Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is health?
2. What is Chiropractic?
3. How does Chiropractic compare with traditional Medicine?
4. Would an Upper Cervical Chiropractor be able to help me even though I've had minimal results with traditional Medicine and Chiropractic?
5. How do I know if I am a candidate for the Upper Cervical procedure?
6. How did I get a spinal misalignment (body imbalance)?
7. Is the Upper Cervical Spinal Correction painful?
8. How safe is Upper Cervical Health Care?
9. What changes might I expect following the initial correction?
10. Is it important to bring my x-rays and/or MRI studies?
11. Why are x-rays taken before and after the correction?
12. Are x-ray's necessary on follow-up visits?
13. What can I do to keep from loosing my alignment?
14. I'm worried about x-ray exposure, what should I do?
15. Why am I adjusted just below the ear when I have low back pain and sciatica?
16. Do all people respond the same with Upper Cervical Care?
17. How long will it take until I feel better?
18. How many visits will I need to correct the problem?
19. Is it possible for me to adjust myself?
20. Will the problem go away with time?
21. Does the Upper Cervical doctor use the same spinal correction formula for everyone?
22. Should I have my spine checked by a Upper Cervical Chiropractor before agreeing to surgery?
23. Can I utilize Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care following surgery?
24. How long will I need Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care?
25. What type of education does a Doctor of Chiropractic have?
26. Will insurance or Medicare cover your services?
27. My insurance policy doesn't cover Chiropractic, what should I do?
28. Is it safe to treat women who are pregnant?
29. Why is time required to obtain long term results?
30. If I get adjusted more frequently will it speed my recovery?
31. Why don't I always get a correction when I feel bad, and why do I sometimes get a correction when I feel good?
32. How will I know when I loose my alignment?
33. Can my alignment correct on its own?
34. X-rays and pregnancy?
35. How often should I get monitored for body balance after the doctor has released me from scheduled visits?
36. What if I am skeptical about Chiropractic?
1. What is health?
According to Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary health is defined as "a state of optimal physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity."
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2. What is Chiropractic?
Chiropractic is based on the scientific evidence that the human body has an innate power to maintain its own health. Chiropractic philosophy focuses on the correction of spinal malfunctions, called subluxations, to remove interference to the spinal cord and the nerves. Science has found that the nervous system controls all organs and tissues of the body. A nervous system functioning at its best facilitates the body's ability to cope with disability and disease. This does not mean just a lack of illness, but staying well and performing well for a lifetime.
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3. How does Chiropractic compare with traditional Medicine?
Chiropractic looks at the body as an organism that is in constant flux between disease and ideal functional wellness. Medicine focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of pain and fails to acknowledge the connection between nerve dysfunction, pain and disease. Medicine most often observes and treats people as either sick or not sick. One thing on which Chiropractic and Medicine do agree is that every bodily function is controlled and regulated by the electrical and chemical impulses of the nervous system initiated by the brain. Achieving optimal function of the nervous system is the primary focus of Chiropractic philosophy.
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4. Would a Upper Cervical Chiropractor be able to help me even though I've had minimal results with traditional Medicine and Chiropractic?
In our office, 94-98% of patients obtain some relief from their primary complaint during the initial treatment. Approximately 60% of those patients have already seen at least one medical physician (often several) and one or more chiropractors.
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5. How do I know if I am a candidate for the Upper Cervical procedure?
Anyone who has an atlas is a candidate for the Upper Cervical procedure. The initial consultation with the Upper Cervical doctor is designed to evaluate your symptoms and history and determine if the doctor feels specific upper cervical care can help your condition or if medical intervention may be needed.
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6. How did I get a spinal misalignment (body imbalance)?
Spinal misalignment is most often caused by an accident or other traumatic event. These events occur in a number of different ways over a lifetime and are often unnoticed when they occur. The following are some examples of events that can cause misalignment of the spine:
1. child birth
2. childhood falls
3. roller coaster rides
4. a blow to the head
5. automobile accident
6. athletic injuries
7. skiing accidents
8. falls on an icy surface
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7. Is the Upper Cervical Spinal Correction painful?
NO, it is not at all like manipulative type adjustments. Specific Upper Cervical care uses only a slight amount of pressure by hand or by instrument and is barely felt by the patient. There is NO TWISTING, POPPING, or CRACKING.
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8. How safe is Upper Cervical chiropractic?
Specific Upper Cervical chiropractic is one of the safest forms of chiropractic treatment available. We do not use painful manipulations that may carry a risk of stroke or fracture. The Upper Cervical Chiropractor uses a very gentle form of treatment and takes every precaution to make the procedure as safe and effective as possible.
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9. What changes might I expect following the initial correction?
· Alleviation of pain and symptoms
· Tired and/or relaxed feeling
· Light-headedness or possible headache
· Runny nose as the sinuses open
· Sore muscles over the first few days
· Temporary pain or discomfort that moves from point to point
· Transient body aches
· Body elimination changes - a sense of urgency
· Tingling or heat sensations
· Sleep pattern changes
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10. Is it important to bring my x-rays and/or MRI studies?
