Diane was getting sicker...

It was a busy afternoon in the office. Diane was planning on leaving early to catch a plane from O’Hare, and her stuffy nose from the day before was getting worse. Her telephone answering voice had turned into a rather poor advertisement for the office and you could feel her increasing discomfort. She had been taking a food supplement with broad application to immune function, but there was no response. She was holding her upper cervical correction, which organizes the brain’s coordination of immunity, but again, no apparent help from her nerve system. As the minutes ticked by and patients came and went she was visibly sagging lower and lower in energy. Immediate intervention was urgent. 

But then I gave her a different food supplement, and within 30 minutes, she was looking brighter and stronger. The sinus discharges were drying up and she was looking more like her vibrant self. 

What was working here? 

The immune system is better thought of as an alliance between systems. Digestion, skeletal, nerve and endocrine systems all have a part to play in keeping you in top shape having different actions that protect and clean your body. But with some types of infections, antibody production from the thymus gland is critical. These antibodies are sent out from the thymus into the lymphatic system and act as an ambush on the attacking infection. The lymphatic system becomes the staging ground for the battle, and your ability to produce antibodies is key to victory. Diane’s body needed a more specific support weapon to overcome the infection, and we had it!

The best news is that she got on her flight in good health and enjoyed her weekend!

1st StepChiropractic, S.C., also does nutrition consultation and examinations for patients, in addition to spinal balancing through the upper cervical correction. 815-398-4500. 

What If I Hadn't....?

What if I hadn't become an upper cervical chiropractor and stayed in music? What if I had not been able to detect my daughter's subluxation that was quickly killing her with a brain infection? What if I had not been able to restore balance to my wife's spine so that she could heal and stop winding up on the floor with back spasms?
It's true. Life changes.
It is as though the choices I made were intimately connected to the future fabric of my family environment. I look at the community I live and work within, seeing children, adults, people my parent's age and I see lively, sometimes struggling, sometimes dying people who either seek help ("I want to find a way to heal") or suffer within the boundaries of limiting claims.
"There is no hope for you."
"Chiropractic isn't going to help with that..."
When people seek healing, that drive opens up worlds of opportunity for them. Spinal balance, upper cervical corrections, nutritional support, spiritual liberation are a few of the magnificent elements available when the eager don't accept mediocrity.
Pursue health. We're not the only step, we are a 1st Step. Upper Cervical Care Center-Rockford, a division of 1st Step Chiropractic, S.C. 815-398-4500

Trump Picks Kennedy to Lead Vaccine Commission

President-elect Donald Trump asked Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., to chair a new commission on vaccine safety and scientific integrity, Kennedy said today. Kennedy has been a vociferous proponent of vaccine safety in the past. His appointment could breathe new life into the search for the as yet unknown link between vaccines and autism.

Beginning with Gastro-enterologist Andrew Wakefield's 1998 paper reporting a potential link between the trivalent vaccine and autism, and replicated in 2001 (O'Leary) and 2006 (Walker), scientific inquiry has been collecting data that points to susceptibility of some individuals to adverse reactions to vaccines.
"I'm not anti-vaccine," Wakefield states, "but we need to find out more about how these vaccines work," he states in the documentary, Vaxxed.

Although the CDC has also produced, and suppressed, data that unmistakably supports that there is a problem between inoculations and certain cultural groups, the vaccine industry and its media have vociferously attempted to divert attention away from valid research and toward vilifying the public that seeks answers.

"President-elect Trump has some doubts about the current vaccine policies, and he has questions about it. His opinion doesn't matter, but the science matters, and we ought to be debating the science," Kennedy said. "Everybody ought to be able to be assured that the vaccines that we have - he's very pro-vaccine, as am I- but they're as safe as they possibly can be," he added.

The announcement was met with praise from health care providers nationally who say that it's about time we shut down the unrelenting experimentation by the vaccine industry on our children without regard for the Nuremburg Code of 1947 regarding permissible medical experiments.
The National Research Act of 1974 clarified some aspects of that code in response to the Tuskegee debacle in which black individuals were given sexually transmitted diseases without remedy.

