Upper Cervical & RSD

September 3, 2009 by drhambrick
Filed under Upper Cervical Forest

You MUST pick up the latest Scientific American Mind Sept./Oct. 2008 issue as it is primarily focused on pain and the latest neurological data on the subject. Not that they recommend chiropractic (yet!) but they do quote a 2009 study by epidemiologist J. David Cassidy of University of Toronto(who has performed positive research on chiropractic for decades) regarding 2,300+ whiplash patients concluding: those who expected to get well and return to work recovered 42% faster than those who were less positive. “EXPECTATIONS of recuperation…suggests that a person’s outlook on the future can strongly influence how much pain impinges on his or her life.”

Further data:

“Marijuana is not the ‘soft drug’ people think it is.”, says neuropharmocologist Veronica Campbell of Trinity College in Dublin. Endocannabinoids regulate development and aid survival of young neurons as well as controlling the wiring of neurons into circuits for learning and memory. Smoking marijuana during the periods of life when the brain is still developing obscures these critical chemical signals. (Conclusion: don’t be a stoner dude!)

Researchers administered an anxiety and depression questionnaire to 25 females, half of whom received frown-inducing botox injections. The botox recipients reported feeling happier and less anxious in general; more importantly, they did not feel any more attractive (suggesting that the cosmetic affects were a non issue.) The conclusion of the study it that the more you smile, the less pain you will experience in life. Regarding doctoring, “People who frown during an unpleasant procedure (like a Dr. Hilpisch adjustment!) reported feeling more pain than those who do not. Journal of Pain May 2008

University of California, Berkeley sociology study suggests that Speaking up counts more than competence in being a leader. This study found that students believed that those who spoke more often were the smartest in each group. Those who did not speak up were judged as averagely intelligent and not so creative. Conclusion: “Dominant people seem really good at things because they speak with so much confidence.” (Now maybe you know why my nickname is the Cliff Claven of Chiropractic!)

Fifteen to 20 percent of adults worldwide suffer from persistent or chronic pain. In the spinal cord, some cells aberrantly amplify pain signals after undergoing a type of molecular “learning” that is similar to what happens in the brain during the formation of long term memories. In an important 2008 study neuroscientist Irene Tracy of the University of Oxford found that neural activity in the brain stem region in human volunteers paralleled the duration of painful symptoms that were similar to those of chronic pain patients. How this applies to you and your patients, they suggest: People who experience chronic pain may have problems assessing RISK and REWARD when making decisions. Thus when your patients insist on a destructive lifestyle that seems to be sabotaging their recovery, maybe YOU are not the problem!!!

A couple weeks ago I got to listen to an excellent talk by Sherman president Dr. Jon Schwartzbauer. In the discussion he mentioned the International Research and Philosophy Symposium which will be held on the Sherman campus October 17-19. (see attachment) I know a number of Palmer students will take the easy 12 hour drive down to South Carolina, so I hope many doctors choose to attend this cutting edge program.

Speaking of seminars, a number of students/docs were bummed that the fall Palmer Iowa Blair series was canceled, but hope fills the air as we just confirmed dates on the next series. We will have the Blair Primary on December 12,13, Intermediate January 23,24, and Advanced February 20,21. You can get registered by contacting Mindy or Bridgett at 563-884-5647. Dr. Todd Hubbard and I will be instructing and he told me to bring along the glass cutters so we get a real close look at BJ’s osteological collection!!!

Again on the subject of seminars, check out this lineup! Drs. Reggie, Gold Bob Peterson, Bart Patzer, Ray Drury, Thad Vaugniuax, Nick Tedder, Julie Mayer Hunt, John Hilpisch, and Tonly Palermo will all be instructing at the Upper Cervical Practice Building & Marketing Seminar November 6,7 in Charlotte, N.C. Contact information can be obtained at (704)-394-5007. How do you become GREAT? Learn from the GREATS!!!

Just finishing up our 2nd Blair Elective Series at Life West last night (final next week) and at last week’s class I was assisted by Drs. Hari Khalsa, Allan “Tiger” Cox, Brent “Jake” Hollowell, Dena King, Doug Ross, Jack Truong, and Palmer Intern Jason Blackketter. We believe in the “ganging up on the students” method of instructing!!!

As you know, imitation is the best kind of flattery and that is why I’m going to swipe as much material as I can get off of Dr. Grayson Blom’s fantastic website! Check out www.UpperCervicalClinicsOfIdaho.com and you will really see what a UC site should be like and how interactive & patient centered it happens to be. My site says “I’m great and everyone else in town sucks!”…could use a little work!!!

