Hidden Drivers of Chronic Pain – We Have Been Thinking About Pain All Wrong
What if what we always knew about chronic pain was wrong? 🤔 We are conditioned to think about pain as a direct product of injury. Because of this, we have strong, but incorrect assumption that the severity of pain correlates with the severity of injury. These beliefs may be true for acute pain or […]
Keystone Brain Bytes Episode 4 – The Vestibular System in Memory and Cognition
Keystone Brain Bytes Episode 4 – The Vestibular System in Memory and Cognition On this episode of Keystone Brain Bytes, Dr. Chung talks about the impact that the vestibular system has on memory and cognition. Did you know? Scientists used to destroy the vestibular nerve in rats, and rats struggled to get through mazes. […]
Left Brain Vs. Right Brain: Myths and Facts
There’s some confusion about the functions of the two sides of the brain, so let’s talk about some myths and facts about brain hemisphericity. We know that the the brain is organized into right and left hemispheres, but do these hemispheres have unique functions? One of the most common beliefs is that personality […]
Can Bad Sleep Increase Your Risk of Dementia?
Adapted with links from an article written for The Brain Health Magazine Sleep is arguably the most powerful and least expensive treatment that we have in our arsenal that can help support brain health. We all know this intrinsically, and most of us really do want to get more sleep. For most of us, getting […]
Keystone Brain Bytes Episode 3 – Our Approach to Dysautonomia
Keystone Brain Bytes Episode 3 – Our Approach to Dysautonomia Dysautonomia is becoming a more common complaint in our office and one that we have had a good amount of success in treating. It will likely become a more prevalent issue in the coming years. In this episode of Brain Bytes, Dr. Chung explains our […]
Gait Testing Can Predict Future Post Concussion Syndrome
A recent study in the journal Gait and Posture looked at various biomarkers in posture and walking in athletes who suffered a #concussion. Prognosis for Persistent Post Concussion Symptoms using a Multifaceted Objective Gait and Balance Assessment Approach They wanted to see if any specific findings on balance or gait testing could predict which patients would […]
Motion Sickness and Visual Dependency
Motion sickness is a debilitating problem for patients with and without vestibular problems. In this premier launch of Keystone Brain Bytes, Dr. Chung is going to talk about the theories behind motion sickness and how he uses it to rehabilitate patients with this debilitating symptom.
Occipital Neuralgia – Migraine-like Pain without the Migraine
A sharp and sometimes electric nerve pain coming from the back of the head that can radiate over the top of the skull or into the eyes.The pain from occipital neuralgia can be severe, and is often misdiagnosed as a #migraine.While occipital neuralgia is common after a head injury like #concussion, it can come out of nowhere […]
The Dangers of Stroke
This post hits close to home, but it’s so important that lay people understand the signs and risk factors for stroke. As a chiropractor trained heavily in neurology, I’ve spent years understanding and training to recognize when someone may be having a stroke. Despite my training, my wife suffered multiple strokes over the course of […]
Is Your Neck Muscle Connected to Your Heart Muscle?
Is Your Neck Muscle Connected to Your Heart Muscle? A 2015 study suggests that it might be the case. At least in rats. Neck muscle afferents influence oromotor and cardiorespiratory brainstem neural circuits The authors of the study were evaluating the anatomic mechanisms for how whiplash disorders and dystonia could cause problems with facial, oral, […]
Inflammation: Friend or Foe
Last week I gave a talk to a group about the role of your immune system in pain and inflammation. It’s easy to forget that the immune system that is responsible for fighting germs and illness is the same immune system that produces the inflammation that heals sprained joints or causes arthritic joint pain. It’s […]
Vestibular Migraine – When the Brain Causes Dizziness
Vestibular migraine (VM) is a condition in which dizziness and vertigo can occur from central brain changes that occur similar to migraine headaches. Although VM has #migraine in its name, it can happen with or without the feeling of a migraine headache. Some patients have just #vestibular symptoms like #vertigo. Others will have both #headache and vertigo along with other neurological manifestations. […]
Meniere’s Disease: A Craniocervical Solution
Meniere’s Disease (MD) is a debilitating illness with a lot of unknowns about it’s true nature. This misunderstanding has led to a lot of MD patients getting ineffective or excessively damaging treatments on patients that are desperate for relief. It’s also an illness that tends to be misdiagnosed by a lot of clinicians unless you […]
Understanding and Treating Persistent Motion Sickness
Patients with persistent motion sickness represent a subset of patients commonly associated with dizziness and imbalance. While many patients with motion sickness have it in relationship with a condition like migraine, vestibular migraine, or BPPV, there are many patients who just struggle with it on it’s own without a complaint of dizziness. Motion sickness isn’t […]
Stress, Heart Rate Variability, and the Immune Response to Infection
On our last post, we got familiar with a lot of the players of the immune system. If you missed that post and want to catch up with some of the main cells involved with immunity, you can check it out here: A Brief Tour of Your Immune System At the end of the article, […]
A Brief Tour of Your Immune System
For the past 10 years, I’ve spent my free time and creative energy learning and teaching about neuroscience and the human nervous system. It’s why our office has evolved to integrate neuroplasticity in our clinical practice. However, there was a time where I was a major in Microbiology/Molecular Biology, and I was enamored with the […]
The Nocebo Effect: When Our Words and Beliefs Make Us Sick
Most everyone knows about or has heard of the placebo effect; the seemingly magical ability for our bodies to feel better or overcome illness from a belief in a treatment that has no effect. It’s one of the things in medicine that we are always wary of, especially when selecting treatments associated with alternative medicine. […]
Creatine N=1: Muscle Gains and Brain Games
I’ve been into weight lifting for about 20 years now. I started when I was a teenager in high school mainly because my high school baseball coach and the school’s weight lifting coach were the same person. Getting fitter and stronger was a necessary part of just getting better. I grew to really love working […]
Cervical Degeneration and Cervical Vertigo
Cervical vertigo is a controversial entity in the world of balance and vestibular disorders. It has generally been a diagnosis of exclusion when a patient is feeling dizzy but has no diagnosable pathology in the inner ear or brain. The reality is that problems in the cervical spine are commonly linked to feelings of imbalance […]
What’s the Cost of a Blockbuster Headache Drug?