"Our nations public health will only improve if we are given the freedom to discover why certain individuals develop autism," said Dr. Julie Mayer Hunt, a Florida pediatric upper cervical chiropractor. "If the rate of autism continues at its current rate, within 15 years, one out of every two children will have autism, and a majority of those children will be boys. This has to stop and unfettered research is imperative," she said.

The Landscape of the Brain

When we use the NUCCA procedure to balance the spine and people get better, we often hear “I don’t know what you do but I like it!” As technology continues to develop, we can actually see what is happening when we correct the misaligned spine. Using specialized scanning machines, we can see that the reason why neurologic tests of the eyes and body improve is because of the “landscape” within the brain that has improved. Last year’s project sponsored by the Upper Cervical Research Foundation showed how the correction improves certain aspects of the blood flow in the brain. When we restore brain connections, the “landscape” of the entire brain changes and makes normal function possible.  Take a look at these two pictures and think about which one is going to result in better life expressions. If you said the picture on the right, I would agree. The picture on the left would trigger more of a humanitarian response which would eventually produce the picture on the right.

When we see eyes that don’t track together, or muscle spasms throughout the head, neck and torso, and when we see the supine short leg phenomenon, we know the interior “landscape” is troubled. That’s why we use the NUCCA procedure – to bring harmony first to the brain and spinal cord, and then restoration to the peripheral regions of the body. The immediate outcome is improved eye function, balance in the body, and eventually freedom from symptoms. So next time you are asked what we do in our office, you can say that we “restore the landscape of the brain which promotes healing through uppercervical spinal correction.”

Brain Gauge by Rockford Chiropractor

You may wonder what we are checking when we have patients lie supine or stand with backs against a grid. Fair question!
Everything we do at Upper Cervical Care Center-Rockford, is designed to ensure your brain is communicating with your body without interference. Some parts of the brain manage posture, some manage eye function, some parts manage swelling in the body. So all your checkups are really brain exams in addition to spinal and peripheral joint exams! Now we have a new tool that helps us see more detail in the brain and its ability to "talk" to itself. It's called the Brain Gauge.

Developed over the past 20+ years by neuroscientist Mark Tommerdahl at University of North Carolina, this astonishing tool gives us baselines for head injury status, insights into breakdowns in specific areas of the brain, and more importantly, gives us a "heads up" in letting us know there's more that needs to be done to facilitate healing.
In one case of Agent Orange exposure, inflammation in the brain showed up on the Brain Gauge test. This led us to the importance of nutritional supplements to process and reduce that inflammation. Progress was recorded within two months!
In another case of Parkinson's disease, the test showed improvement in brain function over a period of two months of upper cervical care and nutritional support.
A patient with a recent head injury was tested. The results showed which part of the head was struck, and showed neurotransmitter problems. In a few more weeks, the new tests should show improvements.
Neurosensory testing on the Brain Gauge is done on Tuesdays and Fridays. Be sure to call and make an appointment for a base line study if you have not done so. 815-398-4500

Upper Cervical Chiropractic Rockford - Placebo or Not?

I was astonished to find this short, not very well crafted detritus moving around facebook today, and I wanted to point out some issues.

Fostering doubt about something that has as stupendous a track record as that established by Dr. Scott Rosa is not just counterproductive, but represents a force that civilization has been struggling with for millenia - the barbarians. For centuries, civilizations that have reached a high level of development in the arts, in knowledge, in the sciences, have had to cope with destructive forces of the barbarian. Alexandria, Egypt, is a good example of a center of knowledge that was destroyed by barbarians masquerading as Christians. But the knowledge base shifted to the Arab world for over 1,000 years, until the western world had regained some stability.

The small-but-pungent article that has caught my attention is purportedly written by Dan Bernstein, who professes to be "an idiot."

