Category Archives: injury to the head

Injury to the Head

Question:

A limited type of Chiropractic care called Upper cervical chiropractic care claims they may be able to cure Parkinson’s Disease “if” you have had head trauma. Your neck is twisted because of  it and you develop Parkinson’s years later.

They claim-along with a study, that the nerves from the trunk to the brain are being pinched off, causing them to atrophy and then years later the tremors start. Ever here of this?

Are their claims valid. Is this one way of developing Parkinsons?

Response:

The consensus among medical researchers is that traumas to the head can be one causal factor that creates the symptoms of Parkinson’s. I think of this factor as cellular damage.

Keep in mind that multiple factors are at play for most people. Traumas to the head may constitute one among other confounding factors. It is a mistake to assume there is a single factor that accounts for any particular set of symptoms.

In my opinion, the body’s reaction to the trauma can take many forms. You describe one such form: Twisting in the neck resulting in pinched nerves. Sometimes the source of the damage is rooted in the sacrum which lies at the bottom of the spine. Constrictions in the spine are not necessarily limited to problems with neck constrictions. There can also be direct damage to cells in the brain itself.

Many chiropractors are being trained in craniosacral therapy which address such problems in a holistic  fashion. Our own Parkinsons Recovery study of craniosacral work with people who have the symptoms of Parkinsons certainly reveals that the gentle energy work with the craniosacral system helps to relieve symptoms. 

As for a “cure,” I have not identified any single treatment that reverses symptoms entirely nor do I expect to find a “cure” in the course of my research. Recovery requires a comprehensive intervention that embraces a variety of treatments and modalities including diet, exercise, stress reduction and others.

The good news is that cells do rejuvenate. New neural networks can be created by the body. The big picture is that the body knows how to heal itself, even when there has been a physical blow to the body.

Rejuvenation does not happen quickly, but it can and does happen when the body is given the proper support and nourishment.

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery
www.parkinsonsrecovery.com

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