"The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human body, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease." -Thomas Edison

Article from Dr. Andrew Iverson at Trilium health

The Essential Needs - Oxygen, Water, Macro Nutrients, Micro Nutrients and Co Enzymes


The essential needs are listed in level of importance, but in reality all of them are essential for human life.


Every creature has essential needs that if deprived, life would be impossible. The very basics of life depend on oxygen, water, macro and micro nutrients, and cofactors or vitamins and enzymes. Any one of these in deficit can bring great changes to the physiological processing and an organism's health. Below is outlined the hierarchal needs in order of importance for the body.

Simply understood, one can not survive very long without the primary importance of OXYGEN; about 3 to 5 minutes to be exact. It is the most important of all necessities and even mild deficits or excesses can affect body functions. Unfortunately, the quantity and quality of oxygen supply is ever dwindling as the planet is being affected by increasing levels of carbon dioxide from the green house effect, off-gassing by domestic and industrial pollution, and deforestation. As people's health progressively deteriorates, the need for a clean oxygen source is greater than ever.

Breathe

Unknowing to most, the most toxic air is inside the home. According to EPA research, the air inside the typical home is an average of 2-5 times more polluted than the air just outside its walls. In extreme cases it can be 100 times more contaminated from petrochemical and synthetics like cleaners, carpets, particle board products, paints/stains, and gas furnaces.1 To protect one from these indoor air contaminates, Dr. Iverson recommends an air purifier with multiple levels of filtration. He uses the XJ 3000D not only in his home, but also in his clinic and with patients. This specialized air purifier uses six stages of purification that are absolutely essential to manage all aspects of air filtration. After three weeks of researching competitive models there is nothing that the doctor has found comparative for the price which is offered at an additional discount for patients.

To offset this common oxygen deficiency, we will often recommend several techniques to aid in the saturation of oxygen within cells. Specific deep breathing exercises are a beginning step towards a regenerative healing program. Deep breathing consciously from the abdomen in the evening or early morning outdoor air is not only healing, but also a relaxing and invigorating routine to include within your day. Exercising outside among trees and plants away from busy streets is another excellent way to raise oxygen levels. Of course the next hierarchal need actually contains the oxygen atom, so "H20" will also increase the body's stores.

Essential Needs - Water

A person can live only about 5-10 days without WATER, thus it is the second hierarchal need. The human body is comprised upwards of 70% water and the blood, brain, and lungs 80% or more depending on the individual. A deficiency in water may become evident in many different ways such as indigestion, ulcers, constipation, headaches, memory deficiency, or breathing disorders. Because chronic deficiency symptoms can be disguised as so many types of illness, actual water deficiency is not easy to recognize and rarely diagnosed. With today's excess consumption of dehydrating liquids such as caffeine, soda, and alcohol combined with the lack of proper intake of purified water, most people can expect to have some degree of water insufficiency.

The Earth protects the loss of this precious solvent by the atmosphere inhibiting the escape of evaporated gasses. Thus water is a part of a continual cycle from sea to clouds and back to sea. Humans and animals drink water, excrete it through urine where it filters back into the Earth's ground water, travels to the ocean to re-evaporate into the atmosphere. The water which we drink and bathe is the very same water that has been around since Creation. However, since then it has been exposed to known cardio and neurotoxins like the heavy metals of lead, arsenic and mercury, as well organic solvents, pesticides, hormones, prescription antibiotics and medications, and nitrate compounds from fecal wastes. All to be treated by the city with chlorine and fluorine known oxidants which accelerate cellular aging and degeneration. These named chemicals are known to accumulate in animal fat tissue, binding to important enzymes and interrupting vital processes for life.