Any information you can supply to aid in the diagnosis of your condition is always helpful.
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11. Why are x-rays taken before the correction?
The x-rays taken prior to the correction allow the doctor to determine how the atlas is shifted, tilted or rotated from its normal position. After the correction, x-rays are necessary to determine the success of the correction. If an adequate correction was made, then future corrections will be made using the same formula. This procedure leaves no margin for error.
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12. Are x-ray's necessary on follow-up visits?
Once the doctor determines the exact formula for each individual, future corrections will be made using the same formula. Frequent or repeated x-rays are unnecessary unless the patient experiences a fall or accident that could affect the position of the atlas.
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13. What can I do to keep from losing my alignment?
Once the spine has stabilized, the most common causes for loss of the correction is fatigue or physical, psychological or emotional stressors that strongly affect the body. During the initial recovery cycle, the Upper Cervical doctor will begin to teach you how to maintain your alignment with as few corrections as possible. This is achieved by recognizing your own signs of fatigue or stress, and doing what is necessary to avoid losing the correction.
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14. I'm worried about x-ray exposure. What should I do?
Radiation surrounds us. Most of this radiation is in the form of visible light, ultraviolet and infrared light, radio waves, and microwaves. The amount of x-ray exposure involved with the Upper Cervical procedure is extremely low. We use the newest technology in high frequency x-ray, which produces the lowest possible exposure to the patient available in diagnostic x-ray.
Take a look below at the comparison of Upper Cervical exposure to other forms of radiation.
· NUCCA x-ray series <0.22 mrems
· Dental x-rays (per x-ray) 910 mrems
· Barium enema (x-ray study) 8,000 mrems
· Radiation treatment for cancer 6,000,000 mrems
· CT Scan 4,500 mrems
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15. Why am I adjusted just below the ear when I have low back pain and sciatica?
When the atlas is misalignment, the body moves into an unbalanced position, placing stress and tension around the brainstem. This stress causes the messages from the brain to other parts of the body to be distorted. These distorted messages tell the muscles on one side of the spine, hips and legs to tighten. This entire process creates the short leg phenomenon, low back pain, and stress on the sciatic nerve causing pain in the buttock region and/or leg(s). We correct this problem by analyzing the source of the low back and sciatic pain, which often is body imbalance created by a spinal misalignment. We correct the atlas to its proper position and this allows the muscles of the low back to relax, alleviating the pressure on the sciatic nerve.
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16. Do all people respond the same with Upper Cervical Care?
No, there are some conditions that are directly related to body imbalance (misalignment), some that are partially related, and some that are not related at all. During your initial visit, we make every effort to determine whether your condition is caused by a misaligned vertebra or is a condition that requires medical intervention.
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17. How long will it take until I feel better?
About 90% of people we treat notice a change in how their bodies feel following the initial correction. Over the next 3 to 21 days most patients notice some relief of their acute symptoms. Over the first 90 days their bodies will go through considerable structural and neurological change. It is this process of change (recovery) that moves our bodies from a state of poor health to a state of being well.
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18. How many visits will I need to correct the problem?
At our office, we do not think in terms of number of visits for correcting the problem. When it comes to compression at the base of the brain, and how that weakens the body, we think first about getting the problem corrected, not the number of visits. Recovery and stability of the correction will depend on the progressive degenerative effects that the spinal misalignment has had on the entire body. It is the long term stability of the spinal corrections that get people well, not the number or frequency of office visits.
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19. Is it possible for me to adjust myself?
No, you can manipulate yourself, but there is a difference between manipulating the spine and actually correcting it. Not all adjustment procedures are the same either. There are over 250 different techniques used by various health professionals to adjust the spine. There are only a few techniques that actually correct body imbalance. Specific Upper Cervical care can generally be identified by the following groups that focus on Specific Upper Cervical Care: Atlas Orthogonal, NUCCA, Orthospinology (Grostic) and Blair.
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20. Will the problem go away with time?
No, without intervention, the problem will not go away. Although symptoms may come and go, the problem still exists. If the condition is ignored, over time the problem evolves into a complex set of ailments and degenerative conditions that may not respond to conservative care. If the condition can still be treated conservatively, it may take much longer to correct and stabilize the spine than would have been necessary if the problem had been addressed when the symptoms first appeared.
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21. Does the Upper Cervical doctor use the same spinal correction formula for everyone?
No, each patient is different and no two formulas are the same. This means the doctor will approach each case differently.
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22. Should I have my spine checked by an Upper Cervical Chiropractor before agreeing to surgery?
It is always smart to exhaust every other option available before turning to any surgical procedure with such high risk. Research shows that many people who have surgery for a spinal condition say they are worse after 5 years or only slightly better.
