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