Validating the Truth

Validating the Truth

by Robert J. Goodman, D.C.

 

This year marks the coming of validation for the Upper Cervical Chiropractic techniques. Upper Cervical Chiropractors have appeared on mainstream television programs such as Good Morning America, The Montel Williams Show, and Discovery Health Channel, and our own Dr. Marshall Dickholtz Sr. won the ICA Chiropractor of the Year. Some would say the timing is perfect, including several prominent doctors and researchers in the medical field. The National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association (NUCCA) has spearheaded this movement with the publishing of a hypertension study in a mainstream medical journal (Journal of Hypertension) and is experiencing a growing awareness in the chiropractic and medical world. Recently, Dr. Bruce Bell, a medical doctor from Chicago, stood before 225 NUCCA chiropractors and chiropractic students and discussed how important correcting the atlas subluxation is to the world and how we should be prepared for a greater interest from the health care field in general and increased awareness from the general public.

A published study resulting in lowered blood pressure after a NUCCA spinal correction has actually shocked chiropractors and medical doctors alike. A team of researchers involved in the study, which was based at the University of Chicago, found that aligning the atlas vertebra using the NUCCA procedure resulted in lowering the blood pressure as much as two pharmaceutical medications. The effect lasted for months. With these results, stage 1 hypertension patients who are in their 40’s and 50’s may be freed from their medications and older patients may be able to reduce their pill count. (See article at www.nucca.org)

The National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association is a system of spinal correction that incorporates the measurement of mechanical distortion of the human body and specific clinically proven X-ray analysis to return the body to its normal gravitational balance. Using the Restoration Principle, described by Palmer as “moving the spine into a line,” the NUCCA doctor attempts to resolve the patient’s body to the vertical axis. The X-ray analysis consisting of physics and mechanics allows the doctor to calculate a formula to produce a resultant vector that, when applied correctly, will gently move the bone structure of the skull and cervical spine into a more appropriate relationship, resulting in an improved neurological and mechanically efficient position. This re-balancing of the head and neck moves the entire body into a more balanced position, allowing better circulation and movement, while resolving such symptoms as low back pain (sciatica), and allowing the human body to create optimal function.

 

 

At the forefront of this success lies the Upper Cervical Research Foundation (UCRF) committed to changing lives by making a difference in human health. Their focus is the link between the upper cervical spine and optimal well-being. They are fulfilling their mission through research and public awareness. Current and ongoing research projects such as CervicogenicTemporal Mandibular Disorder (CTMD) will provide an understanding of the interconnections between TMD and malposition of the atlas. This project is expected to determine the optimal way in which dentists and upper cervical chiropractors can work together for the benefit of the patient. Another project that promises validation is the Spinal Modeling Project, a 3-D finite computer model of the spine. This model will assist in providing a numerical technique to support the belief that a bone in the spine is fixed in an abnormal position (subluxated) and, when the spine is adjusted, the bone is corrected to a normal position. This has been the nemesis of scientific investigation and research for years. Even to this day, few chiropractors and researchers have been aware of the ability of upper cervical chiropractors to measure misalignments of the cervical spine using angular (rotary) relationships. Fewer still are aware of the ability of upper cervical chiropractors to apply the correction principle and return a “subluxated bone (joint)” to a normal position. The principal investigator of this project is Dr. Vijay K. Goel, McMaster-Gardner Professor of Orthopaedic Bioengineering, and Co-Director Engineering Center for Orthopaedic Research Excellence at the University of Toledo. Dr. Goel holds appointments in the Departments of Bioengineering and Orthopaedic Surgery in the Colleges of Engineering and Medicine. He is a world-renowned researcher.

This is an exciting time for Upper Cervical Chiropractic and, in an effort to continue the momentum, NUCCA hosted a conference, “Validating the Truth,” that was held from October 2nd-4th in San Francisco. One of the highlights of the conference was guest speaker Bruce Bell, M.D., co-investigator of the hypertension study, speaking on resolving autonomic symptoms with the NUCCA spinal correction. The schedule included presentations in research, biomechanics, advanced adjusting, practice principles, X-ray analysis and structure identification.

For more information, please visit the NUCCA website or call 1-800-541-5799.

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