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23. Can I utilize Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care following surgery?
Yes, unless you have had surgical fusion of the atlas or C2. Upper Cervical chiropractic deals with the adjustment of the atlas and there is little force used to achieve the adjustment.
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24. How long will I need Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care?
After the initial spinal correction is made, the spine returns to a normal, balanced position. If the patient maintains the correction, the acute symptoms will begin to disappear. The body will then enter into a recovery cycle where it begins to stabilize into the new, balanced position. Providing the correction is maintained, once the body is stabilized and begins holding its alignment, recovery takes about one month for every year the spine has been misaligned. Once the patient has experienced how much better they feel when they are in proper alignment, they will schedule appointments to have their atlas alignment checked every few months.
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25. What type of education does a Doctor of Chiropractic have?
To become a Doctor of Chiropractic one has to complete a minimum 6 year course of study. The Doctor of Chiropractic has an extremely intense curriculum, which is similar to that of a typical medical student.
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26. Will insurance or Medicare cover your services?
Insurance coverage varies with each policy. We have a cash practice and do not accept insurance payments directly from the insurance companies or Medicare. We will be glad to give you a receipt with the all the required information needed to file for reimbursement with your insurance company if they cover chiropractic care. We will file your Medicare claim so that you can be reimbursed by Medicare.
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27. My insurance policy doesn't cover Chiropractic, what should I do?
Health is your most important possession. Don't take it lightly. Don't allow large companies to make extremely important health decisions on the type of care you need. Our prices are very reasonable and we are willing to work with you in order to make Upper Cervical chiropractic healthcare affordable for you.
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28. Is it safe to treat women who are pregnant?
We are not aware of any harm that can be caused to the mother, or the fetus, from NUCCA Chiropractic adjustments. We are aware of miscarriages that have been caused by conventional Chiropractic adjustments, but those techniques are not used on pregnant women in this clinic. In our clinic, we often treat pregnant women and most have had easy, uncomplicated pregnancies. Science has proven there is a direct correlation between the health and well being of the mother and the health and well being of the fetus.
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29. Why is time required to obtain long term results?
Most people we see have complex conditions that have evolved over time. It is impossible to repair in only one or two visits a condition that has been evolving over many years. You may enjoy relief of symptoms in one or two visits, but that doesn't mean the problem is gone. The doctor will recommend only what he feels is appropriate in each individual.
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30. If I get adjusted more frequently will it speed my recovery?
No, you only get adjusted when an adjustment is necessary. Many times adjusting too frequently can actually retard the recovery process, making the correction less stable.
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31. Why don't I always get a correction when I feel bad, and why do I sometimes get a correction when I feel good?
The Upper Cervical doctor will only adjust your spine when his objective test(s) detects body imbalance to be present. It is possible for patients to be feeling poorly while maintaining their body balance, or the reverse, feeling well, and needing a correction. The body is extremely complex, and constantly in flux. How we feel is not the best indicator of health. Society has been taught through medicine that when you feel bad, you take something for your symptoms. Pain or discomfort is never an adequate justification for spinal correction.
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32. How will I know when I lose my alignment?
From the very first correction the Upper Cervical doctor will begin to teach you how to tell when you are maintaining your alignment, and when you’re not. Some people will have a hard time detecting imbalance and will have to schedule an office visit every month or so to be checked for misalignment.
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33. Can my alignment correct on its own?
It's unlikely that the spine will move back to its normal balanced position without intervention. However, once you are stabilized your atlas may briefly misalign from a non-force event, such as stress, but realign shortly (a few hours.) If you feel you have lost your alignment, it is best to schedule an appointment and get adjusted as soon as possible.
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34. X-rays and pregnancy?
The risk to a fetus from exposure to diagnostic x-rays is low. However, it is necessary for the doctor to know of pregnancy (or possible pregnancy) so we may take the necessary precautions to minimize risk of exposure.
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35. How often should I be monitored for body balance after the doctor has released me from scheduled visits?
For the patient who can recognize when they have lost their correction, the doctor will give them the freedom to schedule appointments as needed. For those patients who are not yet certain of body imbalance, we recommended they have their spine checked on a monthly basis. Some patients schedule periodic checkups, as they would with their dentist, to ensure that body balance is maintained. How long you maintain the benefits of the Upper Cervical spinal correction is always up to you.
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36. What if I am skeptical about Chiropractic?
You are not alone. With any profession, there are good and bad practitioners and chiropractic has had its share. The best advice we can give is to research the background of your chiropractor. What kind of jobs did he have before he became a chiropractor? Many chiropractors were in the healthcare industry before going to chiropractic school. A well rounded past experience makes your chiropractor a better doctor and more likely to refer you to a medical doctor if needed. Find out what techniques the doctor uses. Be leery if the staff can’t tell you what techniques are used in the clinic without asking the doctor. “Full spine” is not a technique. Request a free consultation to meet the doctor and ask questions.
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