But enough name calling! Lets get to the point.

Dr. Scott Rosa's work is some of the most carefully documented work on the planet. His training is far beyond what most medical and chiropractic professionals receive, since it encompasses both the chiropractic note-set and the radiologist's note-set, and the research associated with the upper cervical spine and its neurology. His work defines the most cutting edge of the cutting edge of science and supplies a need in an area that is seriously deficient in both chiropractic and medical research. In fact, the medical professionals that concentrate with him on the upper cervical spine have provided insights that also help to complete a better picture of the physiology of the brain and upper cervical spine.
It is upon this work that Danny wants to defecate. How unbecoming of a "journalist" that wants to engender respect among his public. (or does he?)

Bernstein's first error is making a distinction between "real" doctors and "chiropractors." All health care professionals have specialties. The pharmacist tends to know more about drugs than medical doctors. Orthopedic doctors tend to know more about setting a bone than the internist. Obstetricians tend to know more about birthing babies than Bariatric surgeons. Chiropractors know more about setting the nerve system right so their patients don't need the drugs. Chiropractors know more about taking care of expectant mothers so that the baby doesn't get stuck in a breach position. So there's no such thing as a "real" doctor. It's a fiction. It's a comparison designed to polarize readers.

The second error that this journalist makes is dismissing MR technology as "fancy pictures." I suppose he believes the moon landing was faked too? What about the round-earth "theory?" Does he think that's suspect? This error casts doubt on the entire radiology profession. Bad idea.

The third error Dan makes is suggesting that Jim McMahon had a "placebo" experience. I wish upper cervical adjusting was that easy! It goes without saying that the boatloads of evidence captured by Dr. Rosa's team describe specific structural changes by the upper cervical chiropractor which caused normalization of the physiology of the central nerve system. Too bad that Bernstein doesn't understand any of it. We might be able to find someone who can explain it in simple enough terms.

The fourth and most egregious error here is casting a sinister light on the work of Dr. Scott Rosa and other upper cervical chiropractors, and on chiropractic in general. For over 100 years, individuals have experienced restoration of health and vigor and alleviation of many disorders with chiropractic care. Dr. Mayo, of the "famous" Mayo clinic, even took his ailing wife to Dr Palmer in Davenport when he realized his knowledge was limited. Currently, health professionals of every specialty refer patients to chiropractors when they understand the importance of the nerve system in physiology.

My recommendation is that Mr. Bernstein repent of his indiscretion and serve the public by actually promoting good scholarship and honest inquiry.