1EPA, Office of Air and Radiation, http://www.epa.gov/NE/eco/iaq/whyiaq.html

To eliminate all harmful and biochemical altering chemicals Dr. Iverson uses and recommends drinking and bathing in water passed through an affordable Hydrolife KDF filter (superior to carbon filters and are free from bacterial growth) and/or a distiller. Filters for bathing and drinking are available to patients at a discounted rate through TRILIUM. In addition, it would be optimal to return the water back to its natural high-energy state by vortexing. Vortexing, or spinning the water at high speeds, erases the electro-magnetic memory of past chemical exposures and electrically re-charges the water to its natural state. In nature water is energetically cleansed as it passes over rocks, percolates through springs, and is swirled by currents as millions of vortices form electrically enhancing and clearing the water of past frequencies. Ask us how you may can enhance your water by vortexing.

Without food or MACRONUTRIENTS the body can live about 40-60 days (depending on a person's body fat reserves). From birth we are nourished by the very nectar of life through our mother's breast milk. This perfect human food contains an ideal balance of the essential nutrients for growth: essential amino acids from protein, essential fatty acids from fat and essential sugars from carbohydrates. These macronutrients are present in breast milk to provide the growing baby with the necessary building blocks of structure, chemistry and communication. When a mother is eating a diet rich in nutrition such as organic vegetables, grains, nuts, and free range meats many of the important macro/micro-elements are provided for health.Eggs

Almonds

PROTEIN is the builder, and when taken into the body as food it is digested (if the digestive system is working optimally) and broken down into simple amino acids. From here it can be reassembled by the body to form structural proteins like tissues of bones, muscles and the collagen of skin. This is the most common reason people think to eat protein; to make muscle. What most people don't realize is protein breaks into amino acids to make globular metabolic proteins which are responsible for millions of essential functions from immunity to digestion. Immunoglobulins are antibodies made to fight off illness, hemoglobin in red blood cells carries oxygen to the cells, and catalytic enzymes that digest food and speed chemical reactions are all proteins made from amino acids!! So much more than pumping iron.

Breast milk contains about 82% usable protein (NNU or Net Nitrogen Utilization) for tissue growth, repair, and enzymes which means only 18% is excreted as waste. This makes breast milk the most efficient protein available. Eggs are 48% utilized and cow's whey only 16% net nitrogen utilization! This means the remaining 84% of whey protein, mostly used by weight lifters in the junk protein powders, is actually putting stress on the kidneys to remove the excess waste instead of building muscle. In order to provide the most sufficient source of protein Dr. Iverson suggests a protein that is best suitable to your biochemical metabolic type found with testing. In some very deficient people the Master Amino Acid Pattern (MAP) is recommended and made available through TRILIUM.

Besides protein, breast milk also contains FAT. Non-essential fats like saturated fats are used for long lasting energy and endurance. Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are unable to be made by the body and have gained great acceptance by the traditional medical field over the past decade. FishThey come in the forms Alpha Linolenic Acid (ALA), as found in flax seeds, which can be converted in the body to omega-3 oils such as EPA and DHA (EicosaPentaenoic Acid, DocosaHexaenoic Acid) found most notably in fish oils. The more common Linoleic Acid (LA) and Gamma Linoleic Acid (GLA) make up the family of omega-6 oils, which are abundant and often in excess in our diets as they are found in corn, safflower, canola, soybean, sunflower and other vegetable oils. Essential fatty acids are needed for cell membrane fluidity (so nutrients flow in and wastes flow out), nerve and brain function and repair (fats represent at least 12% of the brain by weight), cardiovascular health, and immune system communication. Dr. Iverson suggests obtaining the majority of EFAs from green vegetables, seeds and contaminant free pure source fish oils such as professional quality cod liver oil.

Corn

The final essential macronutrients of breast milk are CARBOHYDRATES. Carbohydrates are the main fuel utilized by the brain as they provide faster energy than fat. Carbohydrates were once only thought of as a source of energy, however, these molecules have been re-examined for multiple other functions and are validated in thousands of scientific articles including two journals named exclusively after them (Glycobiology, Glycoscience and Nutrition). They are now outlined as the eight essential sugars or glyconutrients: Fucose, Galactose, Glucose, Mannose, N-AcetylGalactosamine, N-AcetylGlucosamine, N-AcetylNeuraminic Acid and Xylose. Of these eight essentials only glucose and galactose are found in the majority of one's diet. Aloe PlantThe eight complete sugars would naturally be found in a diet abundant with organic vegetables and fruits, homegrown in fertile soil and allowed to ripen until mature. However, because nearly none of these factors are readily available in our produce, let alone the absolute lack of vegetables and fruits in the American diet, deficiency symptoms are becoming evident. Autoimmune disorders and weakened immune disorders, cancer and benign growth patterns, neurological deficiencies, behavioral and mood disorders, metabolic and glandular insufficiencies are all becoming common, even in children.

