Precision Chiropractic

NeuroStructural Chiropractor

upper cervical

The One-In-Sixty Rule

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If you’re not a pilot of an aircraft or a ship, there’s a good chance you’ve never heard of the one-in-sixty rule. It states that for every 1 degree a plane veers off its course, it misses its target destination by 1 mile for every 60 miles you fly. This means that the further you travel, the further you are from your destination. This might not seem like that big a deal if you’re walking across the street to grab lunch, but if you were on a flight from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., you’d end up on the other side of Baltimore, 42.6 miles away.

When we think about our health problems we tend to think of them as these large, complex issues but they didn’t start that way.  A lot of times something along the way knocks you 1 degree off course and in the beginning, it didn’t seem like much. But as time passes the two paths can diverge a great distance.

There is a fine line between health and disease. An accident. A fall. A single and seemingly small incident can cause a domino effect that can create multiple problems. This is when it seems like everything is falling apart. Don’t give in to that because health is right around the corner.  Identify where the root of the problem is and start correcting the trajectory that you are on. That fine line goes both ways. I see it in the office all the time. People can go from feeling terrible all the time to feeling good. From suffering to thriving.

It’s not too late to chart a new course! Is there someone in your life that popped into your mind while reading this? Forward them this blog post and have them schedule a complimentary consultation with us so we can help them get back on track.

Credit Where Credit is Due

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Let me tell you a secret…

Doctors get too much credit for their patients getting well.

How well does a procedure or medication work on a cadaver? I know this seems like a weird point to make but stick with me here. What is the difference between a cadaver and you and me? The cadaver is missing the innate, self-healing life force that is present in living beings. The same life force that knitted you together in your mother’s womb. This life force is what mends our paper cuts and repairs broken bones. No matter what degree a Doctor has, no matter how much schooling, they can not replicate this healing ability. 

So give credit where credit is due, and pat yourself on your back! Don’t get me wrong, modern medicine is amazing and has saved many lives. But we need to remember the best Doctor there will ever be is the one that lives inside of us.

The Penumbra Effect

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A lot of our patients experience neurological changes after an adjustment. There are lots of reasons for this but today we are going to specifically talk about the Penumbra effect. When the atlas misaligns, it stretches the spinal cord via the dentate ligaments. This mechanical strain pools blood within the spinal cord by blocking venous drainage. This is a major problem because the lack of proper drainage and blood flow in such an oxygen-dependent area can cause major damage.

The good news is that the body can, in effect, put these strained areas in a hibernating state. This is called the penumbra effect. While this is not ideal, it saves those delicate neurological tissues from complete death and necrosis. 

So what happens when an atlas correction is made? The blood that was in stasis (stagnating) can be flushed out and the oxygen levels are normalized. The nerves and nerve cells are literally revived and woken from hibernation. This can create many sensations such as warmth and tingling. Vision can seem clearer. Breathing feels deeper. Brain fog can be lifted.

Even though we are adjusting a bone in the spine, we see far-reaching effects on the central nervous system. This is why at our office we make the effort to know when and where to adjust. We are dealing with your nerves too!

Didi’s Story

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On Sept. 14, 2019, I was the passenger in a vehicle that was rear-ended. Because they hit the tow hitch, based on all the science, and being a woman, my brain absorbed the majority of the impact, as well as injuries in my neck and right hip, leaving me in constant pain and permanently disabled. It felt like what I would imagine it must be like to be hit at the base of my skull by a professional baseball player swinging for a home run.

My first memory was realizing my hands were on my head, making sure it was still there as I thought it had exploded and was gone; then I realized I was thinking and still alive. My face felt partially numb from the top of my nose to the bottom of my chin, and I could hardly open my mouth because my jaw was so locked. In the ER about an hour after the accident, I couldn’t figure out how to fill out the form: I couldn’t figure out how the words “female” or “male” related to me, and when I was handed the clipboard to sign my name from the person that filled it out for me, I sat there looking at the line trying to figure out how to form the letters. I was told later it looked like chicken scratch, nothing close to my normal signature.