Migraine headaches remain the most common neurological disorder in the world. While there are a number of drugs that can target a stop a migraine attack in its tracks, there are many patients who have been resistant to current medications and have to endure several migraine days or more each month. In the last 2 […]
The Pyramid of Plasticity: Organizing and Prioritizing Brain Functionality
How do we organize such a diverse array of functions for the brain? When someone has a #concussion, it’s rarely just one part of the brain that gets injured. The interconnectedness of the brain means that damage to one part means multiple functions will deteriorate. So when someone comes in and they are feeling dizzy, their […]
Concussion and Eye Movement Series Part 2: Smooth Pursuits
Smooth pursuit eye movements are the ones we use to follow a moving object without moving our heads. We take it for granted how simple this is, but this eye movement requires the coordination of several brain regions including the parietal lobe, temporal lobe, cerebellum, and multiple brain stem nuclei. It requires us to: Predict […]
Concussion and Eye Movement Series Part 1: Anti-Saccades
Eye movements have become an important diagnostic for patients with neurological disease and dysfunction. It’s one of the reasons we have invested into using extremely sophisticated eye tracking technology so that we can asses and manage patients effectively with traumatic brain injuries. This will be the first in a series of posts about eye movements […]
Working on Your Curves: Long Term Outcomes From Fixing Military Neck
I’ll admit that I’ve gone back and forth on the importance of cervical curves in my career. When I was in chiropractic school I was adamant about the importance of cervical curves and how the loss of a curve could affect the progression of spinal arthritis. Then once I was in practice for a few […]
Why Weak Muscles Are NOT the Reason Your Back Went Out
I’m a mega-proponent of strength training. It’s a major part of my life and it’s something I’ve always encouraged for my patients, family, and friends as a way to dramatically improve someone’s life. That being said, strength training is an integral part of the treatment and prevention of musculoskeletal pain. There’s probably no condition in […]
Why Am I So Off Balance?
A persistent feeling of being off balance can be one of the most disabling feelings a patient can have. Many patients who suffer with balance issues don’t receive proper examination and diagnosis, so they are left without many answers for treatment besides generic anti-nausea medications or herbal remedies like ginger. In order to best take […]
How to Tell if Migraines are Coming from Your Neck
A recent systematic review in the prominent journal Headache showed that spinal manipulation could have an effect on headache days and pain intensity in patients with migraine headaches. While this is old news to many practicing chiropractors, this is one of the first instances that a major headache journal has acknowledged that manipulation could have […]
New Study Examines the Effect of Chiropractic on Patients with Previous Stroke
The effects of a single session of chiropractic care on strength, cortical drive, and spinal excitability in stroke patients. Scientific Reports 2019 Holt K, Niazi IK, Nedegaard RW, et al. AbstractFull Text Summary A research team based out of the New Zealand College of Chiropractic who have been publishing a great deal on the neurophysiologic impact of […]
Dizziness and the Cervical Spine: Beyond Cervicogenic Dizziness
Read Time: [6 minutes] Outline: The cervical spine has been a known source of dizziness since the 1950’s with a classification as cervical vertigo. While the true spinning sensation of vertigo is not common with cervical spine issues, a feeling of imbalance, disorientation, light headedness, swaying, and unsteadiness have all been linked to problems in […]
The Downside of Listening to Your Body Too Much
Historically I’ve been a big advocate of being “in-tune” with your body. For the most part, I do think that a generally healthy person can benefit from developing a better awareness of what their body is experiencing. It’s a good guide for adapting your training and developing a meditative practice like breath awareness. In recent […]
Exploring the Gut-Brain Connection through the lens of concussions
It’s no longer a secret that the composition and health of your gut has an substantial impact on the health of the brain and nervous system. Research on the role the gut microbiome has exploded in the last 10 years with blockbuster studies showing that your gut bacteria composition can affect mental health conditions like […]
1 rep max squat: a future biomarker for brain health?
When people think about growing new brain cells and optimizing brain health, they think about playing games like Sudoku or Luminosity. The idea being that we need mental games to flex our mental muscle. The problem is that mental games like Sudoku and Luminosity have failed to demonstrate any meaningful evidence that it alters brain […]
Does Exercise Make you Dizzy? Here’s Why
One of the biggest complaints in people with dizziness is that they can’t exercise because exercise makes their symptoms worse. This is a particularly difficult problem in athletes who have suffered a concussion because the dizziness upon activity is preventing them from getting back to their sport. When people have problems with dizziness on exercise, […]
The Neurology of a Max Effort Lift
One of the keys to successfully completing a maximum effort lift is to not think so much, and just pull and push with all of your might. On the surface it seems really simple. Get this heavy object from point A to point B in a straight line, but all of the moving pieces that […]
Why Do We Do Balance Tests After an Atlas Correction?