These essential carbohydrates form an integral component of the cell membrane or glycomembrane where they promote cell to cell communication. When cells have the ability to talk freely between one another they can convey if they have excesses or deficiencies of nutrients, overloads of toxins or poisons, whether they have been taken over by a virus or parasite, or if the cell has become cancerous. VegetablesIf this communication is happening effectively the immune system can recognize the sick cell and dispose of it if infected. With the proper nutrients the immune system can once again communicate and naturally balance the numbers of white blood cells by either raising or lowering their population. Thus glyconutrient supplementation can help dampen the excessive nature of auto-immune illnesses or help to stimulate the weaknesses as seen in immuno-deficient cases like cancer, AIDS, and others. Please learn more about these nutrients by visiting www.glycoscience.org and reading about the latest developments. Dr. Iverson uses extracts of glyconutrients from aloe vera, noni, mushrooms and the product Aloe Immune.

MICRONUTRIENTS are as important as any of the prior mentioned nutritional elements. Complete deficiency will lead to common ailments such as anemia because of a lack of iron, copper, or B vitamins or osteoporosis due to calcium, magnesium and trace element deficiency. GrapesLess common and more dangerous deficiencies include scurvy (vitamin C deficiency), rickets (vitamin D), Beri Beri (vitamin B1) xerophthalmia (vitamin A), or pellagra (niacin).

MINERALS are the support, or the backbone (think of rocks as a foundation), and the electrical conductors that send signals down nerves in the form of ions. They are needed for structure of frame and bio-chemical reactions in thousands of human processes. Sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium are of the most important mineral elements playing a large part in nerve conduction and electrolyte stability, along with carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus interacting to form organic molecules and amino acids. Biochemical testing, as done by Dr. Iverson, can help determine if you are functionally deficient in any of these minerals. Trace elements such as selenium, copper, zinc, manganese, molybdenum, chromium and iodine are highly recognized for their absolute importance in chemical reactions. For example, glutathione peroxidase, an enzyme that aides in the liver's role of detoxification, utilizes these trace elements to detoxify chemicals that the body is exposed to daily. BerriesTrace minerals most notably play a crucial role in hormonal and glandular functions of the endocrine system especially thyroid, pancreas and sex organs.

Finally, ENZYMES and CO-ENZYMES (also known as VITAMINS) are the final essentials needed for proper growth, chemical functions, and communication. Enzymes are present naturally in raw foods like mother's milk (non- pasteurized) and raw fruits and vegetables. They speed biochemical reactions and encourage the breakdown of large food particles called digestion. Co-enzymes or Vitamins are essential for making structure, like vitamin C in making collagen of tissue. They act as antioxidants like vitamins A, C, and E to reduce cellular breakdown or aging. They also from a key ingredient in thousands of known chemical reactions, such as B vitamins needed for cellular respiration, which the cell needs to survive. Without vitamins the chemical process of cells would not be possible.Lettuce Head



"The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human body, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease."
-Thomas Edison

Dr. Rodger niemi @ Renaissance Chiropractic Center

Dr Rodger on Facebook

253-473-0300

Spinal Adjustments for Motion and Exercises for Strength

Dear Doc

See below for a new promotional tool for getting your patients to exercise. The attached can be printed on your letter head. I left room on the top. Remember you get the kits for $49.99 per package and sell them to your patients with some instruction for $99.99 to $149.99. See Below for the information.

Sincerely,

Robert

Spinal Adjustments for Motion and Exercises for Strength



A 10-week study investigated the benefit of manipulative therapy and stay-active care vs. stay-active care alone in 160 patients with LBP of three months or less duration. The authors defined “stay-active” as an approach to patient care whereby patients are encouraged to take part in physical and other activities to stay fit.

