What is Upper Cervical Chiropractic?

Upper Cervical Chiropractic care is a highly specialized type of chiropractic treatment. Upper cervical chiropractors are trained to determine if there is any misalignments of the upper two neck vertebrae. The top vertebra is called the atlas, and the second vertebra is called the axis. If either of these vertebrae slip out of their normal position they can cause pressure on the brain stem. This is the part of the brain that is the life support you in your body. It controls your blood pressure. It tells your stomach when to make stomach acid. When you sleep at night, it is the part of your brain that tells your heart to beat and your lungs to pump air. It controls the function of all your organs without you even realizing that it is working. Your brainstem runs your body.

At What Age Should Chiropractic Care Begin?

It depends on the child. Children often have bumps and falls and injuries. If any of these injuries are to the head or neck area, the child definitely should be checked upper cervical misalignment and brain stem pressure. We have adjusted newborns who have had difficult or traumatic births. My oldest child did not need an adjustment until two-years of age, although my youngest child had to be adjusted at two-weeks of age. The safest approach is to have your children checked to see if problems in the upper neck area exist.

Blood Pressure Help from Upper Cervical Chiropractic

Dr. Marshall Dickholtz, Sr. was the treating doctor in a landmark blood-pressure study. The study showed that a proper Upper Cervical adjustment can dramatically lower blood pressure. The research was done by the Northwestern College of medicine. These research findings have gotten a lot of attention from the medical profession, and from many patients looking for a natural solution to their high blood pressure. The following video explains how Upper Cervical Chiropractic can help high blood pressure.

How Does Misalingment of the Upper Cervical Spine Affect Children?

When we are young we are not as susceptible to aches and pains but we may have more of the nerve-related functional problems. Chronic ear infections, stomach aches and leg cramps (growing pains) may be the first signs to appear. These may be followed by chronic respiratory problems like allergies, bronchitis and asthma. Many of the learning disorders and behavioral problems may also be related to the misaligned upper cervical spine. The stress to the brainstem may affect the ability of the child to focus attention, to think clearly and to process information.