One of the main components of every examination we do with new patients is a video balance test. You can see what that looks like in the video below: It’s true that our office works with a lot of people who come in with dizziness or balance complaints, but we do this exam on people […]
Chiari Symptoms, Cerebral Spinal Fluid, and the Atlas
Arnold-Chiari malformation is a condition in which portions of the brain (the brain stem or cerebellum) descend below the skull and into the spinal canal. You can see an image of a normal brain MRI and a classic Chiari malformation shown below. The estimated prevalence for Chiari is about 1 in 1000 people. The good […]
New Research Shows Concussion + Neck Injury = Longer Recovery
If you’re a reader of our blog, then you’re aware of our stance that an injury strong enough to concuss is strong enough to also injure the neck. You can read some of our thoughts on this subject here: 2 Reasons Why Your Concussion Symptoms Aren’t Going Away Head Injury, Chronic Dizziness, Concentration Problems, and […]
Podcast Archives: Heart Rate Variability and Human Performance with Dr. Mike Nelson
Dr. Mike Nelson is a human performance expert and faculty member for the Carrick Institute. In this episode Mike discusses some of the hidden ways an athlete can get more from their bodies by modifying their training to match the demands of the brain and nervous system. We also get into the concept of […]
Podcast Archives – Looking Beyond the Brain in Concussion with Dr. John Leddy
Podcast Archives – Episode 23b – 2015 Looking Beyond the Brain in Concussion with Dr. John Leddy University of Buffalo Concussion Management Clinic With the high school, NCAA, and NFL seasons right around the corner, I decided that we re-visit my favorite topic; concussions. This week we have a 2-episode special on concussions featuring one […]
Podcast Archive – Pro-Brain and Pro-Sports with Dr. Tad Seifert
Heal Yourself Radio Archives – Episode 23a- 2015 Pro-Brains and Pro-Sports with Headache and Concussion Expert Dr. Tad Seifert Show Notes: With the high school, NCAA, and NFL seasons right around the corner, I decided that we re-visit my favorite topic; concussions. This week we have a 2-episode special on concussions featuring one of the […]
What are the risk factors for poor outcomes after a concussion?
When patients suffer a concussion, the vast majority of patients will have symptoms for 10 days or less. About 10-15% of concussed patients will develop persistent symptoms and be diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome. Thanks to an explosion in concussion research in the last 20 years, we know a lot more about these head injuries than […]
Cracking the Code on Lightheaded Dizziness
When people say that they feel dizzy, most people, even healthcare providers usually think that you’re talking about the room spinning sensation of vertigo. However, there are thousands of people around the country describe themselves as having dizziness but don’t have the characteristic sensation of vertigo. Many patients may describe their dizziness as a rocking, […]
Why is Cranio-facial pain worse than everything else?
Read time: 7-8 minutes Outline: Pain is weird Chronic head and face pain and suicidality Why head and face pain feels worse The neuroscience of suffering Pain is complicated. It’s even more complicated as a doctor because the expectation from years and years of conditioning is that when you have pain, then something about that […]
Why Does Balance Break With Parkinson’s?
Balance and postural control are some of the most challenging areas to deal with in Parkinson’s Disease. Dopaminergic treatments that are typically given for PD have not shown much benefit for the stooped posture and unsteady feeling that PD patients commonly experience. This suggests that other parts of the brain may be causing these balance […]
What Happens in Vagus: Chronic Pain and Dysautonomia
I’ve been doing a lot of reading lately about the vagus nerve and the autonomic nervous system. We’ve been super fortunate to work with a handful of patients with POTS in the past 6 months with some really great and surprising results from taking a cervical and vestibular approach to care, and it’s driven me […]
The Link Between the Neck and the Jaw
Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) is a difficult condition to deal with. It is the most common non-dental cause of orofacial pain. It is characterized by a change to the joint of the jaw bone, which effects the chewing muscles involved and the person’s bite. TMD is a condition that causes a number of problems such as headache, […]
Parkinson’s Disease, the Gut-Brain Axis, and the Craniocervical Junction
Parkinson’s Disease is a devastating and complicated neurodegenerative disorder. Many people have become familiar with Parkinson’s Disease due in part to advocacy and awareness campaigns from watching the progression of celebrities like Mohammed Ali and Michael J. Fox. As a whole, people have come to know that Parkinson’s Disease is tied to the masked face […]
Ringing in the Ears is a Pain in the Neck
Tinnitus is a problem where patients perceive sounds in the absence of sound stimuli. It afflicts between 10-15% of adults, but can be a severe hindrance in about 2% of the population. While tinnitus is classically thought of as a ringing sensation in the ears, there’s a wide variance to what patients perceive. Some describe […]
Plasticity: How It Can Ruin or Restore Your Health
Healthcare often goes through phases where certain buzzwords will take a dominant place in the minds of marketers and consumers looking for the next big thing to change someone’s life. That’s how the ideas behind terms like ‘wellness’, ‘detox’, ‘gluten-free’, and ‘keto’ get taken and raised like a banner that will change the face […]
Homocysteine and Migraines – What Does It Mean?
Headaches are very common and almost everyone has experienced one at one point in their life. They can be painful and disabling, which cuts into your focus, productivity, and quality of life. Headaches come in different types such as tension, cluster, and migraine. The migraine type headaches are the third most common disease in […]
What Happens To Your Brain When You Move Your Head?