Results showed that manipulation combined with stay-active care “improved pain measured as pain during the last week and everyday function in acute and subacute cases of low back pain better than stay active treatment only.” Moreover, at five and 10 weeks, patients in the experimental group had less pain and lower disability rating indices than members of the reference group.

In addition to treating LBP, regular chiropractic care has a host of other benefits, including pain and stress relief, while regular exercise is necessary for maintaining total health and wellness. Imagine what the two combined can do for your health and well being. Now is the time to take action, and take responsibility for your motion, appearance, and state of wellness.



Reference:

Grunnesjö MI, Bogefeldt JP, Svärdsudd KF, Blomberg SIE. A randomized controlled clinical trial of stay-active care versus manual therapy in addition to stay-active care: functional variables and pain.Journal of Manipulative and Physiological TherapeuticsSeptember 2004;27(7):431-41



The Brain Back Body DVD Program is a combination of specific Neuro integration exercises combined with traditional strength building protocols. The Brain Back Body DVD Exercise program was designed to increase Brain Neuroplasticity, Core spinal strength, and overall body conditioning. The Brain Back Body Exercise Program creates a real “Brain Gym” in the privacy of your home. This program increases brain health by activating the main pathways into the brain.



Three 30 minute exercise programs are designed to focus on specific brain and body areas:

Chest and Shoulders, Arms and Back, and Legs

Each Chapter begins with a unique pattern of neuro integrative warm-up exercises that are followed by resistance strength training procedures using exercise bands, a small ball to increase neck and back strength, and a large ball for Core strength, stability, and balance. The program objectives are to increase activation of the parts of the brain that control the spinal muscles (midline cerebellum) and for increasing the health of the cerebrum (increased frequency of firing of higher brain centers) for enhanced cognition, increased neuroplasticity, and postural control. This results in smoother motions, a better appearance, and improved thinking.

Brain Back Body DVD Program Package INCLUDES:

· The Brain Back Body DVD

· Large 65cm Sports Fit Ball

· Ball and Pump

· Light Exercise & Extra Heavy Exercise Band s

A "Sunny Cure" for the Cold and Flu?

A "Sunny Cure" for the Cold and Flu?

You may remember hearing about stories of Tuberculosis sanitariums of the 18 and 1900's where the main treatment was fresh mountain air and sunshine? Actually, there may have been more to it than we expected as leading research is now proving.

Why is it that winter and early spring are predictably the time we get more colds and flues? Why is it that they are also more symptomatic, longer lasting and more likely to be deadly? Even in the tropics the rainy season with its increased cloud cover is the time of increased illness!

New research by Dr. John Cannell, a psychiatrist that worked at a hospital for the mentally ill, is linking low Vitamin D levels with increased cold and flu susceptibility.

Dr. Cannell recognized that his patients could be having a Vitamin D deficiency from lack of sunshine due to the amount of time they spent indoors. He prescribed the men in his ward with 2000 IU of Vitamin D daily to supplement this deficiency.

In April of 2005, an influenza epidemic broke out at the hospital and amazingly his patients receiving the daily Vitamin D were left untouched!

He explains a possible reason for this is that Vitamin D enhances immunity as it decreases inflammatory action of cytokines and improves ability of the immune system to oxidize or destroy invaders. Vitamin D also stimulates anti-microbial proteins in the immune system which play a direct role in protecting the lung. (1)

Summer sunshine produces incredible amounts of vitamin D, which is actually a pro-hormone, that becomes activated when sunlight strikes the skin. Sunlight is divided into three rays of ultraviolet light: UVA, UVB, and UVC. UVB is the ray that is responsible for converting vitamin D into active hormone but also responsible for burning (which can cause skin cancer). The key is… DO NOT GET BURNED! There is a fine line between healthfulness and harmfulness and even slight reddening can increase risk for skin cancers.

Fair skinned individuals need far less sunshine exposure to activate the vitamin D. The darker the skin pigments the more difficult for the sun to penetrate. Thus, those with darker skin will often have Vitamin D deficiency in the winter.