For over two years it felt like my head was in a vice that would tighten for whatever reason. My hip has unrepairable tears in the labrum, as well as significant tears in my tendons & ligaments, which left me with a walking range of about one block before the pain got unbearable and I could hardly lift my foot off the ground. Because of the pain and a lot of balance issues I usually rode a mobility scooter to go anywhere.

I was working with the WA State Department of Vocational Rehab (DVR). After completing a 3-day evaluation, it was determined that it would be very difficult to find a traditional job. Because I had applied for Social Security Disability (SSDI) fairly early in my recovery, in addition to “regular” medical appointments, I had a 3-hour mental health evaluation and 1-hour physical evaluation. I had requested both reports to be sent to my Doctor. It took only 8 days from the time they started reviewing the exam reports to issue a decision, and the attorneys confirmed the correct decision had been made – APPROVED.

After moving to CO and being connected to more therapists, I’ve now had a total of around 250 +/- medical appointments in 2 1/2 years – occupational, speech, physical, vestibular, vision, cognitive, and massage therapies, chiropractic care; various tests, scans, and imaging, with follow up appointments for each, as well as re-evaluations of my improvement. The difference in care here in CO is amazing! I had been going to a different chiropractor in Fort Collins and he said my skull was tilted. I spoke with my physical and vision therapists about it. Since they know Dr. Jane, they immediately connected me with her. After being evaluated and x-rayed, Dr. Jane figured out the exact tilt of my skull (almost 2 degrees off!) and how to get my skull and atlas into correct alignment. After three months of getting checked and adjusted when needed twice a week, my skull was straight again. I don’t tilt my head to straighten my vision, rarely feel the vice-type pressure in my head, have great balance, can walk just over a mile, and even run a little!

Because I can move again, I am actually starting to LIVE, not just survive life. It is amazing when we have the correct type of individualized care from experts in specific fields, like Dr. Jane, how much life can improve. Don’t put your health and life on hold if you do not feel at your optimal. Be your own advocate and do what it takes to live an active and satisfying life – we only have one chance – LIVE it.

Wolff’s Law

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Wolff’s Law is the idea that the bones of a healthy person will adapt and change according to the demands placed on them. For example, if the bones are subjected to heavier and heavier loads, they will naturally reconstruct themselves to accommodate that weight. This is how bones typically respond to stress.

This law explains why bone spurs and degenerative disc disease happen. Where there is stress, there will also be an adaptation to that stress. This adaptation is one of many examples of homeostasis. Bone spurs on the spine do not occur by chance or by the passage of time alone. They are evidence of abnormal stresses that the spine is bearing due to improper spinal alignment. These mechanical stresses over time force the body to buttress unstable areas with calcium/bone deposits. Similar to calluses that form on our hands and feet, bone spurs are due to abnormal strain.

What is the solution? The restoration of proper alignment within the spine, especially the head and neck. Will this make the bone spurs go away? No, that would be very unlikely, but it can definitely aid in the prevention of further damage and degeneration. Proper alignment can help a seventy-year-old spine look thirty, while misalignments can do the opposite!

Superstition

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Did you know that the superstition around the number 13 is so prevalent that Otis Elevator company reports that 85% of their elevators that are installed in skyscrapers do not include a 13th floor? I grew up in NYC so I can personally attest to the truth behind this. How wild and crazy is it that all of these people involved in the process of constructing and installing an elevator believe in this superstition enough that hundreds of buildings are built without a 13th floor?! We are talking about the owners, architects, building inspectors, and tenants – they all have to go along with it for this to happen. I don’t think there is a grand conspiracy here, but it is important to note the dangers of groupthink and how we all can get carried away.

Let’s think about some other superstitions when it comes to our health… women must give birth laying down…. fats are bad for you… milk is good for your bones… cholesterol is bad for you…

Check out these Time magazine covers from 1984, 1999, and then 2014:

The science and our understanding of it are constantly evolving. It is easy to go with conventional thinking but also remember all the “missing” 13th floors around the world. This is about more than just superstition, it’s about your health and well-being. Ask good questions, do the research, and when you know better, do better!

Yours in good health,
Dr. Jane

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