The excerpt below is part of a long article explaining the connection between cervical instability and symptoms as described in my title. I have clients who fall into this category, as well as myself over the years. I have researched and learned the therapies that can change the trajectory of the condition. I am seeing amazing results with the combination of chiropractic and the specified therapies I use, along with diet, mineral testing and balancing, biofeedback, and hormone/thyroid testing and balancing.

Take the time to read below, learn more and heal your body naturally. Jeana, Natural Helping Hands, LLC.

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A story: “I have been diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder with psychotic features, chronic fatigue, anxiety, PTSD, sinusitis, fibromyalgia, seizures, to name a few. I have tried multiple medications but nothing seems to work or they work for a very small period of time. I have no energy, my mood is in anger all the time, I have no rest from pain ever (even with Vicodin or anesthesia injections), my head pounds ALL THE TIME like if my sinuses were stuffed with mucus, my vision gets blurry, brain fogginess, my heart muscle aches, my whole left arm is always in pain or numbed, as too is my left leg all the way to the tiny toe. So, I googled exactly what I felt: what runs from the brain stem (right from where the neck starts), comes down towards my left arm, circles around the heart, pinches the lower back, and goes down the left leg ending with numbness of the toes? And that is when I discovered it was the vagus nerve. And of course after that, I googled how do I get treated? I am taking Lyrica 200 mg twice a day, cymbalta 60 mg, tizanidine 4 mg as needed, Vicodin 10/325 mg every eight hours, clonazepam 1 mg as needed once a day, and an abilify shot every month for depression, and levetiracetam for seizures. However, nothing seems to help or get anywhere near my healing. It’s been seven years now trying different antidepressants, all sorts of medication, spiritual journeys, different diagnosis, chiropractors, massages, ECT in my brain (seizure induction therapy with electricity), MRI’s, EEG’s, sleep studies, etc. and am here on this day defenseless asking for another opinion or a new hope towards recovery.”

Personality changes and emotional health problems often seen in patients with cervical dysstructure

Ross Hauser, MD discusses emotional symptoms and personality changes that may have a structural link to the neck in some cases.

This video is on one of the most important topics we see in patients. How ligamentous cervical instability, that is how weak and damaged neck ligaments are not able to support and hold the neck and head in place, allowing the neck bones to compress on the neurologic (nerve) processes that run trough the neck and cervical spine.

This affects a person’s emotional stability and personality. Many patients have shared with us how psychological diagnosis such as bipolar disorders or personality disorders have been radically changed for the better once their neck and cervical spine instability or “dysstructure” a broken down neck structure, has been treated and natural structure, curvature, and stability has been restored.

Anyone who’s had a change in emotional status or change in personality, that in some cases seems to have happened overnight, has to wonder why did this happen? What can happen is that a person’s brain pressure can reach certain levels where certain parts of the brain will no longer function correctly or the brain’s nerve impulses and messages are not reaching other parts of the body, or when those messages do arrive, they are jumbled and distorted and nothing makes sense. They will have a sudden change in emotional stability, for instance they could have new onset of anxiety. If know somebody whose personality is absolutely changed, almost overnight,  more irritability or lack of interest in things, they don’t care about the future, all of a sudden they’re very depressed or all of a sudden they have bipolar disorder, you have to think, this is night right? What is going on? It could be cervical spine instability.

This is the background slide in the introduction of the video. A brief summary is given below.

Negative changes in personality and psychological status could be due to ligamentous cervical instability or cervical dysstructure

Negative changes in personality and psychological status could be due to ligamentous cervical instability or cervical dysstructure.

1. Definite change in personality or emotional stability.
   1. Article for further resources please see Ross Hauser, MD Reviews Cervical Spine Instability and Potential Effects on Brain Physiology
2. Other signs of cervical instability: popping clicking and grinding of neck
   1. neck pain
   2. muscle spasms
   3. muscle fatigue
   4. numbness in arms or hands
3. Other symptoms suggestive of intracranial hypertension.
   1. blurred vision
   2. head pressure
   3. headaches
      1. Article for further understanding and information: Cervical Spine Instability, fluid build up and intracranial hypertension.
4. Other symptoms suggestive of vagus nerve degeneration.
   1. swallowing difficulty – Cervical disc disease and difficulty swallowing – cervicogenic dysphagia
   2. increase stress – Emotional stress: Anxiety, Depression and Panic Attacks: A neurologic and psychiatric like condition caused by cervical spine instability.
   3. emotional lability – offered described as an “emotional roller coaster.”
   4. Digestive. See articles:
      1. How neck pain and cervical spine instability cause nausea, gastroparesis and other digestive problems
      2. Cervical spine instability and digestive disorders: Indigestion and irritable bowel syndrome caused by cervical spondylosis
5. Symptoms of Anhedonia – the inability to feel pleasure
   1. reduce motivation
   2. diminished pleasure derived from daily activities
   3. social withdrawal
6. loss of libido. Also see Sexual function and cervical spine instability

contact me to set up a consultation. Let’s heal together. Jeana, Natural Helping Hands, LLC.