You’ve had the x-rays. You’ve had the muscle relaxers. You’ve even had the physical therapy. Now what?

Every year neck pain affects thousands for the first time. And for many it will become chronic. Always in the background, always making its presence known.

Here’s why your physician may not understand what’s going on:

1. You don’t have a disease.

Your x-rays don’t show much; damage that’s ‘normal’ for your age. Your physician is trained to recognize disease, and all your tests have come back negative. So you can’t really blame your doctor if your neck pain isn’t caused by a serious illness.

After all, everything else about you seems healthy.

2. Your muscles ache. But they aren’t causing the problem.

Neck pain often starts with a fall or accident. Muscles are strained and ligaments are stretched. But after awhile the bad pain leaves behind a dull ache.

The muscles hurt but stretching and exercise only offer temporary relief.

The problem is actually deeper than the muscles, but only a few are trained to look beneath the surface.

3. No one (but you) is thinking about the weight of your head.

When you suffer from chronic neck pain, the head just seems so heavy. It takes so much to keep it up, and do the things life asks of you. Sometimes you just have to lie down to get relief.

You feel like you have the weight of the world, not just on your shoulders, but on top of your neck. It’s a balancing act that demands a lot of your body.

But it’s a demand your physician hasn’t been trained to recognize.

So, what’s the solution?

Find a doctor that looks at more than just muscles, more than just disease, and recognizes the weight of the head for what it is: a system that requires precision.

Across the United States, thousands of chronic neck pain suffers have found relief with a little-known procedure known as upper cervical care (NUCCA).

It’s a procedure that rebalances the head with neck using gentle precision, helping the neck to finally get the relief it wants. There’s no twisting, cracking, or popping of the neck done by chiropractors, osteopaths, or other therapists.

It’s a procedure that does more than just work the muscles. It examines the key alignment of bones at the head and neck.

Alignment that’s critical for proper muscle and ligament balance in the neck and shoulders.
Alignment that's critical for the body's own ability to heal chronic neck pain.

This article copyright 2009, DrZWard.com

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According to the National Pain Foundation, only 30% of Americans who suffer with headaches will ever seek help for them. That means the other 70% are happy living with the pain and discomfort. Or perhaps they’ve heard things that just aren’t true.

These are the 3 lies people believe about headaches.

1. Persistent, recurring headaches are normal.

2. Headaches run in the family, so I’m stuck with them. There are lots of different kinds of headaches, some mild, and some severe. There are many factors that go into headaches as well. But just because your mother and her sisters all get the same kind of headaches, doesn’t mean you’re destined to live with the same pain.

3. I can only control my headaches with drugs.

Is an upper cervical imbalance causing your headaches? The only way to know is to get an evaluation by a trained upper cervical doctor.

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Article appears courtesy of For The Love of Baby.

5 green ways to cut colic and keep breastfeeding

Moms are going green. Moms are using cloth diapers, driving hybrids, buying organic baby foods, and breastfeeding over bottle feeding. It make sense then that moms are looking for natural and green solutions for their baby's health. Especially for problems that cause mom's anxiety to go through the roof...problems like colic.


If you or someone you know has a colicky baby, then keep reading, because we're going to run down the top 5 green solutions for colic. And giving up breastfeeding is not one of them.

What is colic? Mostly a lot of crying, in the evening hours by a baby who won't calm down. No matter what you do, baby is upset, and will stay upset for hours. Just the word colic can bring back painful memories and emotions for parents of colicky babies. Usually, for whatever reason, the colicky behavior stops or slows after the child reaches 3 to 4 months. But some babies go longer.


To get a real diagnosis of colic, generally medical physicians are looking for a baby who cries for 3 hours or more, at least 3 days a week, for at least 3 weeks, even when he or she is fed and gaining weight.

What causes colic? There are a lot of theories, but no one really knows for sure. Here are some ideas:

• colic is caused by problems with the baby's digestion, like reflux indigestion

• colic is caused by an allergic response to something mom ate, or to ingredients in formula

• colic is caused by an immature nervous system that can't calm down once baby gets upset

• colic is caused by toxins in the environment

• colic is caused by a child who is in pain by something common, like a headache, and can't communicate their pain

• colic is the early sign of a problematic child who is going to have behavior problems (no kidding, some people do think this)

What not-so-green solutions are there for colic? Sometimes breastfeeding moms are told to switch to formula, and there are also prescription drugs.