Upper Cervical Care - Rockford

The question arises what we actually do in our office.
People often think of a chiropractic office as a place where you get "cracked," or "manipulated," or a place where you go to get rid of pain.
Getting rid of pain is a very good thing, but with chiropractic procedures, pain is often the last thing to go on the road to getting health restored. Along the way, there are steps to be followed.
The 1st Step is to find out why health is breaking down.
But let's take a moment to look at the modern history of these procedures.
In 1895, Dr. Palmer discovered that bones out of place prevented nerves from doing their job keeping you healthy. As soon as he began teaching his work, controversy developed.
That's a testament to the creativity and ingenuity of our grandfathers and great-grandfathers.
An early student, Alva Gregory, believed that restoring normal motion in the segments was key. He also believed that thrusting into a spinal segment had therapeutic value regardless of whether a subluxation had been identified. We still see this today in the physical therapy research world as they try to figure out the best place to mobilize when there is spinal pain.
We don't thrust into spinal segments, so check that off.
Solon Langworthy, a 1901 Palmer graduate believed that the problem was in the narrowing of the joint spaces, and hence began the practice of traction.
We don't traction, so check that off.
Oakley G. Smith, a Palmer graduate from 1899, rejected the bone-pinch concept in favor of the "cramping of connective tissue" concept. This was the beginning of Naprapathy, which works with loosening the connective tissue around the spine.
We don't work with the soft tissue, so check that off.
Other procedures, such as Naturopathy, work with educating the person in the ways of a healthy lifestyle using diet, herbal or food supplements, and other means to help the body maintain balance. Currently, the Naturopathic curriculum at one school includes training in "diversified" chiropractic manipulation. Remember Gregory?
We don't do Naturopathy.
Upper cervical chiropractic works with the insides of the system, deep, deep inside. Before the nerves get out to the joints of the spine, they move from the brain into the spinal canal. Right at that point is the most sensitive place in the spine. The top of the neck is the most likely to be damaged or misaligned in a whiplash injury, a biking injury, a sledding accident, a soccer trauma, a fall down the steps, a bump on the head while painting the house......the list is endless.
But when it gets misaligned, the entire spine goes out of balance, the spinal cord becomes distorted and ischemic, and your health begins to decline. Eventually the segments of the spine become individually misaligned and the ligaments and connective tissue squeezes the nerves. Pain ensues.
So put a big circle around this point - upper cervical care is about restoring health from the inside, so the body can straighten itself out, the ligaments and connective tissue can restore itself and pain can go away as the tissues "ungrow" the damage.
Even though other procedures have history, have miracle stories, we don't do them. Instead, we do what we find to be more efficient and more cost-effective for people, we correct the ability of the brain to manage its own processes.
Upper Cervical Care - Rockford, a division of 1st Step Chiropractic, S.C.
4519 Highcrest Rd, Rockford, IL 61107. 815-398-4500

Rockford Upper Cervical Care and Your Nerves

Why do the pupils of your eyes get large when you are enraged? Why do they shrink when you are peaceful? The answer lies in how the brain is "wired" to the parts of the body.

We know that the brain controls every cell in your body. We have known that for over 2,000 years, but have not always used that information wisely. Within the past 100 years with the advent of specific chiropractic procedures, we have been able to use that information to great benefit for the community. Let's look at the eyes and how they tell us what's going on inside...
The two divisions of the autonomic nerve system work in opposite ways - one tells body parts to "get going" and the other tells body parts to "relax...chill out!" In the eyes, the part that tells things to "get going" is the sympathetic nerve system. There are tiny nerve fibers that originate in the lower neck/upper back which travel up the neck, through the head and settle on the "dilator pupillae" muscle. This is the muscle that makes your pupils get big.

Another way to think of the sympathetic nerves is to recall the phrase "fight or flight." When a person is agitated, terrified, ready to go out on stage for the graduation recital, ready to go down the aisle and get married....there's going to be a considerable excitement.

Belladonna: a poison that enlarges pupils

And what I can remember most easily is the effect of Belladonna on the nerve system. Main characteristics of Belladonna (deadly nightshade) poisoning includes furious excitement, hot, red skin, flushed face, excited mental state, dry mouth....all signs of sympathetic dominance. Not least of these signs is dilated (large) pupils. (from Boericke Materia Medica).
Interestingly enough, in the final battle of King Richard III, if his opponent had smacked him really hard on the base of the neck on the left side damaging the sympathetic nerves running his left eye, his attackers would have seen his left pupil suddenly shrink as the influence of those nerves ceased.

His right eye would have retained the large pupil characteristic of someone fighting for his life (showing sympathetic "fight or flight" response) but the left pupil would have had no signal coming from the controlling nerves from the neck that were damaged.
It's too bad about King Richard. His nerves and eye control could not have been helped by upper cervical care at this point in his life. But it's possible that his scoliosis could have been corrected with upper cervical care properly applied in his youth. We see correction or reduction of scoliosis on a daily basis. It is even possible that upper cervical care could have improved his health and reflexes to the point that he could have been able to fight better, not get killed, and maintain control of the English monarchy. But isn't it interesting that the knowledge about the importance of the head was used in a way to expedite the death of King Richard? It was a sword blow to the head that finished him off.

1st Step Upper Cervical Care Center, Rockford, IL. Keeping your head on straight...

