Saturday, December 22, 2012

Rockford Chiropractor - Asthma Solutions

Nice story of one patient regaining health. But the temptation here...well, you read it and see what you think...
"I have been asthmatic for most of my life. My latest allergist had me on 6 meds for my allergies - trees, pollen, grasses, mold, pets, etc, you name it. This summer was my best year ever since I began NUCCA care with Dr. Schalow in June! I have cut out over half of my allergy meds. I'm down to only 1 tablet and 2 inhalers. I feel great and breathe much freer now. I also have so much more energy and strength. My allergist is jealous but glad to see that I haven't changed in my test scores in over a year - despite taking less meds. If this is me after 6 months, let's see how a full year goes!"

So are you convinced that we've got "the Pill" for asthma yet? I hope not, because we don't.
No sirreee!
What we DO have is a procedure that sets into motion the process required for the body to get back to normal function. It's called the NUCCA procedure and it takes a lot of work to do right, but for those interested in putting the work in, wow, can we see success! So it doesn't matter what condition you have, if your central nerve system is hung up on something, get checked for the atlas subluxation complex, and watch what happens when we reduce that! 815-398-4500

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Rockford Chiropractor - The Healing Process

The nerve system develops 1st among body systems. We can observe that at the beginning of the third week of the developing embryo. As it develops, it grows from the head to the tail.
When you are startled, your nerve system reacts in an orderly progression beginning with the head, contractions flowing down the body.
When we want to make any changes, therefore, we begin with the head so normal physiology can be enhanced and itself support the changes we seek.
Most people receiving the NUCCA correction do not feel any changes at first, but within hours to weeks, the changes become noticable. Those changes may come across as joint pain, muscle aches, severe fatigue (like what you get after a good workout), or even a runny nose!
But since people usually come in to gain relief from symptoms, here is how you know things are heading in the right direction;
You hold your correction (can't get better if your brain doesn't stay in control of the process)
Pain moves from further out in the body to closer into the spine, centering on one point and usually then moving up the spine. (like if you have leg pain, it recedes to the back, and then up the back)
Old injuries are felt briefly again, sometimes even years after they first happened.
These concepts are known as Hering's Law of the Cure (Constantine Hering, a really smart doc who lived in the 1800's)
At 1st Step Chiropractic, we intitiate the healing process by resolving the disconnect between the head and neck. Then we just need to be sure things remain corrected. Other modalities may help you to feel better, but you lose the long-term benefit seen with the NUCCA correction.
Remember to ask, "What's the Status of the Atlas?"

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

What's With Medicare?

The unsettling news from the Medicare people (congress...the argument over the budget...) is that reimbursements are going down. For the NUCCA chiropractor, that means the mandated charge for an adjustment (the only payable service in the Medicare program for the chiropractic office) is sinking way, way below most doc's break-even point.
Some docs at this point are going to simply jump ship and have a big goodbye party for their patients who are medicare beneficiaries. But that's not why I got into this work.
Upper cervical chiropractic is all about taking care of people.
It's about restoring the potential for health, opening up the channels of communication between the brain and the body (something all vertebrates depend upon). On a personal level, it's about Rosalie getting off her pain medications, it's about Mary's getting rid of her chronic asthma, it's about my 86 year-old father-in-law getting his legs back under him. It's even about living more fully in retirement!
So as the insurance landscape becomes different (sometimes it feels like a river of pirahnas), we are holding our attention focused on delivering the best in upper cervical chiropractic care, and other types of care as individuals require, to the best of our ability.
1st Step Chiropractic, S.C. Rockford, IL 815-398-4500

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Rockford IL Chiropractor: The Upper Cervical Adjustment


Ever wonder about the upper cervical adjustment? "Kissing Cousins" to the NUCCA procedure is the Atlas Orthogonal procedure, which uses a table-mounted adjusting stylus. It is easier to see how the force is transferred through the metal stylus with this procedure (Law of the Conservation of Energy), but the NUCCA adjustment is the same physics, just with the hands.
We prefer the hand adjustment at 1st Step Chiropractic, due to the fact that we can control the forces even more through kinesthetic sense - just like playing the violin! 815-398-4500
4519 Highcrest Rd. Rockford IL 61107

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Rockford Chiropractor - Helping Nutrition

When the nip in the November air piques our awareness
of the upcoming holiday season, many of us have mixed
reactions to the anticipated festivities. While it’s great to
gather with friends and family we may not see throughout
the year, the gastronomic indulgences that these gatherings
include can wreak havoc on even the healthiest diets.

