr. Jeffrey Hannah, is an advanced certified Blair upper cervical practitioner with over 10 years of experience in the field of upper cervical chiropractic. He is a published author, international speaker, and recognised leader in the field of upper cervical care in Brisbane, in Australia and New Zealand, and also further abroad.
If you would like to schedule a time to speak with Dr. Hannah, we are happy to offer a complementary 15-minute phone call to discuss your particular questions and to answer any questions you may have to decide if upper cervical care may be right for you,
If you would like to accept this no-obligation offer, you can email us through the Contact Us link on this page, or call our North Lakes office direct at 07 3188 9329.
We look forward to hearing from you and shall do our best to help you.
Atlas Health Australia - “Hope, healing, and wellbeing from above-down, inside-out.”
References
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Burcon MT. Health Outcomes Following Cervical Specific Protocol in 300 Patients with Meniere’s Followed Over Six Years. Journal of Upper Cervical Chiropractic Research ~ June 2, 2016, ~ Pages 13-23. https://www.vertebralsubluxationresearch.com/2016/06/02/health-outcomes-following-cervical-specific-protocol-in-300-patients-with-menieres-followed-over-six-years/
Damadian RV, Chu D. The possible role of cranio-cervical trauma and abnormal CSF hydrodynamics in the genesis of multiple sclerosis. Physiol Chem Phys Med NMR. 2011;41:1-17.
Eriksen K. Upper Cervical Subluxation Complex: a review of the chiropractic and medical literature. Lippincott, Williams, and Wilkins. Baltimore (MD). 2004.
Flanagan MF. The Downside of Upright Posture. Two Harbors Press, 2010.
Flanagan MF. The role of the craniocervical junction in craniospinal hydrodynamics and neurodegenerative conditions. Neurology Research International, 2015; Article ID 794829: http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/794829.
Martinez-Merinero P, Nuñez-Nagy S, Achalandabaso-Ochoa A, Fernandez-Matias R, Pecos-Martin D, Gallego-Izquierdo T. Relationship between Forward Head Posture and Tissue Mechanosensitivity: A Cross-Sectional Study. J Clin Med. 2020 Feb 27;9(3):634. doi: 10.3390/jcm9030634. PMID: 32120895; PMCID: PMC7141123.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32120895/
Rosa S, Baird JW. The craniocervical junction: observations regarding the relationship between misalignment, obstruction of cerebrospinal fluid flow, cerebellar tonsillar ectopia, and image-guided correction. Smith FW, Dworkin JS (eds): The Craniocervical Syndrome and MRI. Basel, Karger, 2015, pp 48-66 (DOI:10.1159/000365470).
Vernon H.The cranio-cervical syndrome. London, Butterworth-Heinemann, 2001.
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