815-398-4500

Rockford Chiropractor: Helping traumatic brain injury

I was relaxing in the Sunday afternoon sunshine today, listening to the far-off rhythmic hammering of a woodpecker. Everyone has something useful to do - eating, relaxing, foraging - even birds.
But then I got to wondering why woodpeckers don't suffer traumatic brain injury with all that hammering they do with their heads...
I take care of people who have had head injuries. Motorcyclists, victims of car accidents, victims of sports trauma, are some of the people that upper cervical care helps to restore. What don't we know about the difference between our head and neck structures and that of the woodpecker?
We already know how the connection between the head and neck can be displaced. This displacement is called a "subluxation." A subluxation creates interference with nerve transmission and can lead to pathological changes in joints, nerves, muscles, and the organs that those nerves supply.
When there is a TBI, this subluxation prevents the bones of the skull from moving back into their normal relationships, compressing the brain and causing increased intra-cranial pressures, among other things. Did someone say headaches?
Restoring the relation between the head and neck, removing the subluxation has a number of effects; first of all, the skull bones relax and begin to move freely again, allowing the pressure on the brain to go down. Second, the spine moves back into balance - what is perceived as scoliosis resolves. Then all the signals moving from the brain to the body normalize so that muscles come back to balance, organs function at a higher level....you get the picture...health stops decaying.
So can you answer the question why we don't have woodpeckers dropping out of the sky with concussions?
Taking care of people....1st Step Upper Cervical Care Center, a division of 1st Step Chiropractic, S.C. 815-398-4500.

Rockford Upper Cervical: What the 5th grader's textbook says...

My wife asked me to review this science textbook for potential use by our daughter. "Is it accurate?" she asked. I like testing these books by going straight to the chapter on the nerve system. Read with me....
"Have you ever wondered what causes your muscles to contract or how you can tell the difference between hot and cold? Do you ponder how you are able to feel love or perhaps why you can remember what happened last Saturday? How is it that you can even wonder about these things?
Well, God gave you a special system called your nervous system that enables you to do all these things and much, much more. Without it, you really and truly wouldn't be you. Your nervous system controls a huge number of activities in your body, and scientists are discovering more of its wonders every day." (Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology, Jeannie Fulbright and Brooke Ryan. Apologia Science. 2010)
Good start! So why do we forget that everything we do, feel, or think is happening through our nerve system. Did you know that a person's face will display how they are feeling inside? This is partially because our body organs, such as the stomach, send "ouch" signals to a part of the brain that is directly beside the nerves that control your facial expressions! When a person's spine is out of balance, the body organs cannot get good signals to operate right. They begin to cry "ouch!" The face will show this, even though a person cannot feel the distress going on deep inside.
When we restore balance to the spine, all the body organs begin to function at a higher level and the face relaxes. Our patients who are in balance look younger and brighter than people who ignore their nerve system.
Call us at 1st Step Upper Cervical Care Center when you are ready to find out if your spine is in balance - your nerve system depends on it!
815-398-4500

Rockford Chiropractor - Helping the Runner!

What happens when you have a balanced spine, your brain is communicating well with your body, and yet, when you get into a stressful activity (like running) something doesn't feel right?
We have found that there can be hidden misalignments that will only show up when you place the body into a stressful activity, like running. Then we can do something about it!
One person needed a remedial lesson in tension release to get his lungs expanding properly.
Another person needed an ankle bone adjusted to the correct position for the knee to work right.
Another needed a leg bone to be re-positioned to get the leg to move fully.
What's your running issue?
If you are not a runner, do you need a closer look in your activity-of-choice?
Come to the Runner's Clinic on Tuesday, September 16, 2014, hosted by 1st Step Chiropractic, S.C., Rockford's only center for upper cervical health care (NUCCA procedure).
815-398-4500

Are You a Gluten Gnostic?