What is the best way to sustain and nourish our bodies, regardless of the season?
Believe it or not, healthy nutrition begins with an aligned spine. Your brain controls all the organs involved in the digestion of food and the absorption of important nutrients
to make your body function. Diligently eating the most
nutritious food may be of great value, but only if your body
can process and use what it is getting. So the first logical
step to good nutrition is to get checked regularly, to make
sure that you are in alignment and the internal communication
highway is clear of obstacles.

The next important factor for good nutrition is healthy food choices. You’ve undoubtedly heard the expression“garbage in, garbage out.” This is especially true with our
diets. It is unreasonable to expect our bodies to function
properly if we don’t nourish them properly. Daily we need
vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, proteins, and fiber for the
multitude of actions that take place in our body. A lack of
these essential nutrients can lead to dysfunction, prolonged
dysfunction can lead to disease. Sometimes illness can be
the result of an unidentified food intolerance. Identifying
and eliminating the offending food can make the difference
between a great day and just getting through the day. I had
a mother bring her ADD-diagnosed child to me for upper
cervical work, but I found she was only suffering from a
food allergy - her atlas was perfect!   Concerns about nutrition? Remember to ask, "What's the Status of the Atlas!" But then be sure to have a thorough nutrition evaluation.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Rockford Chiropractor Helping TMJ Syndrome

I was surprised to meet a patient who has seen other health care practitioners who know nothing about how to help TMJ syndrome. Well, that's not good. So we want to let everyone know that there is help right here in Rockford, IL, at 1st Step Chiropractic, S.C.
We practice the NUCCA procedure for balancing the spine, and the really nice thing is that TMJ syndrome responds very well to this work!

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Rockford Chiropractor - Helping Accident Victims


Click Here for Video
If you have ever been in an accident, it's easy to overlook the possibility that, even though you are not bleeding, you might have been hurt deeply by the event. Sometimes, such as with Tony Schumacher depicted in this video, the injuries are serious enough that all manner of procedures are employed to put you back together again - surgery, orthopedic interventions, drugs. But once the big stuff is done, what about the little stuff that everyone seems to overlook?
When the first bone in the neck is jarred out of position (there are limits to ligament elasticity), it causes pressure on the brainstem region of the spinal cord. That's the control area for many functions of the body. Blood flow is impaired, nerve tissue is reversibly damaged, and health begins to fail.
The upper cervical doctor is the only doctor trained to detect and correct this type of problem. It is called the "Atlas Subluxation Complex." The ASC can be the original cause for hundreds of disease states, and when a person's health declines after an accident, the likely reason is the presence of the ASC.
Consider 1st Step Chiropractic, S.C., when you think it's time to turn the decline around. 815-398-4500.
The Rockford, IL center for the NUCCA procedure.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Rockford Chiropractor - Helping the Diabetic

Sharing this fascinating letter with you to let you know of the wonderful things the body can accomplish when we remove stress from the trillions of nerve fibers at the base of the brain with the NUCCA procedure at 1st Step Chiropractic, S.C.

Dr. Schalow, I can’t thank you enough! I have always had a deep fear of diabetes. At the end of last year, I was exhibiting symptoms. Fortunately, I was scheduled for a routine physical. The examining MD said my blood sugar was off the charts (500+) and I needed to see my regular MD immediately, as I was diabetic.

Unwilling to embrace diabetes and also unwilling to see my “regular” MD so quickly, we decided to pay a visit for your opinion. You have successfully treated all of my family for a range of afflictions, including my high Blood pressure. A skilled specialist, you did this without “throwing more drugs at it” as was the inclination of our prior family doc. I am grateful you are not “your dad’s run of the mill, bone-crunching chiropractor”. I am also grateful you are as committed to affordably helping people address their health issues as you are and not doing what you do just to generate a fee. If I did not repeatedly experience the effectiveness of your non-invasive treatments I wouldn’t believe they work.