A very nice study was just published by Dr. Bo Rochester in the Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Society titled: Neck pain and disability outcomes following chiropractic upper cervical care: a retrospective case series. I’ve attached the summary of the study forwarded to me by his friend, noted researcher Dr. Kirk Eriksen, and really am grateful for all the busy UC docs taking the extra time needed to publish these studies and show that UC not only is supereffective,….it is also supersafe!!!

Dr. Thad Vaugnaiux of UCHC has been hard at work studying the history of medicine, here are his findings from this arduous work:

HISTORY OF MEDICINE

* 2000 B.C. – Here, eat this root

* 1000 A.D. – That root is heathen. Here, say this prayer.

* 1850 A.D. – That prayer is superstition. Here, drink this potion.

* 1940 A.D. – That potion is snake oil. Here, swallow this pill.

* 1985 A.D. – That pill is ineffective. Here, take this antibiotic.

* 2000 A.D. – That antibiotic doesn’t work anymore. Here, eat this root.

Palmer student Kim Trader gave me some similar advice:

What is the difference between Bird Flu and Swine Flu?

For bird flu you need tweetment and for swine flu you need oinkment

Lots of GREAT things happening in Upper Cervical…not only nationally but internationally! I talked with Dr. Ray Drury, co-founder of UCHCA and Upper Cervical Evolution. Here is what he has been up to in Italy:

A few notes on what’s going on in Italy:

All three offices are scheduled to open sometime in October. The doctors going are:
Dr. Stephen Conicello – Rome
Dr. Brent Hollowell – Trapani, Sicily
Dr. Ryan Williams – Treviso (near Venice)

All three offices are going to be working in out-patient hospitals and will have American X-ray Digital machines, 3-D CAT scans, MRI and one has Dopplar Ultrasound. Each office has just about every medical specialty known working in them. On my last trip just a few weeks ago we had meeting in each hospital with 20-50 MD’s to learn more about UC. At each hospital there was 1-2 MD that spoke out about something they just didn’t understand but it was promptly cleared up them (whether they liked it or not.) At each meeting my partner in the offices (a medical doctor) stood and told them of this meeting in the States that all of the UC doctors in America come to (the UC Evolution.) He said he was going to speak at that meeting and show through research how the UC subluxation causes the problems it does and why, when you correct, it the problems go away. We have started putting together a research board for UC in Italy. We already have some of the top MD in their specialty committed to being on this board, an orthopedist, psychiatrist and neurologist. FINALLY we are going to have the support of the research community and other health professionals to help us prove what we have all known is the cause of disease. I hope BJ is smiling down over us. I believe this is just the tip of the iceberg. WE WILL PUT UPPER CERVICAL ON THE MAP! (“We will not be denied” has already been taken.)

Some of you may recall my mentioning that years ago I was involved with Ward Management Service for 5 years. Check out the excellent talk of Dr. Charles Ward at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuQ8Rtf0kL8 I found his program to be a very ethical method of running a successful practice. In fact that is where I first met Dr. John Hilpisch strolling down the hallway looking very spiffy in his leisure suit!!!

Seeing some pretty amazing conditions recover under UC lately:

Dr. Daniel Judge has a booming UC practice in the Detroit area. He recently wrote me about his associate’s father. here is what he said: Another good story – Our associate’s father is under care. 30 years of low back pain has plagued him every time he does any physical activity. Golf, home repair, etc. He just built a deck with no back pain and is feeling great at age 62.

Had a patient with trigeminal neuralgia whose symptoms that have dropped from a VAS level of 9 to a 0-2. What prompted him to start Upper Cervical care? He read James Tomasi’s excellent book What Time Tuesday? and was convinced we had the answer. Last Thursday we had a 12 y/o girl brought in who has Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (referred in by a parent of a child whose similar condition has completely resolved with UC care.) After a gymnastics injury four years ago— full body pain, bilat. TMJ, persistent HA’s, irritable bowel,…gradually overtook her life. She was home schooled last year and can no longer study at all this year due to the pain. On examination I could not touch any part of her back via palpation, she could not lie on her back, I could not even touch her legs to perform a leg check as the neurovascular pain was so intense. UC x-rays showed a huge ASL C-1. Now that she is adjusted, the journey has begun. With precise UC care and Innate Intelligence it isn’t IF she recovers,…it’s how SOON!!!

Take care-

Tom