Sometimes chiropractic can be life changing

November 13, 2011

Chiropractic Life-Changing Success Story Documented

Appearing in the March 2004 issue of the peer-reviewed Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, was a documented case study of a life changing case. The subject of the study was a previously healthy 17 year old who was involved in high school sports.

On one particular occasion he was competing as a pole vaulter in a high school track meet when he had an accident in which he landed on his head from a height of 10 feet.

Immediately following the accident, the young man noticed the onset of neck pain focused at the base of his skull. In addition he started suffering from back pain, daily headaches, and migraine headaches approximately 3 times per week. He described his pain as an “unbearable everyday occurrence.” Additionally, several days after the accident he began experiencing “blackouts,” which were later diagnosed as petit mal seizures. These seizures continued to increase until he was experiencing them 4 times per day.

Things continued to get worse for the young man as during the first 6 months following the accident, he started experiencing the onset of depression. He described a complete loss of appetite, extreme lethargy, a lack of concern for himself, and an extremely erratic sleep cycle that often left him awake for several days followed by periods of 14 to 18 hours of sleep.

The patient and his mother reported that he consulted with approximately 24 practitioners during this time. Prescribed medications and therapies did not alleviate or reduce symptoms. To alleviate his pain and depression, he started using illegal drugs in an attempt to “make himself feel better.” After becoming addicted, his parents checked him into a drug rehabilitation program, which he completed.

It was after this long and horrifying 6 year period, that this young man sought chiropractic care from the chiropractor who authored the published study. An examination was performed and it was determined that the young man was suffering due to a subluxation in the upper neck. A course of corrective adjustments was begun to correct the subluxation and reduce nerve pressure.

The results as reported in the Journal was nothing short of life changing for the young man. After 1 month of care, the patient reported an absence of seizures and manic episodes and improved sleep patterns. After 4 months of care, seizures and manic episodes remained absent and migraine headaches were reduced from 3 per week to 2 per month. After 7 months of care, the patient reported the complete absence of symptoms. And eighteen months later, the patient remains asymptomatic. This has changed his life tremendously.

http://www.chiropracticresearch.org/search-result.php?aid=1092

By Dr. Amie Gregory | Posted in chiropractic redwood city, Chiropractor Redwood City, redwood city chiropractic, Redwood City Chiropractor, San Carlos Chiropractor | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

9 month old baby sleep problems helped with chiropractic

September 28, 2011

Abnormal Sleeping Patterns Helped With Chiropractic – A Case Study

A case study published in the July 2006 issue of the peer-reviewed, scientific publication, the Journal of Clinical Chiropractic Pediatrics (JCCP) documented the effects of chiropractic care on a nine month old infant girl with a history of disturbed sleep. The JCCP is the official publication of the Council on Chiropractic Pediatrics of the International Chiropractors Association.

The study article starts off by noting that the average 9 month old should sleep approximately 14 hours per day. In this case study a nine month old infant girl was presented for chiropractic care with a history of severely disrupted sleep and fussiness. Additionally, the infant was refusing to breastfeed on one side and exhibited, what was called a generally unsettled behavior. It was also noted that the child would not turn her head to the left. These problems had been occurring since birth.

The examination confirmed a reduced range of neck motion to the left and significant muscle tension in the left and upper neck. Upon touching the neck the child exhibited signs of being in pain by crying and moving away. It was determined that subluxations were present, and an appropriate course of adjustments was initiated.

The results in this case were very impressive. The study noted that on the afternoon after the infants first adjustment the baby girl fell asleep for 5 hours. This was followed by nighttime sleep of 2 periods of 6 hours each. Over the next three weeks of care the daytime sleep got shorter, but the nighttime sleep remained between 6 and 8 hours.

In addition to the dramatic sleep improvement, the child also improved her range of neck motion and was able to turn her head to the left in response to sound on the left side. Additionally the infant began to feed freely and comfortably.

In their conclusion, the authors of the case study noted that the dramatic improvements after just one adjustment indicated that the vertebral subluxation found in this case was at least in part responsible for the disrupted sleep pattern.

References: http://www.chiropracticresearch.org/search-result.php?aid=1002

By Dr. Amie Gregory | Posted in chiropractic redwood city, Chiropractor Redwood City, redwood city chiropractic, Redwood City Chiropractor, San Carlos Chiropractor | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Sometimes Chiropractic can be life changing!

August 5, 2011

Appearing in the March 2004 issue of the peer-reviewed Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, was a documented case study of a life changing case. Here is what that article stated:

The subject of the study was a previously healthy 17 year old who was involved in high school sports.
On one occasion he was competing as a pole vaulter in a high school track meet when he had an accident in which he landed on his head from a height of 10 feet.

Immediately following the accident, he noticed neck pain at the base of his skull. In addition he started suffering from back pain and daily migraine headaches approximately 3 times per week. He described his pain as an “unbearable everyday occurrence.” Additionally, several days after the accident he began experiencing “blackouts,” which were later diagnosed as petit mal seizures. These seizures continued to increase until he was experiencing them 4 times per day.