We only get sufficient sun in the US for approximately 3 months of the year. If you are north of 35 degree latitude N or south of 35 degree latitude S you are likely to benefit from supplemental vitamin D from September to May.

Ultraviolet rays from sunlight or artificial light has shown to reduce incidence of viral respiratory infections. (1) Which means even tanning beds can improve vitamin D levels and immunity. I often recommend them as well for treatment of seasonal affective disorder during the winter as the extra light supports serotonin and balances mood; as long as the patient doesn't get burned.

Of course sunlight isn't our only source of Vitamin D but it is also found in our food as vitamin D3 especially in free range eggs, organ meats, and of course the infamous cod liver oil.

Cod liver has been used by grandmothers for centuries for protection of the cold and flu season- they were on to something! Cod liver oil contains vitamin D as well as being rich in vitamin A which is also a well known immune enhancer and mucous membrane protectant. It also has the benefit of the omega fish oils EPA and DHA which confer an anti-inflammatory effect. The recommended dose is 1 tsp per 50 pounds of body weight or 1 tablespoon per 150 pounds.

Cod liver oil should not taste "fishy". We like Carlson's or another brand that is identified as fresh by its clean taste. 

Krill oil, like fish oil, contains both of the omega-3 fats eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA), but hooked together in a different form. In fish oil these omega-3 fatty acids are found in the triglyceride form whereas in krill oil they are hooked up in a double chain phospholipid structure. (The fats in our own cell walls are in the phospholipid form.) Attached to the EPA leg of the phospholipid is a molecule of astaxanthin, an extremely potent anti-oxidant. The phospholipid structure of the EPA and DHA in krill oil makes them much more absorbable and allows for a much easier entrance into the mitochondria and the cellular nucleus. In addition to EPA and DHA krill oil contains a complex phospholipid profile including phosphatidylcholine, a potent source of reductive-stress-reducing choline, which also acts as a natural emulsifier.
Krill oil contains vitamin E, vitamin A, vitamin D and canthaxanthin, which is, like astaxanthin, a potent anti-oxidant. The anti-oxidant potency of krill oil is such that when compared to fish oil in tems of ORAC (Oxygen radical absorptance capacity) values it was found to be 48 times more potent than fish oil.



Our preference in the office is the Krill oil.
 
It is very important to realize that vitamin D is an essential nutrient but it in excess it can be toxic- it is important to test before supplementing to make sure that levels aren't too high. Dr. Carrell found that a dose is between 2000-5000 IU daily was enough to curtail infections. This beats RDA recommendation of 400 IU daily!

Vitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D or 25(OH)D) levels should be monitored with optimal levels at 40-50 ng/mL with the standard range being from 20-56 ng/mL. Important to keep your levels above 35 ng/mL as levels lower than 20ng/mL have been associated with chronic illness, cancer, and autoimmune disease.

We should also keep into mind that living healthfully is the most important factor to a healthy immune system and flu prevention. The flu often presents after New Years which follows the heavy feasting and partying season of the holidays. Is it possible that all this indulgence has an effect on the immune system's ability to protect you from invaders?

Certainly so!! A healthy immune system starts with healthy living. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle through clean diet, pure water, and frequent exercise along with periodic cleansing and fasting is as important if not more so than supplementing with vitamin D alone.

Make an appointment with us today to see how you can optimize your immune system.

Source: 1) Cannell John J. and Reinhold Vieth, et al. "Epidemic influenza and vitamin D." Epidemiology and Infection 134 (2006): 1129-40

Dr Rodger Niemi
Renaissance Chiropractic Center
2530-473-0300

What You Thought You Knew about Chiropractic!!!!!

Did You Know…

• that not all adjusting techniques make the popping sound?

Some create no sound at all, some a little. What causes it? The sound is air rushing in to fill the space created from minor separation of the joints.

• that you cannot adjust yourself?

“Cracking” or “popping” your spine may give temporary relief but since you are not correcting the cause of the problem, the urge to pop or crack comes back. You may be causing more problems than by doing nothing at all!

