But I’d like to discuss with you another possibility…

With the help of thermography, chiropractors are able to gather unique information about what’s going on inside a patients body. The two images below consist of thermography data. These samples belong to a patient who recently began experiencing unexplained dizziness.

Pay attention to the seven sets of numbers along both sides. I like to see these at 34.00 or higher. Notice how the top two sets of numbers in this patient are between 31-32?

Here’s the graph reading we took 30-minutes after her upper cervical adjustment:

And here’s the voicemail she left for me two days after receiving care:

Not every case of vertigo (dizziness) has the same cause… and not every patient will have thermography scans that present this way. But in this particular case, correcting an upper cervical misalignment helped the patient feel normal again.

If you’ve been suffering from unexplained dizziness, consider visiting a chiropractor who specializes in Upper Cervical Care. Their evaluation may uncover the cause of your problem.

In this video, Dr. Nima plays a “Spinal Therapist” and calls attention to what spines would say if they could talk. Enjoy!

I’m not surprised, since “My front hurts” isn’t a very sophisticated or helpful way of describing one’s pain. Tell a medical doctor that your front hurts and he’ll think you’re either an idiot or a hobo. Fortunately for them, people are much better at describing symptoms in other parts of the body.

Yet, when it comes to the spine or any posterior portion of their body from the waist up, people confidently lump everything into one vague category – The Back. 

Whenever a new patient tells me their back hurts, I ask them to point to the area. One person will point to his shoulder; another touches her neck; a third points to their kidney. It’s a bit awkward seeing how anatomically-uninformed people can be…

Perhaps it’s because our society is so focused on the front (eyes, nose, teeth, chest, abs), that it has become common for people to completely neglect the health of their spine…

Here are 14 warning signs that suggest you may have a developing spinal condition. Take a look. Maybe you’ve been putting a little too much emphasis on “the front” of you?

The most important part of any drug ad is the portion that informs the user of its side effects. Before you watch the commercial below, I want you to read the warning first:

“Humira can lower your ability to fight infections including tuberculosis. Serious, sometimes fatal events can occur such as infections, lymphoma or other types of cancer, blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure.”

Pretty important info, wouldn’t you say? Important enough that you’d rightfully expect the maker to go over it with you S-L-O-W-L-Y… Now I want you to listen to the warning: 

So how much time did Abbott Pharmaceuticals take to warn you about the risk of developing cancer, life-threatening infections, nervous system problems, and death? 16-seconds…

What I’m hearing is that you might develop a condition that’s worse than the one you currently have, and some test subjects actually died taking this drug! (If there was ever a perfect time to ask “WTF?” this would be it…)

Enjoy the full ad. Watch how million-dollar marketing campaigns can motivate some people to willfully trade arthritis for cancer.

And that’s one way to view chiropractic care… Spinal adjustments (specifically those focused on the upper cervical spine) have a way of “turning the power on” in your body. Blood flow, respiration, and digestion can all improve as a result of this simple procedure. Many patients admit they think more clearly afterwards. They sleep better. They begin to move around with ease instead of pain. It can truly feel invigorating and revitalizing.

Even if you don’t have a back ache or headaches (two common reasons why people see chiropractors), I recommend you get a chiropractic adjustment. It really can help you shine!

The general consensus about chiropractors is that we are “back” doctors. Presumably, it’s because our work is performed on the spine which is accessible from the back half of your body. Spinal bones located here are important, but they’re not nearly as important as what they’re protecting – your central nervous system.

The reason chiropractors adjust the spine is because that’s how we help improve the function of your nervous system. If the nervous system was located within your nose, you’d probably be calling us “nose doctors” instead.

But the truth is, chiropractors are focused on the back about as much as medical doctors are focused on your mouth… very little!

There are times, however, when it can leave patients wondering why “too much gas pedal” is even a problem. That’s when I relate nerve function to eating.

When nerves are over-stimulated, it’s like eating too much. The last time this happened for me was during a trip to NYC for a football game. I woke up in the morning and had a big breakfast, then headed to the New Meadowlands Stadium to begin tailgating. Over the course of several hours, we migrated from car to car indulging in cookies, chips, pretzels, cupcakes, nachos, brats, and burgers. There may have been a few libations too.

After the game, dinner should have been the last thing on our minds, but we found our way to this amazing Italian restaurant where I devoured homemade pasta and a large cut of veal. Finished, right? Not yet. After a few more stops along the way, we capped the evening with a late night snack… That’s when my body made an executive decision. Up came an entire day’s worth of over-indulgence. I felt like I got hit by a truck for nearly a week after that trip!