Things continued to get worse for him during the first 6 months following the accident, he started experiencing the onset of depression. He described a complete loss of appetite, extreme lethargy, a lack of concern for himself, and an extremely erratic sleep cycle that often left him awake for several days followed by periods of 14 to 18 hours of sleep.

He and his mother stated that he consulted with approximately 24 practitioners during this time. Prescribed medications and therapies did not alleviate or reduce symptoms. To alleviate his pain and depression, he started using illegal drugs in an attempt to “make himself feel better.” After becoming addicted, his parents checked him into a drug rehabilitation program, which he completed.

It was after this long 6 year period, he sought chiropractic care from a chiropractor. An examination was performed and it was determined that the young man was suffering due to a subluxation in the upper neck. A course of corrective adjustments was begun to correct the subluxation and reduce nerve pressure.

The results as reported in the Journal was nothing short of life changing for the young man. After 1 month of care, the patient reported an absence of seizures and manic episodes and improved sleep patterns. After 4 months of care, seizures and manic episodes remained absent and migraine headaches were reduced from 3 per week to 2 per month. After 7 months of care, the patient reported the complete absence of symptoms. And eighteen months later, the patient remains asymptomatic. Needless to say, his life was changed!

This is why we love our job :-)

By Dr. Amie Gregory | Posted in Chiropractor Redwood City, Redwood City Chiropractor, San Carlos Chiropractor | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

25 Tips To Avoid Insomnia

June 27, 2010

If you have problems sleeping, try some of these methods!

1. Listen to relaxing music. White noise and nature sounds can be quite relaxing and serve as meditation before going to sleep.

2. Avoid snacks right before bed especially grains and sugars. Raises in blood sugar can inhibit your sleep. Then when your sugar level drops, it may wake you up and give you difficulty in falling back asleep.

3. Try to sleep in complete darkness if possible. Light can disrupt your pineal gland which produces melatonin and seratonin.

4. If you wake up at night to go to the bathroom, make sure there is as little light as possible. It will keep melatonin levels at the right levels and get you back to sleep. Wearing eye covers helps too!

5. If possible, take the television out of the bedroom and if you do have television, refrain from watching it an hour before bed. Television stimulates the brain and it will take longer to fall asleep.

6. Since the feet have less circulation than the rest of the body, wear socks to bed. Studies have shown that if your feet are cold, it disturbs your sleep.

7. Read a relaxing book before bed. No thrillers or high drama novels.

8. Alarm clocks should be somewhat soothing but still wake you up. Having a loud sound wake you up is stressful to your body. There are alarms that mimick the sunset and the light increases gradually waking you up smoothly. If that is not your style, then how about a CD or radio station that plays classical music, jazz or blues. These tend to be soothing yet stimulating enough to wake you up.

9. Writing your ideas down on paper to get them out of your system. Writing down your thoughts allows you to relax and get back to sleep.

10. Get to bed as early as possible. Did you knoe that our systems, particularly the adrenals, recharge and recover during the hours of 11 p.m. and 1 a.m? The gallbladder dumps toxins during this time as well.

11. Check the EMFs (electro-magnetic fields) in your room. High levels caused by radios, cell phones and electronics can interupt the pineal gland which has a direct effect on melatonin and seratonin. There are gauss meters that check the levels. Keep unnecessary electronics off or out of the bedroom if possible.

12. Don’t have your heat on above 70 degrees. If you are too hot, it will wake you up and be difficult to fall asleep.

13. Eating a high protein treat before a few hours before bed raises melatonin and serotonin levels.

14. Try to keep prescription medication at low levels. Many drugs have insomnia as a side effect.

15. Avoid caffeine.

16. Avoid alcohol. Alcohol prevents deep stages of sleep so it may cause you to wake up easily.

17. Stay fit. Being overweight increases your chances for sleep apnea.

18. Avoid foods that may cause you to become congested or cause gas.

19. Avoid drinking beverages within 2 hours of bedtime. Drinking fluids right before bed will cause you to get up and go to the bathroom and disrupt your sleep. Also make sure to go to the bathroom right before bed. This decreases your chances of waking up in the middle of the night.

20. Take a hot bath or sit in a sauna before going to bed.

21. Keep the alarm clock away from your view. If it is pointing toward you and you are a light sleeper, you will look at it and disrupt your sleep.

22. If you are menopausal or perimenopausal, hormonal changes may cause problems. You may need to consult a nutritionalist to help you eat foods to regulate your hormones or seek out a endocrinologist who specializes in women’s health.

23. Stay consistent with your bedtime. It keeps your body in a rhythm and it becomes routine and easy.

24. Exercising for 30 minutes regularly. However, don’t exercise too close to bedtime or it may keep you awake. Studies show exercising in the morning is the best if you are a morning person.

25. If you have tried all of these tips but still have problems, you may want to get your adrenals checked by your medical doctor. Adrenal stress causes insomnia.

By Dr. Amie Gregory | Posted in Chiropractor Redwood City, General Health, Redwood City Chiropractor, San Carlos Chiropractor | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (0)