A lot of you are familiar with my work on the relationship between the neck and concussions. It used to be something of a fringe concept that neck injuries could be related to some of the symptoms of a concussion, but research on the topic has exploded in the last 10 years. It’s not such […]
A Cervical-Vestibular Approach to Dysautonomia: 2 Case Studies
Thanks to the readers of our blog, our office has become a place where patients with dysautonomia are seeking care with the hopes of improving their quality of life. Many patients with dysautonomia often struggle with widespread body pain, dizziness, brain fog, and headaches to go along with their primary symptoms of feinting, persistent light headedness, or […]
A Gentle Approach to Chronic Pain
Breaking the Chronic Pain Cycle of Fibromyalgia Chronic pain takes many shapes and forms, but we know that it has a huge social and economic burden. The Institute of Medicine reports that roughly 116 million, or 30% of the population suffer from pain lasting a year or longer. Although chronic pain isn’t a life […]
How to Spot a Personal Injury Predator
Outline The famously dirty personal injury industry When profit leads to failed patient care How to spot predatory practices Personal injury (PI) is an famously dirty industry. When people think about PI, you usually think about ambulance chasing attorneys taking up local billboards, radio, and television commercials. In a state like Florida where just the act of […]
Dizziness: Misdiagnosed and Mistreated
Dizziness is Hard to Diagnose When people have dizziness as a complaint, it can be one of the most commonly misdiagnosed and mistreated conditions around. The challenge is that dizziness is a symptom that can be associated with lots of different conditions. Here’s a short list of conditions associated with dizziness: Primary dizziness: Dizziness […]
The Craniocervical Junction and Headache Disorders
Chronic headaches come in different types The neck and headache disorders The craniocervical junction, NUCCA, and migraines Headaches disorders are among the most common conditions that people seek treatment from a doctor. While most people will experience a headache of some form, there are those who develop chronic and repetitive bouts with headaches of […]
A Letter to My Patients – A Doctor’s Migraine Experience
To all of my patients and those soon to be, In my 7 years of practice, I’ve had the honor of taking care of many of you when you have suffered from a variety of terrible health conditions. Thank you for putting your trust in myself and my staff. Don’t worry, this isn’t a […]
Why Pain Can’t Tell You Where You Need Treatment: A TMJ Case Study
Jaw pain/TMJD is a very frequent problem we see in the office. It’s so frequent that I spend one day each week inside of a dental office in West Palm Beach doing consultations with a great local area dentist that specializes in pain syndromes of the jaw. Most of the patients that see us with […]
Why Does Fibromyalgia Occur in Rheamatoid Arthritis – a Neurological Perspective
When working with a large number of patients with chronic pain and illness, you begin to notice patterns in relationship to certain illnesses. One of the more common trends I see today is the association between having an inflammatory illness like rheumatoid arthritis along with widespread body pain like fibromyalgia. Rhumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia share some commonalities […]
Dysautonomia – A possible cause of post-concussion syndrome
With concussion being a dominant topic in sports medicine, we have seen a large spike in research dollars being spent to study the effects of brain injury. Despite our increased knowledge, when someone has concussion symptoms for longer than 30 days, there still isn’t great consensus as to why these people develop persistent symptoms and what […]
Combating Medication Overuse Headaches
Medication overuse headache (MOH) is a very common manifestation of chronic headache patients. It is one of the unique instances where a once effective way of controlling an illness will actually perpetuate the illness further as the body adapts to a chemical intervention. This condition is unique to patients with chronic daily headache disorders and various […]
The Anatomy of Vertigo
Part III of my Anatomy of… Series. If you want to check out Part I and II, the links are below: The Anatomy of a Headache The Anatomy of a Pinched Nerve Let’s talk about vertigo. Technically a diagnosis of vertigo should be confined to a sensation of spinning or rotation in the absence […]
Is Cardio Useless? Your Brain Says No
As of the timing of this post, I consider myself primarily a weightlifter when it comes to fitness. If you follow my social media posts on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook you’ll mainly see photos and videos of squats, snatches, cleans, and other movements that involve heavy barbells. A popular trend in fitness is to […]
Why Concussions Hit Migraine Patients Harder
The vast majority of people who suffer concussive injuries will recover without any chronic symptoms. However, about 15% of people who suffer concussions will go on to have post-concussion syndrome, where they will experience headaches, dizziness, and cognitive problems beyond 30 days after an injury. These symptoms can be debilitating, and some people can experience […]
Is Head Tilt Driving Your Brain Crazy?
A lot of people are starting to recognize the role that posture plays in overall health. Things like text-neck has made it’s way to major publications like the Washington Post, and the perils of slouching have been written about ad nauseum. I won’t get into that today, because I think there’s a problem that […]
Are Equestrians More Resilient to Concussive Injury Than Everyone Else?
Concussions, Balance, and the Equestrian Advantage Concussions are a hot topic in professional football, but it’s something that horse lovers have been familiar with for years. A 2014 paper in published in the Sports Health medical journal showed that almost 50% of competitive riders will have experienced a concussion during their life while riding. Surveys […]
Unraveling Trigeminal Neuralgia
[8 minutes] Unraveling Trigeminal Neuralgia Most of you have probably never heard of trigeminal neuralgia (TN). It’s a pretty rare disorder that affects about 4-5 people per 100,000. If you or someone you love has ever had it, then you know that this illness can be associated with the worst pain that a human being can […]
Can This Simple Movement Predict Your Risk of Death?
When you go to see a doctor for your annual physical, you are there for 2 main reasons: To identify any disease processes that may be hiding underneath the surface so that a potentially deadly illness can be caught and treated early (cancer, heart disease, brain illness, etc) To have routine tests done that can […]
Fibromyalgia and the Atlas
Read time: [5 minutes] Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) and other conditions involving chronic pain are among the most frustrating conditions that affect a human being. While the condition is not life threatening, it is without a doubt life impairing. While the pain of a surgical procedure, broken bone, or acute disc injury can be […]
Is This Small Neck Muscle Driving You Mad?
