Dr. Craig Reese, DC, PC
DR. CRAIG REESE, D.C. P.C.
Bio Cranial Center of Boulder
October/November 2004 Newsletter
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I recently attended a Bio Cranial meeting in Las Vegas. Prior to going, I started reviewing all the pictures that we have been collecting on patients who are getting BCT. We take a picture at the beginning of treatment and then after every 6th visit. Comparing the before and after pictures I noticed that in nearly every set of pictures people looked younger. Even though some still had a little facial imbalance they looked younger and less stressed. The dural stress of a fixated cranium adds to the physical stress and fatigue we all experience. By balancing the cranial system we start to balance our body’s many systems. So looking younger is another bonus to receiving BCT that I didn’t count on.
Balance
Balance is a word that is thrown around a lot these days. We need to balance the budget, have a balanced life or life is a balancing act trying to keep everyone happy. From the first day in Chiropractic College we learned about the “Triad of Health”. This triangle has each side the same size and they are labeled Structural, Chemical and Mental (or energy). It is the balance between these three systems of the body that allow us to be healthy. We are all aware that our thoughts can make us sick or well. Worrying and stewing about an illness makes it worse but putting our attention on other people when we are sick makes us feel better.
Energy
The ancient Chinese Acupuncturists addressed all three sides of this triangle. They used herbs, manipulated joints and treated specific points to get the energy in the body balanced. They said that the male energy Yang must be in balance with the female energy Yin. Acupuncture treatments are focused on removing blocks to the energy flow and re-balancing the meridians. If we graph your meridians after an acupuncture treatment you can see that the balance is better. I have found that balancing the energy in the acupuncture meridians is only the first step to health. It means that the body is trying to heal itself but doesn’t mean that you are healthy yet.
Structure
Re-balancing the structure also effects the energy in the body dramatically. I have done meridian graphs before and after Bio Cranial treatments and found that the graphs can balance in minutes. When the cranial bones are fixated and not expanding fully the dura becomes torqued and the spine compensates for that by twisting and subluxating. When we start opening up the cranium toward anatomical flexion, the distortions start to unwind and sometimes you will feel pain in strange places in your body. This is the retracing effect where the body is reliving old injuries as it moves back to its native state. Sometimes it is a fleeting sensation and sometimes it lasts for weeks as we continue to make changes in your whole system. If you have a reversed cervical curve, you will experience neck pain as your spine straightens but it will be gone when your neck curves forward again like it’s supposed to.
Muscle balance is very important and ignoring it can cause you lots of pain. Daily we are flexed over a desk, a keyboard, a steering wheel, a changing table, a stove or sink, a workbench, a shovel, etc. Most of our lives are spent in flexion and so our neck and back extensors are very weak. This is why I try to make all my patients do exercises to balance out their muscles. The problem is that it doesn’t last unless the nutritional balance is also addressed. Chronic infections, pains, fatigue, headaches, hormone imbalances all tell you that you are nutritionally out of balance.
Chemical
In hair analysis we look at the levels of various minerals in the body and try to get them back toward a perfect state of balance. It took years to lose this balance so it may take years to achieve a balance again. Dr. Paul Eck’s research in hair analysis discovered that you couldn’t fix the balance by focusing on one mineral. If you have low calcium on a hair analysis it is due to several other minerals being out of balance that has forced the calcium lower. If you took tons of calcium for three months and then redid your hair test, the calcium would still be low or maybe even lower than the previous test. Using the synergistic properties of the minerals is what will bring that calcium level back up. We know that zinc raises tissue calcium levels and manganese lowers them. One of the problems in nutrition today is that we are convinced that more is better so we look for the supplement that has the highest doses of the major vitamins and minerals. If you have a high copper level in your body already, taking more can sometimes make you feel really bad. Patients often tell me they used to take tons of vitamins and felt worse. That was because they were not in the right balance for your body. Also, only synthetic vitamins can have mega doses of individual nutrients because you will never find that in nature. Synthetic vitamin B and C can act as stimulants and eventually cause adrenal fatigue. Many times the minerals in supplements are in a form that is very difficult to absorb. The minerals in food or in supplements made from whole food are the best forms to use. Structural, Chemical and Mental/Energy have to be balanced to be healthy.
But I Miss the Pops!
I have been asked recently by more than a few patients if I still adjust patients like I used to and the answer is yes. Even though I feel that not doing a Bio Cranial correction on every patient means not giving them the greatest amount of correction, I am here to give you what you want. You see I’m a realist and not a purist when it comes to treating patients. I don’t have any techniques or theories that I have developed and must prove to be true. Sometimes the best creative minds in health care get tunnel vision once they create a test or treatment technique. They have to keep proving their way is the best. My goal is to get you well as quickly and as cheaply as possible using whatever means I think will accomplish that. That is why I am constantly researching new testing procedures and treatment techniques. If a procedure is effective 90% of the time, I want to know why it doesn’t work on the other 10% and try to solve that problem. I believe that Bio Cranial treatments give you the greatest overall corrections to your spine but sometimes you need manual adjustments to speed up the process, ice and mineral supplements to calm down the muscles and specific exercises to re-establish the balance in your muscles due to chronic postural stress.
This Time For Sure!
Some of you may remember that my goal was to have visible abdominal muscles before I reached 45. Having failed miserably at that attempt and all others prior to that, I am hesitant to publicly announce that I am setting that goal again. This December 30 is my 50th birthday and I am determined to have visible abdominal muscles at least ONCE before I get to 50. Even in college, training 4-6 hours a day, weighing 156 lb. with a 6.9% body fat, I still had no six pack; just a keg hiding under my shirt. The difference this time is that I have sorted out my food allergies (dairy, gluten, soy and eggs) and that has helped to peel inches off my waist and still leave me muscle. I eat the foods that are right for my metabolic type (fast oxidizer) and my lean body mass has been going up. My abs are stronger than they have ever been so now it is just sticking with the diet and exercise. Fast oxidizers have to be careful with too much aerobic activity because they can burn up muscle faster than the fat. I’ll update you on my progress in the Dec/Jan Newsletter.
Office News
Thanksgiving is on November 25 and we will also be closed on the 26th
to give the staff a long weekend. It sure seems way too early to be talking
about the winter holidays! Our office move has been postponed until the
end of May 2005. We still don’t know where we will be but the building
will be handicapped accessible. We won’t need to sublease our current
office because the lease will end June 1, 2005. So now you know what I’ll
be doing next Memorial Day weekend!
