Who We Help

Headaches are common, but they’re not normal.

Today the most common approach to Headaches and Pain is to reach for the closest pain reliever, or ask your doctor for something stronger. In my practice we will work together on a more natural approach to pain relief; starting with a personal consultation where my objective is to find and reduce the underlying cause of your headache. The goal is to reduce the frequency and intensity of your pain, not just mask it.

A common cause of headaches often stems from spinal bones in the neck that aren’t supporting the head properly. You might not notice any reduced ability to turn your head or even any neck discomfort, but vertebral subluxations affect your nerves, muscles and even the blood supply to your head. My comfortable yet thorough examination can detect the presence of these vertebral subluxations. If you are experiencing headaches and vertebral subluxations are present, you’re likely to benefit from Chiropractic care. Some people are surprised to learn that their headaches are being caused by problems in their lower back! The upper spine might be compensating for imbalances in the lower back by shifting the head off center, which can cause headaches. While I can’t guarantee how effective treatment will be, we have a high success rate with patients who used to experience headaches. Give me a call so we can sit down and discuss your unique situation.

Interested in trying our at-home range of motion test? Some are surprised to learn that their headaches are being caused by problems in their lower back! The upper spine compensates, shifting the head off center, causing headaches.While we can’t guarantee results, we have a high success rate with patients who get headaches. Give us a call. Let’s sit down and discuss your unique situation.

• Is the spine the source of all headaches? Not necessarily. The three most common causes are physical trauma, emotional stress or chemical toxins. Sometimes it’s a combination of factors. My examination process helps us to identify the most likely cause(s) specific to you.
• What causes subluxations? There are three basic causes of subluxations. Physical causes could include slips and falls, accidents, repetitive motions, and improper lifting. Emotional causes could include very high levels of stress and constantly being in a fight or flight response, and lastly Chemical causes include anything you put into your mouth that your body does not like or can’t process.
• I was told it was “all in my head.” Now what? The pain you feel is real. Although Psychological sources of pain are common, this “diagnosis” is often the last resort of health practitioners who have exhausted all other possible explanations. In these cases, I’ve often found that undetected subluxations are likely culprits.
• How many visits will it take? Some of my patients enjoy results quickly. Others notice a slow decline in their symptoms over several weeks or longer. It’s impossible to predict how your body will react to Chiropractic care. If you’ve had chronic headaches for many years, improvement might take time.
• What if chiropractic care doesn’t help? If we’re unable to find and correct the cause of your particular health problem, I will suggest to you alternative wellness experts who may be able to help. Your health and wellbeing is my only goal.
• How come my medical doctor didn’t suggest chiropractic? That’s not uncommon; years of prejudice and bias are giving way to research showing the benefits of Chiropractic care. Attitudes are slow to change but more Medical Doctors then ever before are acknowledging the benefits of Chiropractic care. In response to public demands for alternatives to drugs and surgery, more and more medical practitioners are referring to Chiropractors.

It’s called a pinched nerve because that’s what it feels like. In reality there’s a lot more going on! Like an open window, nerve openings along your spine must be clear and unobstructed. The 24 moving bones that make up your spine are vital to the protection of your spinal cord. Pairs of nerves, one on each side, branch off your spinal cord at each segment to service the organs and tissues of your body.

When these openings are obstructed, even slightly, your brain can’t properly control and regulate your body. When a spinal bone is misaligned it can encroach upon these important nerve openings. The resulting nerve irritation is referred to as a vertebral subluxation, or pinched nerve.

When spinal bones lose their normal range of motion or go out of position, it can cause one of two types of nerve disturbances:

• Compressed lesion – This is just a fancy name for a pinched nerve. What surprises many is that it’s actually quite rare. More common is a…
• Facilitative lesion – This is when the nerve is stretched, twisted or chafed. Think of it like soft tissue rubbing on a hard surface.

If we consider that bones are just static structures, waiting to be moved by muscles; and muscles don’t move our bones unless instructed by the nervous system; then consider what might happen if the nerve is restricted or damaged. As a Chiropractor I specialize in locating these problem areas and reducing their impact on your nervous system.

A thorough examination helps us identify the areas of your spine where spinal bones are not moving correctly. Then with a gentile and precise nudge called a chiropractic adjustment I can correct the alignment. Your body takes advantage of this correction to “right itself” as nerve irritation is reduced. Because Chiropractic addresses the integrity of your nervous system, it’s a natural solution to many health problems.

DON’T let your friends or family crack your back; it might seem like a good idea at the time but in reality it’s more likely to cause further problems. After years of study and over 17 years in practice using the most advanced technology, now is the time to give me a call. I used a sophisticated computer aided technology to gently target individual adjustments. This is Chiropractic like you’ve never experienced before, no uncomfortable twisting or popping. Free yourself from the anxiety of Traditional Chiropractic and contact me to learn more about how modern techniques can help you.