Read Time: [5 minutes] Neck muscles have been a source of suffering for patients for a long time. In recent years, one neck muscle in particular is getting a lot of attention in the world of head injury. Meet the rectus capitis posterior minor (RCPMi) Yep. It’s that tiny little muscle deep in the […]
One Season of Football and the Developing Brain
Read Time: [5-6 minutes] 2016 continues to be a troublesome year for football as science reveals more information about the effects of repetitive head contact on the brain. It’s pretty well established that concussions can create lasting changes in the structure of the brain, in recent years scientists have sought to study if contact […]
Moderation Always Errs Towards Excess
Read Time [3 minutes] Let’s review some definitions of moderation. Here’s the traditional definition out of Webster’s Dictionary: Moderation – noun 1. the quality of being moderate; restraint; avoidance of extremes or excesses; temperance. Sounds pretty good right? People rarely think about themselves in terms of extremes or excesses, and it’s generally good policy to live your life […]
Research: Atlas Correction and TMJ Pain
Read Time: [5 min] Last month a study produced by the Upper Cervical Research Foundation was published that examined the effect that Atlas Corrections had on the function of the temporomandibular joint. It’s a first step towards solidifying our understanding on how the work we do in our office can be a powerful help to patients suffering […]
Your Back Doesn’t Hurt Because You Are Fat – New Thoughts on the Obesity and Back Pain Relationship
Read Time: [6 minutes] Outline: Why weight alone isn’t enough to cause back pain What is it about being overweight that can cause pain? Empowering the overweight patient to get better results It’s no secret that being overweight or obese carries a higher risk of having back pain. Patients struggling with weight issues hear about […]
Dr. Chung Joins ESPN West Palm to Talk Youth Football, Neck Surgery, Stroke, and Heat
This week Dr. Chung joined Jeremy Marks-Peltz on ESPN West Palm Tonight. The interview is available below. This week Dr. Chung addresses: The new study showing changes in the brains of youth football players Dolphins Linebacker Koa Misi will be getting fusion surgery for herniated disc in his neck The tragic Katie May stroke incident and […]
John Oliver Tackles Pharma and Opioids
Related Articles: Can Pain Pills Cause You MORE Pain Over Time? I’ve written about some of the problems with potent pain medications in a previous article. Palm Beach County has the highest per capita drug rehab population in the country. Lots of patients come to see us because they are looking for alternatives to pain […]
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Heart Rate Variability, and Brain Resiliance
Read Time: [6 min] “The brave men and women, who serve their country and as a result, live constantly with the war inside them, exist in a world of chaos. But the turmoil they experience isn’t who they are; the PTSD invades their minds and bodies.” – Robert Koger “You can’t patch a wounded […]
Getting a Safe Correction after Spine Surgery
Read Time: [3 minutes] Over the past few weeks, I’ve been seeing a lot of posts about this article filling up my Facebook newsfeed. The article talks about how a specific type of spine surgery called spinal fusion has been found to be mostly ineffective. The author goes so far to say that the surgery […]
Case Study: 6 months of Post-Concussion Syndrome
Read Time: [3 minutes] Post-concussion syndrome has become a big deal with more athletes showing concern about the risks of chronic brain injury. Recovery from a concussion usually takes about 7-10 days for most people but many will have symptoms that last 30 days or more. Our most recent case had post-concussion syndrome that […]
More Chiropractic is Not Always Better Chiropractic
Read Time: [3 minutes] The title of today’s article may seem a bit unusual coming from me because…..well….I’m a chiropractor. Why would I discourage someone from getting more chiropractic care? I was consulting with a new patient recently who was interested in getting chiropractic care from my office. During our consultations, we believe in […]
Dr. Chung talks about Tony Romo’s broken back and the Palm Beach Concussion Seminar
Dr. Chung was featured on ESPN West Palm Tonight to talk about Tony Romo’s broken back and the Palm Beach Concussion Seminar. Check out the interview here. For the best coverage of the Palm Beach County sports scene, check out espnwestpalm.com.
A New Way to Protect People from Falling?
Read Time: [6 minutes] Osteoporosis, falls, and broken hips are one of the biggest concerns of people 55 and up. The fear is real and justified, as falls are a leading cause of death and disability once you hit the age of 60. To combat this, conventional wisdom has suggested that older adults […]
Research: The Atlas and Multiple Sclerosis
Read Time: [5 min] Preliminary results after upper cervical chiropractic care in patients with chronic cerebro-spinal venous insufficiency and multiple sclerosis Mandolesi S, Marecca G, Moser J, et al. Ann. Ital. Chir., 2015 86: 192-200. Abstract Full Text Summary Thanks to the hard work and funding of Upper Cervical Health Centers and Upper Cervical Evolutions, […]
Anatomy of a Pinched Nerve
Read Time: [6-7 minutes] After the wide success of my article Anatomy of a Headache I decided to tackle another common problem we see every single day in the office. Pinched Nerves When someone gets an acute pinched nerve, it can be amongst the most painful problems that afflict human beings. Pinched nerves can leave people in […]
Why You Should Start Wasting Food
Read Time [5 minutes] I know the title and graphic of today’s post might draw some controversy so I’ll just come out and say that I don’t advocate buying a lot of food with the intention of throwing it in the trash. Whew. Now that that’s out of the way, let me start with a […]
Stop Complicating Mobility Work
Read Time: [5 minutes] It’s been interesting to see how Crossfit has affected the consumption of goods and services across the entire landscape of fitness. I was talking to a good friend of mine who has been a personal trainer for over 20 years. He was there well before Crossfit became a fitness phenomenon and […]
n=1: My Vagus Nerve on Chiropractic
Read Time: 5 minutes Outline: Problems measuring HRV in practice Refining HRV for meaningful use My HRV Pre- and Post Adjustment I love measuring my own health data, and I especially enjoy measuring things that can be affected by the health of your brain and spine. One metric I’m paying a lot more attention to […]
Whiplash Disorders: Why You Should Get Your Fat Neck in Shape
Whiplash Disorders: Why You Should Get Your Fat Neck in Shape Read Time: [7-8 min] I know it’s a little bit of a crazy headline, but today we’re going to talk about how a fat neck can contribute to chronic whiplash pain. But I’m not talking about the width of someone’s neck. The neck […]
Research: Pain Management Drugs Make You More Sensitive to Pain Over Time
Read time: [7-8 min ] Outline: New research showing why people will develop more pain from taking an opiod The science of a pain pill Morphine and the immune system Giving people drug-less options Beyond pain and into function Reference Article: Why Taking morphine, oxycodone can sometimes make pain worse Pain pills and pain mills […]
This Supplement May Help Protect the Brain in a Concussion
Read Time: [7-8 minutes] I’ve talked a lot about concussions and repetitive head trauma on the blog. While my expertise is mainly in the consequences that head trauma has on the neck, I always like to keep an ear out for easy and evidence-based therapies that may be able to help people that are […]
Case Study: From Back Pain to PR
Read Time: [5 minutes] I’ve written a lot in the past about how an ideal structure can help increase athletic performance. If you want those articles, check them out here below: Is This Silent Problem Killing Your Workout? Can Your Spine Make You Harder to Kill? The Physiology of Champions With that being said, most […]
Why Does My Head Always Tilt to the Side?