After some conversation and an exam of 2 knowing “pokes”, you identified my problem.  It was clear that some lifestyle changes were also going to be necessary. However, repeatedly checking sugar levels, taking insulin shots, amputations, higher heath care expenses, more costly insurance, etc, are also lifestyle changes.

Also, as a Christian I am convicted by the exhortation in 1 Corinthians 6:19, “that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.”

I was a patient willing to follow instruction! It took a series of NUCCA adjustments and other treatments, a bunch of herbal/food supplements and some dietary changes over a period of 4-5 months or so, but I am diabetes free. My sugar is consistently in the high 90s. I am so grateful for your help and knowledge.

I can’t even begin to imagine how many people have been condemned to life as a “diabetic”, because they didn’t seek out help that might have cured them. Thank you again for all you have done for me and my family.
Sincerely, Bob Gaudry, September, 2012.


Ready to get on the road to healing and good stewardship? 815-398-4500. 1st Step Chiropractic, S.C., the center for the NUCCA procedure in Rockford, IL.


Saturday, June 30, 2012

Rockford Chiropractor - Recovery from Surgery


"I can see again!" was Rosalie's first comment after her initial NUCCA correction. It's always the dramatic, sudden changes that reassure us that choosing NUCCA chiropractic is the right decision. But how long does the healing process actually take?
Rosalie's optic neuritis cleared instantly, restoring her color vision, but her congestive heart failure and her liver disease took 3 years to show definite signs of clearing.
The Rush University hypertension study showed that hypertension reduces after four weeks of NUCCA care for those people who had no other symptoms, but John's hypertension didn't reduce until 18 months after his initial correction - after his back pain finally cleared!
Lillian's correction was successful, but she had the quickest benefit from outpatient back surgery about four weeks after. Although her pain cleared immediately after the surgery, her joint and tissue damage took another year to clear under NUCCA care.
What do these people have in common?
They stuck with it.
The Upper Cervical spinal correction using the NUCCA procedure sets up conditions favorable for the body to heal by restoring communication within the entire nerve system. Since the nerve system controls and coordinates all the other systems, this is where any efforts toward healing should begin. It's the 1st Step! There may be other modalities that can help with complicating issues, but the 1st step is the most important and for most people, reduces the need for other procedures. Join, and stick with, the thousands of patients who are enjoying NUCCA care over their lifetimes!

Rockford Chiropractor - Hypertension

It's hypertension again!
Another upper cervical study shows that correction of the atlas misalignment (atlas subluxation complex) helps the body manage its own blood pressure issues.
This one used a table-mounted adjusting instrument (atlas orthogonal) to correct the problem. Interesting and immediate results were that people with high blood pressure brought it down, and people with low blood pressure brought it up.
What the study (Torns, Journal of Upper Cervical Chiropractic Research, April, 2012) did not try to find out is how long these changes lasted.
Well, okay...
But the purpose of the research is not just answer some questions (can changes to the atlas misalignment help the body regulate itself?) but also to raise more questions (what happens one day, one week, one month after this correction?).
Moving right along....
1st Step Chiropractic, S.C., for when you are ready to start your journey to health. 815-398-4500

Monday, June 11, 2012

Wordle: My Rockford Chiropractor
You wouldn't believe what the NUCCA procedure can do for people! Even the skeptics, after receiving a spinal correction that holds, are able to say months later, "hey, I'm getting better, is it a coincidence?"

No, it's not a coincidence when you have had a documented correction of the atlas subluxation complex, just plain biology of the vertebrate mechanism...

When you're ready to start the journey to health, 1st Step Chiropractic, S.C., 815-398-4500.

Monday, June 4, 2012

Is This the Cure for Cold Feet?

When we work with the central nerve system, any symptom you can think of can vanish, according to the ability of the body to heal itself. So, is it more important to patch up perceived problems or to get to the root of the issue and help the central nerve system run smoothly so you can heal on your own?
1st Step Chiropractic, the 1st step to take in wellness. 815-398-4500.