• How long does it take for nerve irritation to be reduced? It depends on how extensive your problem is, but some patients experience almost instant relief. Others find that relief may take weeks or months. Many factors can affect the healing process. How long have you had your problem? Are you maintaining regular appointments? Are you getting the proper rest, exercise and nutrition? Do you smoke? Are you in otherwise good condition? Within a short period, most patients sense enough progress to justify completing our recommendations.
• What about my friend who only needed one visit? It’s true there are rare cases where a single visit can produce the pain relief that many patients seek. However, the effect is often short lived because the underlying muscles and soft tissues have not been strengthened and retrained. In my experience when patients begin Chiropractic care as adults, they have typically considerable structural and functional damage from years of neglect. A single “miracle” adjustment rarely produces permanent change.

Sciatica is a pain that begins in the lower back and extends down one or both legs. It typically worsens with extended periods of sitting or standing. It’s most common when the discs between the spinal bones of the lower back were exposed to some kind of trauma, which may have caused one or more discs to bulge. This creates pressure on the adjacent nerves, resulting in irritation and inflammation. You may experience pain during movement or maybe only during coughing, or sneezing. If neglected, the nerve irritation often extends down one or both legs along the sciatic nerves. The pain appears in the leg, but the real culprit is often your lower back!

Fortunately, improving joint motion in the lower back with a program of Chiropractic adjustments has produced positive results for many people. It all starts with a consultation and thorough examination. If I think I can help you, I’ll tell you; and if I don’t think I can help, I’ll tell you that too. As a back and nervous system specialist I will assess your condition and refer you accordingly if needed. Give me a call and take the first step to better health. Still not sure? I offer no-obligation free consultations where we can address any questions you might have. Just give me a call.

• How do you get sciatica? It’s easy to trace some spinal problems to an event, such as a car accident. Yet, Sciatica is more often the result of cumulative damage. Years of bad posture, poor muscle tone, excess weight or countless other causes sets the stage. Then, something simple like bending over to tie your shoes can trigger an episode. Spinal decay can be another culprit. Disc thinning can add pressure on the sciatic nerve, or an arthritic bone spur might be intruding on space normally reserved for the nerve. In any case, your first best step is to seek out a through examination by a qualified Chiropractor.
• Can chiropractic cure sciatica? Actually, similar to a medical practitioner, a Chiropractor doesn’t “cure” anything; only your body can do that. The Chiropractic approach to sciatica (and other health problems) is to help restore the way your spine and nervous system works by reducing nerve irritation, thus revitalizing your bodies own healing ability.
• How much chiropractic care will be needed? Most Sciatica patients are delighted with the results they get after a few weeks or months of care. Naturally, this varies from patient to patient. Depending on the extent of neglect, you may have spinal instabilities that never fully heal. These chronic patients often elect to continue with periodic Chiropractic checkups to reduce their chances of a relapse.
• What if I don’t remember any ‘trauma’? This is a common refrain because our bodies are unusually adaptive. Unconsciously we can often accommodate a variety of stresses for years with seemingly minimal consequence. Then one day, like the “straw that broke the camel’s back,” we turn or bend in a funny way and suddenly our spine is unable to manage the accumulation of stress.

Your body inappropriately perceives the allergen as a threat. Chiropractic care doesn’t treat allergies. So, why do so many people with allergies mention that they see improvement by receiving care in our practice? It’s Not the Pollen.

There are many signs of an allergic reaction. Itchy eyes. Runny nose. Sneezing. Skin rash. More serious reactions can include constricted air passageways, vomiting and even death. All this from a handful of peanuts, an encounter with a cat or microscopic grains of pollen in the air! If everyone reacted to these common substances, we could fix the blame squarely on the nut, dander, shellfish or pollen. But not everyone reacts. What is it?

Your nervous system is the master system that orchestrates your immune system, glandular system, respiratory system and every other system that reacts inappropriately to an allergen. Normally, these systems help you respond and adapt to the world around you. But suffering from uncontrollable sneezing around a house cat is probably an inappropriate reaction.If your nervous system isn’t working right, you don’t work right. So, rather than direct our attention to the countless potential allergens, we locate and reduce the disturbances we find to your nervous system.

How full is your adaptation bucket?Each of us was born with the capacity to withstand or adapt to stress. If we’re unable to deal with things we eat, breathe or come into contact with it may be because our margin to adapt is used up.Pretend that this bucket represents your capacity to adapt to the physical, emotional and chemical stresses of life. Every stressful encounter your body faces, fills up your bucket.If your bucket is already full and you encounter pollen, foods or other chemicals, your bucket overflows. When that happens, people say they’re having an allergic reaction. But what they’re really saying is, “I’ve lost my ability to adapt. My margin is used up.”

Nervous System So, we don’t treat allergies. We look for ways to restore your ability to adapt to allergens by locating and reducing disturbances to your nervous system. Simple, really.We’d love to discuss your specific allergy issue and how chiropractic may help.