Read Time: [5-7 minutes] How do I know if someone has an Atlas problem? Can a regular person see it? Head tilting posture is something we’re used to seeing with curious puppies, but it may be a sign of a problem in the central nervous system. This can be one of the most important signs […]
What a 10 mph car accident does to the neck
What a 10 mph car accident does to the neck Pain after a car accident can be very strange and confusing. Take a look at these examples from my office and tell me if this reminds you of a situation that you or someone you know have been in. Person A: Healthy and fit 37-year-old […]
How Big Gains Can Fix Your Brain
Read Time: [7-10 minutes] Outline: Exercise is a strong anti-depressant but the mechanisms were unclear as to why PGC-1α1 is a gene well known for muscle growth, but is now showing an anti-depressive effect How does PGC-1α1 protect your brain? Important Notes It’s no secret that exercise is an effective way to deal with depression. […]
The #1 Lifting Error Seen in Every Crossfit/Lifting Gym
Reading time: [10-12 minutes] Outline: The counter intuitive movement that is causing most back injuries Set up and clean up are where the most glaring lifting faults happen Can light weight with broken form cause injury? How we lift heavy things is how we should lift everything Despite my general dislike for the lift in […]
How Social Media is Killing Empathy
Read time [10-15 min] Outline: How social media has done good for the world When the internet killed the Golden Rule It overflows into real life Getting empathy back Author’s Comments This is going to be a different type of post for me. It might not seem like a health topic, but I feel like […]
Dr. Chung on ESPN West Palm 3/28/16
Dr. Chung on ESPN West Palm Tonight Dr. Chung got invited to ESPN West Palm Tonight to talk about the New York Times article about fraudulent concussion research. He also talks about the difference between NUCCA and traditional chiropractic, and his project for United Cerebral Palsy. You can check out the interview on ESPN West […]
Case Study: Meniere’s Disease
One of the reasons I got into upper cervical chiropractic is because it provided a possible solution that was able to make a big difference in the lives of people with rare illnesses. One rare illness that I really enjoy seeing are people with Meniere’s Disease. It’s an illness that affects less than 200,000 people each […]
The Anatomy of a Headache
Outline: [5-10 minute read time] Headaches come in different shapes and sizes and may have different anatomical triggers The brain cannot generate pain. Head pain must come from a source outside the brain Common sources of head pain How head and neck positioning can help Not all headaches are created equal. Part of being […]
The Truth About Squats with Dr. Aaron Horschig
The squat is one of the most polarizing topics in fitness. Thanks to the rise of Crossfit, the squat has been put into the limelight as an essential movement for both men and women. Men squat because it is unparalleled in it’s ability to make the entire human frame stronger. Women have taken up […]
The Physiology of Champions
Outline: The remarkable nervous system of a high performing athlete What takes the conscious brain minutes to solve, Steph Curry’s brain solves in fractions of a second The difference between a regular professional athlete and the best in the world may come down to synaptic connections I’ve always had a fascination with sports, especially […]
Dr. Chung talks about Concussion on ESPN West Palm
Dr. Chung talks about Concussion on ESPN West Palm Dr. Chung was interviewed as a featured expert on ESPN West Palm Tonight with Jeremy Marks-Peltz. Dr. Chung and JMP talk about the NFL’s growing problem with concussion and how to make the sport safer for young athletes. Check out the interview here, and visit espnwestpalm.com […]
Why Does My Back Hurt When I Breathe? What is it and how to fix it?
Outline Pain from the ribs. How’d it happen? Why does it hurt so bad? Painful but fixable “It hurts right here (points to middle of back), especially when I take a deep breath in.” “It’s like someone is poking a knife in the middle of my back” “Every time I try to stand up all […]
Can a chiropractor help with spinal stenosis?