The Gluten Myth 

Tim O'Shea, DC

This is getting out of control – hysterical, unreferenced disinformation about gluten.  Another market driven by mythology, joining the ranks of dairy, fish oils, carbohydrates, vaccines – buzzwords directed by systematic error.

Demonizing gluten has spawned a whole new industry, evident in entire aisles of gluten-free products in today’s supermarkets everywhere.  It’s big.  It’s part of the Alternative Lite program – the militantly uninformed who read a couple things off google and then act like they just discovered the Holy Grail of nutrition, and the cure for all disease. Which they will now condescendingly share with the rest of us.

Most of us know that gluten is the proteinaceous part of the wheat kernel. In itself it is not toxic or allergenic, but a necessary component of an integral whole food, which in many civilizations has been part of optimum human nutrition for the past 100,000 years.

The main deceit in the new anti-gluten frenzy is that if a food contains gluten free grains, or else no grains whatsoever, it is automatically a nutritious valuable whole food.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.

It’s about reading labels.  Stroll down the gluten free aisle when you’re not in a hurry and just start randomly pulling items off the shelf.  Read the ingredients.  All of them. The majority of gluten free products contain allergens,  chemicals, and neurotoxins including HFCS, hydrogenated oils, refined sugar, to name a few. 


These are the same culprits that contaminate the principal American processed food diet, and define it as non-nutritive and toxic.  Who are the largest contributors to the gluten free aisles?  The big names we all know—the global purveyors of processed and packaged enzymeless nutrient deficient foods.  For them, Gluten free was just another niche buzzword marketing device that needed to be covered.  And they have done a masterful job, not just in the US, but globally.

We talk about Jeffrey Smith’s pioneering work on GMOS in the Nutrition seminars, both live and online.  Just saw him lecture last week at CalJam.  His new work cited proof how changing to a non GMO diet ended gluten sensitivity.  Why might that be?  Because there’s no such thing as gluten sensitivity. What they were sensitive to were GMOs and the above processed ingredients, seen in virtually all gluten free foods.  Cut them out, the patient improves.

When people say they got better after eliminating gluten from the diet, they did.  But gluten wasn't why.  It was eliminating all the above additives in the processed foods, foods that also contained wheat.   

Whole grains, including wheat, have been important sources of B and C vitamins, as well as protein and complex CHOs, for most cultures from time immemorial. No need to change that because of some social-media-driven trendy pop myths.


Time to re-visit Weston Price.

Everybody’s not going to get this.  Fine.  The survival of the Correctly Informed. 

Rockford NUCCA Practitioner Helping Headaches

Everyone is saying it's all in your head and you'll never get better, right? Those headaches that started maybe a year after you had a whiplash injury. You didn't think you were hurt because nothing was broken, right?
We are finding that after a trauma, there is an association between the upper cervical misalignment (called the atlas subluxation complex) and a serious problem that looks like your brain is falling out of your head! It is called "cerebellar tonsillar ectopia," and is so subtle that many radiologists will not notice it on the MRI. When you look at this picture, (the left side of the picture is the right side of the brain) you can see that the left part of the brain is pushing the brainstem from left to right. Do you think that might constrict some blood vessels and cerebral spinal fluid, preventing normal fluid flow and oxygenation of brain tissue? This particular patient's radiology report was "normal."
Well....
Symptoms improve with the correction. Now we are looking for stability, which will come over time, it always does.
In our study group this past year, we have been looking at this phenomenon and seeing how the upper cervical correction (we use the NUCCA procedure) seems to be the best way to help with that.
Who do YOU know that has had whiplash injury and chronic headaches? 815-398-4500.