• that you cannot tell when you need to be adjusted?  

Even chiropractors need to be checked by other chiropractors! The condition that we look for is like a cavity in your teeth—it may be there for some time before you feel anything.

• that after going through the birth process, babies’ little systems can have interference already?

Many parents of infants who have received chiropractic care have reported their child sleeping well, colic disappearing, asthma symptoms resolved, regular elimination…..many results that they have had no success with otherwise.

• that you cannot “get addicted” to getting adjusted?

Are you addicted to exercise or brushing your teeth? What happens for most people is that they get used to feeling in balance, less stressed and having more energy. You may become more aware of what works and doesn’t work for your body.

• that you can stop anytime? 

Your lifestyle stress will continue to build up in your body and you may experience a health crisis. Once you have been under care and realize how well you can function- most of our practice members choose a wellness program to have those benefits for a lifetime!

• that chiropractic is different from massage?

Chiropractic deals primarily with the nervous system, spine and meningeal tissue. Massage therapists deal with muscles and lymphatic drainage.

• that Chiropractic care is extremely safe?

Our malpractice insurance costs us a FRACTION of a Medical Doctor, orthopedist or neurosurgeon. As you know, rates are based on claims- think of your auto policy – more accidents, your rates go up! No accidents – better premiums.

• that you can go to a chiropractor even if you have a medical doctor?

Yes! No matter what kind of healthcare you choose, chiropractic care does something unique that no other profession does! In fact, many medical doctors themselves are under chiropractic care.

• that Chiropractors do not use medicine or surgery?

There are definitely times and places where emergency medical care is needed. We should not forget that proper lifestyle management is PARAMOUNT to the optimal functioning of the body and that if we choose to live consciously and healthfully that less medical care will be needed.

• that even if you “feel fine” you should see a chiropractor?

Many different conditions exist before you feel them! A cavity in your tooth is a perfect example of this. Heart disease, cancer and diabetes take YEARS to develop- mostly with no symptoms! Subluxation is another of those conditions that degrade your function over time sometimes with very few symptoms. Why not check your nervous system just as you would go to your dentist for a check up!

• that your frequency of adjustment may be different than someone else?

Everyone will need different care because we all have different life stresses. We never recommend any less care for you than we would give to our own families. The technology we use allows us to remove the guesswork and give you exactly the amount of care you need to remove subluxations and prevent the degradation of your nervous system.


Renaissance Chiropractic Center 
253-473-0300
Dr. Rodger Niemi

Dr Jenifer Rozenhart of San jose CA posted this article.

Dr. Jennifer received her undergraduate education at the University of Alberta in Canada where she was born. She moved to complete her chiropractic education at Palmer College of Chiropractic- West in San Jose. She graduated in 1997 and has been in private practice in San Jose since graduating.

Am I Going to Feel Better After You Adjust Me?”

August 10, 2010
The answer is “Maybe.”.
Why maybe? The answer depends on MANY factors including how long the subluxation been there, what your current level of discomfort is,  and what lifestyle factors are involved that are contributing to the problem.
Research shows that the length of time you have had neck pain is directly proportional to how long that neck pain will take to resolve. If you continue to sit at your computer for 10 hours per day and don’t take recommended breaks, it will last longer.
The adjustment works with your body to unblock proper nervous system function so your body returns to a normal state of function. The adjustment does not work like a drug. The process of correction, healing and stabilization takes more time than the covering of symptoms with some chemistry.
Roughly 80% of our practice members feel better after their first adjustment. About 10% feel no change after one adjustment- this is perfectly normal as most people wait weeks to years before seeking care for their bodies and it takes time to repair these patterns. The remaining 10% of practice members may feel some soreness, this is nothing more that muscle soreness as if you exercised the muscles around your spine. This too is a normal reaction that goes away within the first few adjustments.