Outline: Spinal stenosis – when the name is sometimes worse than the problem Main causes of spinal stenosis Is chiropractic safe for patients with stenosis? There are thousands of people every year with neck pain or back pain that go to a doctor’s office, get an MRI, and end up with a diagnosis of spinal stenosis. […]
TMJ Pain is Ruining My Life
Outline: When treating TMJ pain seems hopeless Surgery may not be your best solution TMJ pain may not be a jaw problem I’ve seen a lot of patients with TMJ in my Wellington office in the past couple of months. Patients with TMJ often see a large drop in the quality of their life: “I […]
2 Reasons Why Your Concussion Symptoms Aren’t Going Away
Outline: Concussion symptoms generally go away within 7-10 days 10-20% of head injuries will last greater than 30 days and become post-concussion syndrome Post-concussion syndrome can be divided into 3 categories. Physiologic, vestibular, or cervicogenic Recovery from post-concussion syndrome depends on getting the right type of treatment Lack of awareness of vestibulo-ocular and cervicogenic […]
Research: Novel Neck Correction Shows Promise for Migraine Headache
Outline Good news: Atlas Correction improves migraine frequency and health related quality of life Bad news: We still don’t know why it works yet What does this mean for migraine sufferers? Full Text Link: Effect of Atlas Vertebrae Realignment in Subjects with Migraine: An Observational Pilot Study One of the biggest knocks against chiropractic is […]
Research: Active Vagus Nerve Predicts Cancer Survival Regardless of Stage
Outline What’s a Vagus nerve? Sympathetic vs Parasympathetic The Startling stats on HRV and Tumor Blood markers How You Can Improve Your Vagus Nerve Activity Tools to use today Abstract Link: If you have an active vagus nerve, cancer stage may no longer be important I don’t usually like to post articles about cancer because it’s […]
Research: Correction of Anterior Head Syndrome Improves Disc Related Sciatica
Similar Article: The Pain is in my back, why are you looking at my neck? For decades, upper cervical chiropractors have looked to the neck as a primary source and cause of low back related symptoms like sciatica. While this has had many patients and other doctors skeptical of effects that a gentle neck […]
Why n=1 is Important (sometimes) – A Guide for Navigating the Unproven
Readers of this blog know that I’m a proponent of making decisions about your health based on science and research. It’s our primary defense against methods that are ineffective, unscrupulous, or worse harmful. When we are looking at clinical studies, prioritize studies based on 3 big factors. Is the study design of high quality […]
You Are NOT Your MRI: A Guide for Living Beyond a Diagnosis
Last week I posted this on Facebook, and it generated a lot of feedback so I figure it’d make a good blog post: Just a reminder for you:You are NOT your MRI and you are NOT your diagnosis.You are a human being with resiliancy and a powerful ability to heal. Don’t let anyone tell […]
You Are Stretching Too Much Before Weight Lifting
How do I know you’re stretching too much before weight lifting? I don’t even know you, and I certainly don’t know what your pre-exercise routines are. Because by and large, EVERYONE spends a lot of time doing static stretches before and during their weight lifting routines. If you want to read some of my […]
Can Your Spine Make You Harder to Kill?
There’s a concept being marketed within the strength and conditioning world that is starting permeate popular culture. The concept is the idea what being stronger makes you harder to kill as an organism. The idea comes from a quote from renowned strength coach Mark Rippetoe who said: “Strong people are harder to kill, and more […]
Should I Be Worried About Spinal Degeneration?
If you have ever been to a doctor’s office and had an x-ray performed, you have likely heard about something called spinal degeneration. Spinal degeneration is a condition in which the discs and joints of the spine begin to narrow and often form bone spurs. If you’ve ever been to a chiropractor’s office and […]
Vertigo is NOT a Diagnosis…
Vertigo is NOT a Diagnosis… Vertigo has slowly become one of the most common conditions we are seeing in the office today. Most of the time, people come to see us after they have had work ups done by their primary, ENT, neurologist, and physical therapist. Vertigo and balance disorders can have a very debilitating […]
Why Don’t More Chiropractors Do This?
Sometimes people are astounded by what happens when they get an Atlas Correction. Most people that come to the office are those that have been to pain management specialists, orthopedists, physical therapists, accupuncturists, and more before having a consult in my office. They’ve tried various drugs, had injections, and spent a ton of time doing […]
What Most Holistic Folks Get Wrong – Human Resiliancy
When we tackle obstacles, we find hidden reserves of courage and resilience we did not know we had. And it is only when we are faced with failure do we realise that these resources were always there within us. We only need to find them and move on with our lives. – Dr. APJ […]
10 Twitter Handles That Will Make You Smarter
A lot of people see Twitter simply as a space where they can vent about a topic on TV, or as a tool to interact with your favorite celebrity. Very rarely do people see Twitter as a space for learning, and certainly not a space for intelligent conversation. What I ended up learning on […]
Fantasy Football: Concussed Athletes Have Double the Risk of Leg Injury
It’s the middle of August, and that means the long wait for football season is almost over. If you’re a fantasy football junkie like myself, it also means that we’re a step closer to drafting our fake team, praying they stay healthy, and wasting away on the couch for hours cross referencing what we see on […]
Has Science Finally Found an Ideal Sleep Position?
Optimal sleeping position has been a topic that is riddled with a lot of conjecture, but with very little evidence to support anyone’s expert opinion. What we do have are a plethora of infographics like the one you see below created by the likes of Cleveland Clinic, The Huffington Post, and this particular one […]
What a Walk on the Golden Gate Bridge Taught Me About Structure – Chiropractor in Wellington
Last week I was out of the office for a few days to go to San Francisco for a wedding. I’ve been to San Francisco a few times for weekend business trips, but this was my first trip for leisure. Obviously any trip to San Francisco has to include the vaunted views of the Golden […]
Does Your Doctor Even Lift? – Chiropractor in Wellington
“Find a sports doctor or chiropractor who is an athlete and a lfiter and works with athletes and lifters. My personal rule is that I would never go to a chiropractor that deadlifts less than I do.” – Pavel Tsatsoulline. Q&A on the Tim Ferriss Show Pavel is a world class strength trainer, and has […]
What All Great Athletes (Especially Dancers) Have In Common
What All Great Athletes (Especially Dancers) Have In Common In all athletic activities, excellence comes down to one main feature. Whether it’s a basketball player, soccer player, gymnast, or dancer, all of the top tier performers share a remarkable ability to make their bodies do exactly what they desire. In world of health care, we […]
Neck Alignment and Low Back Pain: Why Your Surgeon is Starting to Care
Almost 2 years ago, I posted this article: The Pain is in my back, why are you looking at my neck??? In that post, I shared a reference to research from the Journal of Neurosurgery that talked about the importance of neck alignment in relation to the lumbar spine and pelvis. In other words, […]
Case Study – What Happens When A Current Patient Has a Head Injury – Chiropractor in Wellington
Last week I had a really unique situation that I wanted to share. It really helps to clarify what my approach to patient care is when a case is not going the way that I expect. Case Presentation: A year ago, a woman came into the office to see me for daily headaches. The […]
The Biggest Myth About Squats- Chiropractor in Wellington
Today I want to tackle one of the biggest exercise myths in the world today. Deep squats wreck your knees While the growth of Crossfit and Weightlifting sports have helped to dispel this myth, there are still lots of people that come into my office who are afraid of doing squats because they think that it […]
Why Do My Joints Pop All the Time?