Rockford NUCCA Chiropractor Helping Myasthenia Gravis

LaVerne began NUCCA care in 2008. After 6 months, he described changes in his body..."I'm feeling stronger," he wrote. Myasthenia Gravis is considered an autoimmune disorder in which the body attacks its own nerve endings. You can think of it as though the muscles cannot "hear" the signal coming from the brain. Medication is the only remedy, according to the predominant practice in the USA today. However, we know that the immune system is being managed by a particular center in the brain (solitary tract nucleus) which is taking information from other areas in the body. Now if the body is twisted and out of balance, do you think that it will be giving distorted information to the brain?
With the NUCCA procedure, we are able to bring balance back into the spine and entire body. Interestingly enough, the immune system likes this. We can see evidence of this in the fact that LaVerne reported being off all his medications in October of 2013, and he feels fine!
What a fine example of how the body can heal itself when we restore balance in the body! If you're ready to get balance back into your body, call us at 815-398-4500.

NUCCA in Rockford IL Reaching Out...

Experiences from the Intern

                Only around half of the students at Palmer College actually get to be rewarded with an internship.  Students must finish 250 adjustments prior to starting their 10^th and final trimester in order to intern with a field doctor.  This was a priority for me because I felt that the learning experience under a field doctor would let me receive more one on one mentoring.  The experience I have gained under Dr. Schalow thus far has been tremendous.

                I have learned a lot from Dr. Schalow in the short month that I have been at 1^st Step Chiropractic.  I will share with you a few of the things that I feel are the most important.  First, I have never met anyone who cares about their patients more than Dr. Schalow.  All of the patients here are happy to come in and get checked.  He truly cares for each and every one of his patients and wants them to get better.  Second, I have learned how thorough you must be in order to get great results.  It takes a lot of skill and patience to get the results that Dr. Schalow does.  Many chiropractors run patients in and out the door in a matter of minutes.  Dr. Schalow takes the time needed for each patient and ensures that they receive the quality care that they deserve.  Lastly, I have learned the amount of hard work and hours that you must put in to be a successful chiropractor.  A lot of hard work and countless hours go into running a practice that many patients don’t see or notice.

                In chiropractic school, we always hear about all of the miraculous cases that get well under upper cervical specific chiropractic care.  It is often hard to believe these stories because of not being able to see them on a day to day basis during school.  At 1^st Step Chiropractic, I have seen a wide array of cases get better under Dr. Schalow’s care.  I see all of these miraculous cases every day here.  Seeing how a precise realignment of the atlas vertebra can affect so many conditions gives me the motivation to work hard for my future patients.  I thank all of the patients of 1^st Step Chiropractic for giving me the opportunity to learn.  Lastly, I thank Dr. Schalow and Dr. Orem for their guidance and mentoring that they have given me.  I’ll end with a great quote from the developer of chiropractic, BJ Palmer, “You never know how far reaching something you think, say or do today, will affect the lives of millions tomorrow."

In good health,

Matt Morris

Rockford NUCCA Chiropractor Eye Exams

Part of the fun of studying recent research in neurology and upper cervical chiropractic is experiencing the joy of understanding why a person gets dizzy or has headaches. We tend to see that when a person is out of adjustment there is a loss of signal going to specific parts of the brain that run the eye muscles. We can actually test the eyes and determine which pathways are not working.
This year, we have started using eye tests to gain a clearer picture of how the atlas subluxation expresses itself. Many times it is possible to see exactly where the disturbance shows in the brain. After correcting the atlas subluxation complex, we test again and verify that there is a change.
So now we do Eye Tests! They show...
- Which eye muscles aren't working right
- Which parts of the balance mechanism aren't working right
- Which semicircular canals are not happy
- Where the connections are not happening in the brain
So does that mean we are eye doctors? No, just that for some people, the atlas subluxation complex will knock out the vision and the balance systems. It's important for us to see exactly where the breakdown is happening so we can verify that your body is responding well. We're still doing excellent NUCCA upper cervical chiropractic!