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Rockford Chiropractor - Minding the Atlas

While travelling in England, you can be sure of two things - you must look to your RIGHT before crossing the road, and you must pay attention to how you step around and onto things. The ubiquitous sign in the rail system is "Mind the Gap," which simply reminds us to think about where we are stepping.

I have tweaked this image to remind ourselves that success and failure in health care actions we take hinges on how well the atlas subluxation complex has been reduced, corrected and maintained.

We may find that the NUCCA correction has helped us to heal over time from sleep problems, high blood pressure and digestive disorders, but that the headaches remain. Does that mean we abandon our efforts to maintain the central nerve system integrity? No, it means we look at other elements to find out what else might be causing the headaches (or back pain, or leg pain). Sometimes, quitting a bad habit, like smoking or drinking, is all that needs to be done. Sometimes a nutritional protocol is indicated, or even another procedure that requires a referral.

But we must never overlook the importance of the atlas. Your highest expression of life depends on it!

Monday, May 28, 2012

Rockford Chiropractor - Clear Out Subluxation!

You may begin your day with a refreshing bolt of vitamins and food supplements, followed by a fortifying breakfast.  As unique as your nutritional requirements may be, we are reminded that there is more to the daily task of keeping ourselves going besides food.

A Texan court recently ruled that there is such a thing as a "subluxation," which is the term applied to a bone out of place interfereing with the nerve system. Why is that important?

The nerve system (usually called the Nervous System - except that makes it sound "nervous") controls and coordinates all the systems of the body. It is through our nerve system that we see, hear, feel everything, think, and it is our nerve system that relates us to the world inside and outside.

If that is so, then it is very important that we feed, nourish and look after our nerve system. That is the special work of the chiropractor, who looks for the presence of the subluxation, removes it, and sets the conditions favorable for the body to heal.

So next time you consider how to best start your day, your week, your training schedule, remember that your nerve system also requires attention.

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Rockford Chiropractor Helping Neck Pain

A recently new patient described neck pain of 50+ years duration. I'm thinking, "I don't think that's going to change anytime soon with all the adhesions that have probably formed in that time."

But here it is, about four weeks after the initial spinal correction, and she is already feeling better! Isn't it nice when we set up conditions favorable for the body to heal and then it gets right to work!

1st Step Chiropractic, the first step to take in restoring health...

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Rockford Chiropractor Christmas in May!

Spring is already here, and that's not all...it's the 9th anniversary of 1st Step Chiropractic, S.C.!! Beginning our tenth year of upper cervical health care for the Northern Illinois region, we want to invite you to an "Early Christmas!"
On Saturday, May 19th, 2012, please plan on joining us for breakfast, for demonstrations, for fun, gifts, and for lunch too!
Everyone who attends gets a free gift, those of our patients who refer a friend or family member for a new patient exam between now and May 20, 2012, get a SPECIAL free gift, and the referred person gets a FREE EXAM (Medicare Restrictions Apply, ask about our Medicare discount!)
Why upper cervical health care? The top of the neck where it meets the head is the "steering wheel" of the nerve system, which controls and coordinates all the other systems of the body. From headaches and earaches to fallen arches and everything in between, if there is a problem, you must ask, "What's the status of the Atlas?" Most of the time, the first bone in the neck, the atlas, is going to be in the wrong place.
1st Step Chiropractic, the 1st Step to take in Wellness Care!
815-398-4500

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Rockford Chiropractor - Asking Questions

You might think that all I am concerned with is spreading the word about upper cervical spinal care with the NUCCA procedure. It really is important. But I run into some interesting articles. Now, I am not intending to scare anyone. Just raising questions that need to be answered by someone who is not shouting "ABSOLUTELY!"  ....on any issue. There is a compelling argument here by Dr. Tim O'Shea. What do you think?


