I've read a couple of stories that some people with PCS benefitted greatly from chiropractic care. Some chiropractors even list PCS specifically in their list of ailments they can improve or even cure. Has anyone tried this, or know anyone who has?

I'm sorry, I don't know of anyone that has. I have been trying to get my husband to my massage therapist though. He gets this electrical charge in his head that I also get. She clears mine right up. Also, I go into brain fog with my disease and she helps that too.

One thing I didn't mention on the other post, I got some Acetyl L-Carnitine for my husband because I had read that they have had good luck with it for nerve regeneration. It's best with Alpha Lipoic Acid, a very powerful antioxidant that helps it work somehow.

With your friend having seizures and severe headaches you might want to have him check with the doctor first, but to my knowlege there is nothing contraindicated. It's an element that occurs naturally in the body, but isn't as abundant as we age. I think it has helped my husband.

Hope some of this helps.

Good luck!

Hi,

I had a concussion about 2 years ago, and have suffered a lot of symptoms like dizzyness, migraines, blurred vision, head pressure, insomnia, photophobia, phonophobia, loss of smell, major fatigue, etc. I do not suffer all the time anymore, and things have improved. I never have just one symptom, I seem to have either almost all of them, or none of them. Any small (or big) jar seems to throw me back into it, like rototilling, volleyball serve, shooting a gun, etc.

I went the the neurologist early on, who basically prescribed medicine, and rest and did not give me much hope of recovery. I went to a chiropractor who specializes in upper cervical care, and have been helped immensely. I do not know where I would be without it.

It was explained to me that the uppermost two vertebrae are like a donut and all of the nerves go through the hole. The base of the skull has an opening where all of the nerves go through too. When these two areas are mis-aligned, the brain stem and nerves get "pinched". So, they take an x-ray, see what rotation there is, and correct it with a special instument that taps the vertebrae into place. This has helped me tremendously! I can go there with a "full head" and literally feel the pressure drain as the bone is put in place. Within an hour most of my symptoms disappear again.

So, why do I need to go back? The muscles and tendons that hold these bones in place are stretched and/or damaged, and so need to be strengthened. I have gone for several months in a row now where I am "normal". As they strengthen, I should have had problems less and less frequently.

So, I do not know if it would help everyone, but it has really helped me a lot!

Everwilde,
very nice explanation of what chiropractic can do.
I think our muscles get in a "spasm", trying to "Protect" the injured area. Then doing that, they tug the bones out of alignment.
This is where the Chiro can gently "bump or adjust" things back to place.
It is a recurring cycle though.

Chiro releases, muscles re tighten, as we get busy. Repeat Cycle.


Pete
asb

What everwilde is talking about is called NUCCA. It is a special discipline of chiroporactic that is very different from standard chiropractic. The neck twist and pop and back popping is definitely not NUCCA.

The NUCCA web site has a find a practitioner link. NUCCA chiros are rare.

The PCS reference in a chiropractor's list of ailments that can be cured or helped should be considered very carefully. There are some symptoms of PCS that can be helped by chiropractic but they are not the brain symptoms. Often, a head injury/concussion will also have an injury to the neck. In some of these neck injuries, chiropractic can help. In some cases of PCS, muscle stress (tension) can also cause problems that can be helped with chiropractic.

Except for the rare NUCCA chiropractor who can correct C1 and C2 subluxations, beware the chiropractor who claims he can heal almost every medical problem. There are plenty who claim this.

I have been an avid chiropractic patient for almost thirty years. I have been mistreated by quite a few chiropractors who claim they can fix almost anything. I have also been treated by chiropractors who are true healers. There can be a vast difference between them.

Here in the Boise, Idaho area, most of the chiropractors practice "chiropractic wellness." This philosophy of care says the patient can only achieve wellness with proper and routine chiropractic care. The cost of this chiropractic care is usually about $800 per year per patient. The odd thing is that Blue Cross (the overwhelming insurer in Idaho) will pay up to $800 per year for chiropractic care.

These chiropractors definitely know how to practice wallet wellness. With enough patients at $800 per year, the only thing that will stay well is the chiropractors' wallet.

I have always had to pay for chiropractic care from my own pocket. As a result, I need to be very careful where my dollars go. I have been treated by 14 different chiropractors. Only three of them were worth the money spent. Our most recent chiropractor just moved out of state. My wife thinks she has just found another good one. We'll see.

FYI,
there are many different chiropractic discilpines:

Palmer
Diversified
Gonstead
Activator
Equalizer
Leg Check (usually a part of Activator)
Thompson
NUCCA
and a mix of the above and osteopathic techniques and physical therapy.

The above range from heavily based in metaphysical philosophy to very science (neuromuscular) based.

So, patient beware.

MarkInIdaho,
I know a little,
I know that the "older Chiro's" thought they could cure the common cold.....

Now, you're talkin' WAY over my head, and, Not that that's deep....

Hope you're well!


pete
asb

Many of the current Chiro's still believe they can cure the common cold.

There is a bit of truth to that claim. I had strep throat back in the mid 90's. It was not healing so I went to the MD doc. They took a throat culture. After, I went to the Chiro for a back issue. He adjusted me and worked on a part of my back that has nerves leading to the spleen. When I got home, I spiked a short fever and started getting better. Later that day, I got a call from the MD with a positive strep culture and a script for antibiotics. As I was already starting to feel better, I never filled the script.

The spleen is a major part of the immune system. The theory goes that once my spleen was relieved on nerve impingement, it started working properly and my immune system kicked in a beat the strep.

So, the chiro cured strep throat.