Rockford Chiropractor Welcomes Dr Hannah Orem

I was a struggling track athlete.  After multiple successes in high school, the first three seasons of my collegiate career were an overwhelming disappointment: I strained both hamstring and had numerous problems with my hips and knees.  After beginning NUCCA care, I felt like someone had given me a new pair of legs!  In my senior track season, I played a significant role in setting two relay school records, was an indoor and outdoor conference champion, and represented my school at the NCCAA National Track Meet.  It was during this time that I realized how much hope this type of care brings to people in many aspects of life, and I knew this is the type of holistic health care I wanted to provide to people in my future career!  Sincerely, Dr. Hannah Orem

Beginning Health with NUCCA

There's a new word out that is challenging us to change how we think of health care. "Salutogenesis" is a word that denotes practices that build good things into your life. Currently, the so-called health care profession is actually dominated by disease care. This seems to be an outgrowth of the tendency for doctors to limit themselves to only handling symptoms. For example, you can see evidence on MRI of future Parkinson's disease symptoms, but your doctor will not likely do anything about it until the actual symptoms show up 20 years later. Is that health care or disease care?
If you were going to treat your car that way, you would be waiting for blue smoke to come out of the tailpipe before you change the oil, but by then, there is irreversible engine damage.
Instead, health care can be filled with good things. We are already familiar with the importance of brushing and flossing teeth, sufficient sleep and exercise, and good food. In addition, many people recognize that you can replace your teeth, but you can't replace your spine, and the best way to fill your spine with health is by regular chiropractic care.
With the NUCCA procedure (National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association), we are able to take stress off the brain, spinal cord, and spinal segments. This restores good relations within yourself. Patients report improved mood, improved flexibility, improved ability to function at a higher level, all from restoring normal connections within the nerve system and its protective bony enclosure - the spine. It may not be the only "nice thing" you can do for yourself, but it is always the most important 1st Step you can take in a new beginning. Call us at 815-398-4500 and make an appointment as you build good things into your life!

Rockford Chiropractor - Psoriasis

Is Psoriasis just a skin problem?

According to the National Psoriasis Foundation, it is the nation’s most prevalent autoimmune disease, affecting as many as 7.5 million Americans. It occurs when the immune system sends out faulty signals that speed up the growth cycle of skin cells. Keep in mind that the immune system is actually an alliance between different systems of the body; digestion, nerves, endocrine and skeletal system. Do you think the immune system acts on its own or in coordination with the rest of the body?

The most common form, plaque psoriasis, appears as raised, red patches covered with a silvery white buildup of dead skin cells. It can occur on any part of the body and naturally is associated with other signs of health breakdown such as diabetes, heart disease and depression. It affects daily quality of life, often causing significant physical pain and disability.

At 1^st Step Chiropractic, we see hope for people suffering from psoriasis. Sometimes we see a reduction in the condition, and sometimes we see a total remission. The essential evidence points to impaired brain control of body systems as the root of many cases of psoriasis and other autoimmune diseases. It is fair to note that some Naturopaths feel that parasites are at the root cause, and have developed herbal remedies to alleviate parasite influence, but keep in mind that even parasite influence is managed by the immune system. In my experience, herbal remedies can indeed help to tip the balance in favor of your immune system, but the best results are always seen within the context of a balanced spine and healthy nerve system. Who do you know that wants help with psoriasis?

Rockford IL Chiropractor - Adventures in Learning

Many people might equate that title with something as bad as a root canal.

I suppose it took a while for me to learn that education can be as much fun as a soccer game (move fast and read the field) or as thrilling as a wild kayak ride down a fast river (wear your helmet and have some good self-rescue techniques available).

This year in the Upper Cervical Chiropractic Diplomate program, our group of over 30 doctors from all over the USA and Canada have been at the cutting edge of research and physiology.

There is ample evidence (MRI) that when the atlas is misaligned and the spine is out of balance, we’re not just experiencing “stenosis” or narrowing of the spinal segments, but also stenosis of the spinal cord just under the skull. That’s one big pinched nerve! We call that a “subluxation,” which is the technical term for a bone out of place causing interference to nerve tissue. Here at 1st Step Chiropractic, S.C., we focus on restoring function by removing the subluxation using the NUCCA procedure. Spread the word! There IS hope!