New Poisoning for San Jose Water

For years now San Jose has prided itself on being the largest 
non-fluoridated city in the US.
No more.  Combined lobbying from the American Dental Assn and the huge  industries who sell fluoride wastes to US communities have now won.
An introduction to this dark story is available on the Water chapter on my site.  In order to appreciate what has just happened in San Jose, the reader first must be informed about the real issues behind water fluoridation.  Here is an excerpt from that chapter:
           "Fluorine is an element. It is a gas, never occurring naturally in its free state. In microscopic amounts complexed with other minerals, it is often listed as a trace mineral, a nutrient for human nutrition. 
Other sources disagree, holding that 'no experimental work or clinical observations have proved that fluorine is in any manner essential for animals or man.' (Alesen, p.5)
           "This has nothing to do with fluoride or fluoridation. The fluoride added to drinking water is a compound of fluorine that is a chemical byproduct of aluminum, steel, cement, phosphate, and nuclear weapons manufacturing. Such fluoride is man-made. In this form, fluoride has no nutrient value whatsoever. It is one of the most caustic of industrial chemicals. Fluoride is the active toxin in rat poisons and cockroach powder. (Dustrude)
           "Hydrofluoric acid is used to refine high octane gasoline, to make fluorocarbons and chlorofluorocarbons for freezers and air conditioners, and to manufacture computer screens, fluorescent light bulbs, semiconductors, plastics, herbicides,  and toothpaste. It also has the ability to burn flesh to the bone, destroy eyes, and sear 
lungs so that victims drown in their own body fluid."
Now here's the Bait and Switch that many people have missed all these years:   The fluoride added to city water supplies bears little resemblance to the sodium fluoride that appears in toothpaste and dental offices, which itself is bad enough.  But water fluoridation uses a completely different compound:  industrial waste. 
Community water companies have million dollar contracts to buy fluoride waste materials from the aluminum, phosphate, and nuclear industries. 
Turns out, if these industries were not able to be selling these toxic wastes, they would be paying billions in toxic waste storage and disposal.
Everybody knows this much.  Except of course those whose only sources are the most superficial of media.  But to get this far is not difficult.
Other dots need to be connected to grasp the new California situation, however.  Here it comes:
Before he left office, Willie Brown and his cronies sold out the future a little more by passing a unique law that states that any town of more than 10,000 people MUST fluoridate if they can find outside funding to do it. 
Which means even if a referendum of the people votes it out, the town has to fluoridate, if they can find 'outside funding.'
Now for the twisted part.  Guess who has been more than happy to fund any community fluoridation they can. Give up?  The California branch of the American Dental Association.
That makes no sense, you may ruminate.  Why would the ADA be willing to spend millions of their own money to fluoridate community water supplies?  Altruistic interest in dental health?  Hardly.  That type of thing does not appear anywhere in their history. 
Correct answer:  dental fluorosis.   Destruction of teeth from fluoridation:  market expansion.   Job security.    ADA scientists have done their homework. They have read all the studies and know well what fluoridated city water really does to human dentition.
Tell me I'm wrong here.  Prove it.

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Rockford Chiropractor - Helping Pain

Why did the American Heart Association suggest in 2007 that physicians change the way they prescribe over-the-counter pain relievers from a first choice to an alternate recommendation following nonpharmacologic treatment? Most non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications work by down-regulating the COX-2 enzyme that produces inflammation in tissues. (Watch out for farm-raised Talapia fish, they up-regulate this enzyme due to the feed).
The problem comes in when these medications also down-regulate the COX-1 enzyme, which protects kidney and stomach cells. The unwanted result is stomach bleeding and liver damage...
OUCH!
Are there safer ways to bring down inflammation?
1st Step is to check the status of the atlas.
The first bone in the neck, the atlas, can be out of position to a very small extent. It can be so small that its displacement interferes with nerves that control inflammation!
Certain food supplements can also normalize this inflammation response. Let us help you turn your pain around and begin the healing process!
1st Step Chiropractic, using the NUCCA procedure, and where appropriate, precision use of food supplementation. 815-398-4500

Monday, January 16, 2012

Rockford Chiropractor - Helping Hearing Problems

1st Step Chiropractic is THE center for the NUCCA procedure in Rockford, IL. When you are ready to turn the corner, make us a part of your journey back to wellness! 815-398-4500