“Procrastination is the thief of health”- B.J. Palmer, Developer of Chiropractic

What are YOU procrastinating about? What can you do TODAY that will change the quality of your health?
If you are procrastinating calling us, do it now-before something else becomes more important- and there isn’t anything more important than your health!

http://bit.ly/chirotacoma
http://bit.ly/drrodgerniemi

Thank you to Dr Jenifer Rozenhart

Vertigo

Definition of Vertigo

Vertigo is a type of dizziness felt as a shift in a person's relationship to the normal environment (a feeling that the room is spinning is common) or a sense of movement in space. Although dizziness and vertigo are often used interchangeably, they are not the same thing. While all vertigo is dizziness, not all dizziness is vertigo.

True vertigo, from the Latin "vertere," to turn, is a distinct, often severe form of dizziness that is a movement hallucination.

Description of Vertigo

There are four major types of dizziness - vertigo, presyncope, disequilibrium, and lightheadedness.

Most patients with true vertigo have a peripheral vestibular disorder, such as benign positional vertigo. This is usually associated with tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and hearing loss.

Central disorders, such as brain stem or cerebellar lesions, tend to be more chronic but less intense than peripheral disorders and are not associated with hearing loss. Central disorders account for only 15 percent of patients with vertigo.

Vertigo is the illusion that you - or your surroundings - are moving. You may feel that you are spinning, tilting, rocking, or falling through space. You may vomit or have ringing in the ears (tinnitus). Also, your eyes may uncontrollably jerk back and forth (a condition called nystagmus).

Causes and Risk Factors of Vertigo

There are several causes of vertigo:

Benign positional paroxysmal vertigo (BPPV) is a disorder of the inner ear. The cause usually is unknown, but an upper respiratory tract infection or a minor blow to the head may be responsible. This type of vertigo occurs abruptly when you move your head up and down, or when you turn over in bed. Symptoms can be distressing but they fade in a few seconds. Avoiding positions that bring this on may reduce its occurrence.

BPPV is the commonest form of vertigo, with attacks lasting 30 to 60 seconds, typically set off when rolling over in bed, moving the head to one side or reaching for something ("top-shelf vertigo"). Sufferers can usually describe specific head movements that trigger it.

Although BPPV often occurs for no apparent reason, it can follow an ear infection, head or ear injury, and is thought to result from the dislodgement of normal crystalline structures in the ear's balance detectors. People with BPPV are often relieved to hear that it is due to an inner ear condition and does not signify some serious disorder such as a stroke or tumor.

Labyrinthitis refers to a variety of conditions within the inner ear. It may be associated with inflammation, an upper respiratory infection or nerve deterioration, but often occurs independently of other problems.

Central nervous system disorders that can cause vertigo as a symptom include multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, neck injuries, certain forms of migraine, acoustic neuroma, cerebellar and brain stem tumors, and TIAS (transient ischemic attacks).

Symptoms of Vertigo

A patient may experience severe vertigo for days or weeks. Nausea, vomiting, and involuntary eye movements are common. The condition gradually improves, but symptoms can persist for weeks or months.

chiropractic care for Vertigo

Chiropractic care can help significantly for dizziness and vertigo problems. more commonly, I find that the upper cervical region is where the problem begins. The occipital, atlas and axis area has a tremendous impact on how the body functions.

Upper Cervical Anatomy

The Skull, Atlas (C1) and Axis (C2) allow you to be able to move the head through most of the motion available in the neck. these bony structures protect and support the lower brain stem and top of the spinal cord. Subluxation of these joints will have various degrees of impact to the neural function of these pathways. Simple put, when the Atlas is out of place, the skull does not sit level on top of the  spine and the spine will shift left and right below the Atlas compensating for this shift.  With this type of subluxation,  the proprioceptors of the upper cervical region will fire into the cerebellum's balance centers, giving the sensation that either you or the room around you  is spinning. 
Adjustments to the Atlas, Axis and Occiput can provide relief to these symptoms.





There are several techniques that provide a very specific upper cervical adjustment to reduce the Atlas subluxation.   Talk to  your Chiropractor  if you are having any of these symptoms.






http://bit.ly/chirotacoma
Renaissance Chiropractic Center
4902 Tacoma Mall Blvd
Tacoma WA 98409
253-473-0300