Some important medical opinions say giving up breastfeeding is your absolute last option. Your mom's generation might have been told to give up breastfeeding, but that doesn't mean you have to as well.

Finally, here they are: the 5 Green Ways to Cut Colic and Keep Breastfeeding.

#1 Brush up on your breastfeeding. According to Dr. Jack Newman, author of the Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers in the U.S., there are some silly ideas out there that make breastfeeding harder for moms of colicky babies. Especially because colic often gets started right around feeding time. Here are a few thing he suggests to do, which might be opposite of what some of your friends think:

• Don't time your feedings, feed when the baby is hungry, and do it before she gets really hungry to prevent milk from flowing like crazy and causing the baby to choke and get fussy.

• Don't stop feeding on one breast to switch to the other until baby is done. Finish feeding on one side, then offer the other side if baby is still hungry. There's no “one breast per feeding rule” or “feed on both sides rule.” Your body has an amazing ability to adapt and you won't lose milk in one side, or produce too much in the other.

• Make sure the baby is latched on properly. Find a local lactation consultant from La Leche League to help you if you need help. Just because it looks easy doesn't mean it is, and you shouldn't feel silly because you want to breastfeed and need help doing it. There are plenty of intelligent, thoughtful moms who need help breastfeeding. My wife was one of them.
  
  

(Also, my wife wants me to add in that just because you're going back to work doesn't mean you can't breastfeed at night. We had to bottle feed our first child during the day, and mom's milk supply adapted to providing night feedings only. You have options.)

#2 See if the milk proteins you eat make it worse. The things mom eat can cause baby to have some digestion issues, especially cow's milk. To figure this out remove dairy from your diet for a week or two (including cheese and ice cream, sorry) and see what happens.


If it seems to make a difference, run with it, and slowly start eating dairy again, if you like dairy.


If cutting dairy doesn't seem to change anything, you can try other kinds of foods, like cabbage, onions, etc, but you need to do it one thing at a time for at least a week. Your mom and her friends might have plenty of advice, but just keep in mind that you need plenty of healthy, whole foods.

#3 Avoid giving baby anything other than breast milk. Don't give your colicky baby juice, soy milk, or water, none of which she needs, unless you're in the middle of a medical emergency and she's in the ER. In which case the ER docs will be taking care of that for you.

#4 Think outside the box to soothe your baby and yourself. If colicky babies really do have immature nervous systems, then the things you do to soothe him may actually upset him more. Instead of rocking, massaging, and silence, try setting him down in a room with plenty of background noise. And don't ignore your own stress levels during this crisis. Your own emotions and stress may be picked up by your child, which may not help the situation.

Keep changing baby's environment and you may find a surprising solution that buys you some silence.

#5 Seek natural alternatives like chiropractic care, or herbal remedies. There is some growing evidence that colicky babies respond dramatically to chiropractic care, with fewer bouts of crying. (Please email me or contact via twitter @DrZWard for more information, and summaries of some studies). Usually the babies respond quickly, only after one or two visits. If colicky babies are expressing pain (headache), or disturbances in the nervous system, then chiropractic care may be a natural, hands-on approach that works for your baby.


All of my three children have been under chiropractic care since infancy ( I check them once every few months), and so far we've not dealt with colic (and only one earache for that matter). As a parent and as a chiropractor I can attest that chiropractic is very safe, gentle, and suitable for even the smallest of children.

Finally, there are some herbal teas that may help colic as well. I suggest visiting a local health food store like Wheatsfield Coop and asking them what other local moms have used. They may have a product on hand with a good reputation. Please keep in mind that just because it's herbal doesn't mean it isn't as powerful as a pharmaceutical. Do some research.

Article copyright 2009 DrZWard.com

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Is there a connection between the alignment of the neck, the upper cervical spine, and behaviors described as ADD/ADHD? Several studies and German doctors  say “Yes!”

Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder, otherwise known as ADD/ADHD. It’s the number one reported behavior disorder for children in America. Many overlooked adults suffer with it too.

While there is no “gold-standard” diagnostic test for this disorder, kids are generally described as distracted,  inattentive, and behavior problems. The diagnosis is often contentious, and children are placed on addictive drugs, simply by observation alone.


What is the the major treatment?

For many years now, the treatment of choice by medical personnel is the use of behavior modifying drugs like Ritalin (Methylphenidate). This treatment option is often supported by classroom teachers, administrators, and parents who are often exasperated by the child’s behavior. They just want him or her to be able to concentrate and learn, or at least stop disrupting the classroom.


It is a noble desire, and can be an effective treatment, but it is  not without risks. Drugs like Ritalin are class II controlled substances, which are habit forming, and whose long term effects we are just beginning to understand.


The thought of using these substances to control child behavior causes some educators and parents to pause. They wonder, “Isn’t there another option before we resort to potentially addictive, mind-altering drugs?”


Why is this happening to my child?

Over the last 10 years, searching parents, doctors, and nutritionists have sought the answer for the rise in ADD/ADHD, and treatment options that do not have to involve pharmaceuticals. Although the not everyone sees the results that they want, the answers they have found are now providing natural, drug-free relief for many children and their parents.


They believe that one, or a combination of the following is playing a major role in the disruptive child’s behavior:

• Vital nutritional deficiencies, particular in necessary fatty acids
• Exposure to heavy metals and environmental toxins, through prior medical intervention, or through chemicals in the home environment
• Toxic levels of food additives which over-excite parts of the immune system in those who are susceptible

What about spinal alignment?

In addition to the above possibilities, another cause needs to be examined: the influence of the spine, particularly the upper cervical spine, and the balance between the head and first two vertebrae of the neck.


In the  landmark book, Manual Therapy in Children, edited by German surgeon and manual therapist Heiner Biedermann, MD the author Reinhard W. Theiler (doctor of manual medicine) speaks of the role the top of the spine plays in attention disorders.

He writes:

Parents reported that in general the children’s’ ability to concentrate, sustained effort, ability to sustain attention, and impulsivity had improved considerably, and that their children seemed more mature. The follow-up tests confirmed this, with children working more quickly and confidently.

(Theiler, R. Attention Deficit Disorder and the Upper Cervical Spine. Manual Therapy in Children, H. Beiderman Ed.  Churchill Livinstone Press, Elsevier. 2004.)

What treatment did these improved ADD/ADHD children get?

They recieved manual re-alignment of the upper cervical spine, improving balance between the head and neck. These German doctors call the misalignment KISS (Kinematic Imbalance due to Subboccital Strain).

NUCCA doctors call it the Atlas Subluxation Complex.


In any case, if German surgeons are recommending upper cervical care for children with an attention-deficit problem, what about the ADD/ADHD person in your life…should not he or she be evaluated by a qualified upper cervical doctor here in the U.S. for an upper cervical imbalance?

The case for more than just Ritalin

Upper cervical alignment, environmental toxins, and food additives all may be playing a role in a child’s inability to concentrate.


While Ritalin and similar substances may be effective in many cases, you do have other, safer, less invasive options to help control disruptive childhood behavior labeled as ADD/ADHD.


Even if you do not get support from your child’s teacher, principal, or pediatrician, you still have the right to seek alternatives to behavior modifying drugs.


|What’s the next step?

First, talk to other parents in your community who have tried altering their child’s diet and/or assessed his or her exposure to environmental toxins, and see what resources are available in your area. Or, is there a teacher sympathetic to alternatives in your school district? She might have a few suggestions on where you should start.


Second, and just as important, examine your child’s posture for signs of upper cervical misalignment. If your child’s head is leaning or tipped toward one shoulder or the other, or if he carries his head forward, in front of the chest, then an exam by an upper cervical doctor should be helpful.


Other signs up upper cervical imbalances can be headaches in childhood, a difficult birth, and preference for nursing on one breast as an infant.

Remember adults need help too

Natural, non-invasive options for attention deficit problems may be just as effective for adults as well. Please have them get checked by an upper cervical doctor as well.

Article copyright 2009, DrZWard.com

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