This is what it’s like when your body’s nervous system is overworked. The organs and tissues controlled by these overloaded nerves begin to suffer in unpleasant ways.

Three types of stress can accumulate and have this effect on your body. Physical, chemical, and emotion stressors can only be ignored for so long. They add up, and if you’re not taking care of yourself properly, you’ll end up like a stalled car on the side of the road.

Now, I’m all for using the Internet to learn new things and make life easier, but I’m going to caution you on this one. Under no circumstances do I recommend you attempt to manipulate your own neck.

I’ve already written a similar blog post that explains my reasoning for this and I encourage you to read it: Stop Popping Your Neck! 

Chiropractic adjustments (especially those applied to the cervical spine) are not like physical therapy exercises that can be taught to anyone and performed whenever the mood strikes. What’s inside your neck is serious business. You’ve got delicate muscles, ligaments, tendons, and nerves that can bother you for a long time if disturbed; blood vessels that the brain depends on exclusively for its supply of oxygen; and the creme de la creme of all body parts – your spinal cord – travels right down the center of the darned thing.

So here’s the bottom line… Chiropractors spend years learning how to do this proficiently. None of us are capable of adjusting ourselves!  If your neck is bothering you, make an appointment with a reputable chiropractor nearby. Don’t try this at home.

Here’s how I’ve seen it happen… The process begins with the patient resting face down on the adjusting table. The doctor performs a cursory examination that might include feeling around for tight/sore muscles and stiff joint movement, or possibly comparing the length of your legs. Then they’ll manipulate the mid back, followed by two more upper back thrusts. Then the patient is instructed to turn on one side, then the other, to receive two lumbar rolls. From here, they lie on their back so that the chiropractor can twist their head to the left and right in an effort to elicit the beloved cracking sound they seek.

Over the years, this “process” has been irreverently dubbed the flying seven. Some offices actually recommend for all patients to come in and do this every week forever… Can you imagine going to a dentist who pulled every patient’s molar that day? How about a surgeon who removed every patient’s gallbladder?

I’m not suggesting that this treatment is ineffective or harmful; you may actually receive tremendous benefit from it. I’m simply letting you know that it’s okay to question the logic of giving/receiving the same treatment to every patient who walks through the door.

This is why it’s important to find a chiropractor who properly examines your spine and determines how to precisely adjust you for optimum results. X-rays, thermography scans, and an assortment of other tests can help determine whether or not chiropractic is right for you, and if so, the appropriate course of care. Ideally, you want recommendations tailored around your specific needs.

If you find yourself in an adjustment factory, stay if you like, but please realize that the developers of the chiropractic profession never intended it to be used in that manner. Every spine is different and there is a specific adjustment that’s right for you.

First you have to interact with an automated system that I’m convinced was designed by the creator of sudoku puzzles. After fighting your way through a maze of options, you wait on-hold for up to 30 minutes to speak with a representative who may or may not know how to operate the computer they’re using to answer your questions.

At that point, you either find yourself talking to someone who deserves to be slapped upside the head, or you’re simply talking to the wrong person and they end up transferring you to someone else… with more holding, of course. Oh, and don’t expect that whatever they tell you is necessarily accurate. If it’s wrong, they’re entitled to give you misinformation.

So I’m going to let you in on a trade secret. You deserve to know the truth… and that’s that doctors hate dealing with insurance companies. In fact, many physicians are simply refusing to accept insurance altogether by “not participating” with any specific company and “opting out” of Medicare.

And it’s not just doctors… More and more patients are realizing just how frustrating it is to deal with a health insurance company as well. I would argue that the only thing worse is two days of idle waiting during a jury duty summons, or perhaps an afternoon at the world’s slowest DMV.

Don’t make the mistake of assuming they’re doing the best they can – it’s chaos by design. Insurance carriers strive to pay as little as possible. To help achieve this, the reimbursement process is intended to aggravate the heck out of you.

My advice to those reading this is to use your coverage only for emergencies. If you can get by paying for a service on your own, do it. Even if you have a cheap co-pay… Pay for your healthcare needs out of pocket, because any claim you submit will work against you. (Consider your car insurance – when you file too many claims, they’ll either gouge you with increased premiums, or simply drop you because you’re considered a liability to their profits.)

In short, health insurance companies are like hemorrhoids. They’re both a pain in the ass.