Whats up guys, today I want to talk to you about my experiences and give a short rundown of some of my symptoms, and a short review of what has and has not worked so far. I'll try to keep this post brief, but it's possible it may run long.

First off, I want to say that after being almost totally bedridden for 7 months, and with minimal functionality thereafter, I have concluded the following. The only thing that matters in life are your experiences. You are the processes running inside your brain. If your brain is damaged and your experiences are tarnished, there isn't a whole lot left. You can be optimistic, pick up your pieces and do the best with what you have, but you don't have to like it. You don't have to pretend that it's all okay.

I suffer from constant fatigue. I wake up in the morning with fatigue. Most nights I sleep for less than 3 hours, and the rare days I do get sleep, I wake up with instant fatigue that carries for the entire day. I have an incredibly difficult time concentrating. Even the smallest amount of caffeine makes me even more brain fogged so that's out. Focusing on projects is very difficult. I can't walk very far without a cane, and while my daily vertigo has improved, small amounts of motion, even a TV show, will make me dizzy again. I wrote this post in a browser, moved the browser to my other monitor, and I got dizzy in the process. I'm still unable to work.

My official diagnosis is PCS and a vestibular disorder, possibly caused by whiplash. I've undergone half a dozen tests including CT scans, MRI w/ contrast, and a myriad of x-rays. My theory was that a lot of my most serious symptoms, excluding cognitive fatigue, has been due to an underlying undiagnosed neck and vestibular problem. And from what I've read on neurotalk, I think many other people could fit into this category. Most of my day involves doing PT exercises, going for short walks around my apartment complex, trying to work on projects for even an hour a day before the fatigue is too much, then resigning back to laying in bed and playing simple games.

Here's what I've tried (aka, a series of reviews). These are just my personal experiences, so ymmv.


Conventional full spine chiropractic: D-

I did this therapy for 8 weeks. These people are frauds. They will check your leg length to see if your spine is mis-aligned, but it's junk science. I would link references here but I don't have that ability on this account. They will use pressure guns to "put your spine back in place". It's impossible for that small amount of pressure to make those kinds of effects. The motion of you walking around your living room has far more impact.

Cold laser is also BS. It's been shown to have no more efficacy than heat therapy, except that it's a lot more expensive. If they twist your neck, it can cause much more harm than good. I have symptoms of whiplash and vestibular problems so any amount of twisting can cause direct harm.


NUCCA chiropractic: C+

I did this therapy for 6 weeks. I think that there is some validity to nucca, but not for the reason the practitioners think. NUCCA involves being laid on a table and the doctor (a term which should be put in big air quotes) will take precise measurements of your position, then apply pressure to your C1 (and sometimes C2). The theory is that if your C1 is in alignment then the rest of the neck will follow. They explain that they build up kinetic energy in their hands by building up resistance, then applying that pressure (and thereby releasing that kinetic energy) to your C1. The theory here is that the kinetic energy transfers into your cervical spine and...moves the bone.

This is nonsense. I've talked to a friend of mine who is an engineer and he agreed that there is no way you can build up enough energy to do what they claim. The moment you touch the person's skin, that kinetic energy is quickly lost. It can't move your bone. He said that if the doctor was a bodybuilder, and applied the right amount of force, then it is technically possible to accomplish what they are trying to do, but that is rarely the case.

That said, I think there is SOME amount of validity to what they claim, but not for the reason they think. In my case, they put your head in a very particular position on a table that acts as a fulcrum. I believe that even small amounts of pressure while on that axis will have an effect, which is what they are doing.

One thing I noticed was that they acted very sketchy when I asked for before and after x-rays. The doctor would tell me that I have improved, but would not let me see for myself. I guess the improvement must have been pretty profound.


Blair chiropractic: B

I did this therapy for 6 weeks. At very least I can say that with blair, the treatments actually DO something. Blair involves you placing your head, sideways, on a table that will "drop" about 4 inches when they do the adjustment. The theory here is that if you push down at the right time while your neck is also dropping, it will provide low resistance (and work with the adjustment) while they move your cervical spine in the right position. In my case, this focused on the C1 - C5.

I'm giving this a grade of B, because I could have massive vertigo, go to my appointment, and come home with noticeably less vertigo. I would be able to sit upright for several hours, sometimes the rest of the day, without vertigo. Some of the side effects that I would get immediately following a treatment was muscle spasms (which hurt like crazy), and sometimes an worsening of symptoms such as balance problems, headaches, or visual disturbances. In times where I would experience those symptoms for a day or two after the treatment, I would go back, they would do another treatment, and the symptoms would go away. So I can say that at least this treatment is doing something. The problem is that the treatments don't seem to last very long. Within a couple of days I would still have the same problems. I still think it's worth trying. Ignore the "retracing" nonsense.


Physical Therapy (range of motion exercises): B+

I've been doing PT for about 5 months. The neck rotations I do involve slow side to side stretches, simple neck twists, touching my chin to my chest (while laying down), and several upper back exercises. While my range of motion has slowly improved, I still suffer from the same kinds of over-arching problems. The combination of back and neck exercises will make a difference.


Physical Therapy (habituation): A

I've been doing this for about 2 months. Habituation is the process of conditioning your brain to become feel dizzy by gradually exposing yourself to things that will trigger the symptoms. The goal is to stop exposure just before you notice symptoms, rest for a while, then return. Eventually your brain will learn to ignore the symptoms altogether. I can say that this works. I had been doing this in conjuction with blair, so it's hard to say exactly which worked, but the combination of the two has led me to be able to not be bedridden, and to be able to walk for several blocks before I'm too dizzy to continue.


While I spent the first 2 paragraphs complaining about my ongoing symptoms, I have to stress that I have improved, and I was in bad, bad shape starting from november of last year. I can't fix the cognitive fatigue, the concentration problems, and I will likely have to live my entire life like this to some degree. Someday I may even be able to work a part time job. My vertigo is way down. I can sit upright for hours at a time, even ride in a car without needing special transportation. Even with the concentration problems I have, it has improved as a result of various treatments and therapies.


Here is what has worked for me so far:

- Avoid opiates. These will cause you more harm than good and will give you brain fog like nothing else. I also noticed that if I used prescribed opiates for several days at a time, I would develop TMJ. Switch to CBD products if you live in a state where it is available.

- Increase brain blood flow. When I am brain fogged, I will do neck exercises and drink a ton of water. It lifts the fog somewhat. Also, never eat junk food before bed, you'll wake up with brain fog.

- Use wii fit balance exercises for habituation. This really helped me. On a good day I can now clear the balance bubble game on advanced (anyone who uses wii fit knows it's tough!).

- Get a chair with neck support.

- Consider buying axon optics' FL-41 indoor glasses. They're made for people with light sensitivity, but I've noticed when I'm feeling fatigued or confused and I put them on, it will reduce the symptoms (somewhat).

- If you get dizzy when riding in a car, in my experience it had to do with the muscles in my neck constricting, relating to the jostling and movement. If I made a major effort to make my neck go limp, the symptoms are reduced.

- Avoid gluten! Don't listen to the anti-fad crowd; gluten, carbs, and sugars can mess you up. I notice I am much more symptomatic if I eat a lot of breads. I try to eat a lot of fish, meats, cheeses, eggs, etc. Take carbs in small quantities if possible.

- Stay active and do as much as you can, but listen to your brain. When it tells you to lay down or stop something, do it. But if you're able to fight through it - fight as long as you can.

I might make a part 2 at some point if people don't hate these kind of long posts. Thanks for hearing me out.