Headaches, Blind Men, and an Elephant
Headaches are one of the most confusing problems for patients searching for solutions. Like the elephant and the blind men in the famous parable, each medical specialty seems to have a completely different way of conceptualizing this problem. Let’s dig in. Blind Men and an Elephant This is the parable from Wikipedia: “The parable of…read more
Jugular Vein Compression Due to the Neck and CCI
Can your neck compress critical blood vessels and cause other symptoms? Yes, it can and one of the most common causes is Craniocervical Instability or CCI causing C2 to compress the internal Jugular Vein. What is Jugular Vein Compression? How exactly does it happen? What can be done? Let’s dig in. What Is the Jugular…read more
The Vagus Nerve, Neck Pain, Anxiety, Headaches, and Depression
On this page: The function of the vagus nerve Neck pain and the vagus nerve Other symptoms of an irritated vagus nerve We’ve seen neck pain patients for years with lots of seemingly unrelated symptoms. Many have suffered from depression, anxiety, headaches, and some even cardiac problems like runs of tachycardia. So what’s causing all…read more What Is Craniocervical Instability (CCI)?
On this page: Causes of craniocervical instability CCI symptoms Diagnosing craniocervical instability Treatments for CCI Cervical refers to the neck and instability that a joint or spinal segment moves around too much (1). When a person suffers from craniocervical instability or CCI, the strong ligaments that hold their head to their upper neck are lax…read more Dramatic Improvement in Severely Degenerated Cervical Joint Without Surgery
I’ve spent the last 12 years staring at MRIs before and after orthopedic stem cell treatments. I’ve seen some incredible things in many conditions and some MRIs that didn’t change. This past week, as I reviewed the MRI of a patient with a severely degenerated cervical facet joint that we had treated at our licensed facility…read more Prolotherapy for CCJ Instability: Keeping Patients Safe
Patients with craniocervical joint (CCJ) instability will often be offered prolotherapy injections. While much of this is performed blind, some physicians will use guidance. However, while guidance is used, many times it’s not used with contrast. Why is this an issue? Let me explain. What Is Prolotherapy? Prolotherapy is one of the earliest regenerative-medicine procedures. It…read more 