You turn your head to the right and your neck goes…..crrrraaaaccckk You go for a 5k run and your knees go………pop, pop, pop, pop You rotate your shoulders to warm up for exercise……….crackle, crackle, crackle A lot of people have noisy joints. Some of you can’t stand the sound and are willing to do anything […]
Why Do My Joints Hurt More When It Rains? – Chiropractor in Wellington
Why Do My Joints Hurt More When It Rains? One of the most common problems I hear about with patients with chronic pain is that rainy weather seems to make things worse. Is there a real biological reason for this or is this just an old wives tale that has been passed on through time? […]
Migraines: A Big Problem for Young Dancers
Migraines: A Big Problem for Young Dancers Does your young dancer complain about headaches multiple times per month? If so, you may not be alone. Migraine headaches are well known to affect adolescent girls at much higher rates than boys. The hormonal changes that a young lady goes through as their body develops can take […]
The Neck Injury Your Doctor Might Be Missing After an Auto-Accident – Chiropractor in Wellington
The Neck Injury Your Doctor Might Be Missing After an Auto-Accident New Imaging Methods May Identify Injuries Missed by Conventional Studies Lots of people understand that whiplash, neck pain, headaches, and pinched nerves can occur following a car crash. In fact, that’s one of the most common reasons that people begin traditional chiropractic care. Most people […]
How Do I choose the Right Chiropractor For Me? – Chiropractor in Wellington
“I was seeing the chiropractor almost everyday for 4 months without any improvement. He told me that my neck was so bad I would likely need to be seen 3x/week for the rest of my life so I wouldn’t need surgery” Yep, that’s really what someone told me during a consultation recently, and it’s actually […]
The Atlas and Meniere’s Disease. Is there Evidence? – Chiropractor in Wellington
The Atlas and Meniere’s Disease. Is there Evidence? Last week I posted an article in 2013 about how scientists have found a new way to treat Meniere’s Disease. You can read that article here: Cure for Meniere’s Disease Discovered? It’s a bit of an ambitious title, but hey, I suppose all websites need to generate […]
Treating Migraines with Neck Surgery? – Chiropractor in Wellington
Treating Migraines with Neck Surgery? Last month I got hit with a lot of links to this news segment on CBS: Click Here “Dr. Houman Danesh of Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City explains, “Essentially the joints start rubbing against each other, and that irritates the nerve that goes from the back of your […]
What Bar Do You Go to When You’re Stressed Out? – Chiropractor in Wellington
What Bar Do You Go to When You’re Stressed Out? There’s nothing like a trip to the bar to help blow off some steam after a rough day. That probably comes as a bit of a surprise for regular readers of my blog, but it’s true. Everyone needs an outlet to feel better about […]
What Does Dr. Chung Do at NUCCA Conference?
What Does Dr. Chung Do at NUCCA Conference? As many of you know, I was at a conference in California for the weekend. This week’s conference was for the National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association, aka NUCCA, aka the method of Structural Correction that I use in the office each day. A lot of people ask […]
Helmets Can’t Stop Concussions But This Can – Thoughts from the Minnesota Concussion Summit
Helmets Can’t Stop Concussions but This Can – Thoughts from the Minnesota Concussion Summit This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend the Minnesota Concussion Summit. What was unique about this seminar was that it wasn’t geared towards doctors like neurologists or neurosurgeons that are usually responsible for the medical care of concussion patients. It […]
A Brain on Fire – Part II
A Brain on Fire – Part II Read Part I Here Last week we talked about chronic fatigue and some of the factors that lead or influence the development of the illness. If we see chronic fatigue as a product of a dysfunctional interaction between the gut, brain, and immune system then it gives us […]
Chronic Fatigue: A Brain on Fire Part 1 – The Neuroinflammation Hypothesis
Chronic Fatigue: Brain on Fire Part I The Neuroinflammation Hypothesis Last week I did an informal poll on social media to determine what topics my readers wanted to hear more about. Surprisingly, some of the things that came up were some of my favorite topics to explore and research. One of the topics that came […]
5 Things to Know About Inversion Tables
5 Things to Know About Inversion Tables Inversion tables. The miracle medical tool made famous by QVC and telephone hotline numbers. The theory behind them is pretty straight forward and simple. Gravity pushes down on your spine causing pressure to build up in your intervertebral disc and serve as an aggrevating factor for pain caused […]
Why the Atlas and Why NUCCA? – A Case Study
Why the Atlas and Why NUCCA? – A Case Study There was a case in my office last week that sparked the inspiration for today’s blog post. A few weeks ago, I began taking care of a patient with chronic daily headaches. Nothing had worked for this patient. They tried several different medications. Mindfulness therapy. […]
When Good Form Isn’t Enough – Protecting Nurses and Health Care Workers
When Good Form Isn’t Enough – Protecting Nurses and Health Care Workers Last week, NPR posted a really interesting article about the rash of injuries affecting bed side nurses. You can find that article here: Even ‘Proper’ Technique Exposes Nurses’ Spines to Dangerous Forces The article comes on the heels of a study that investigated […]
Why Do I Get Injured So Easily? Ehler-Danlos A Missed Cause of Chronic Pain
Why Do I Get Injured So Easily? Ehler-Danlos A Missed Cause of Chronic Pain It’s no secret that my practice caters to a lot of people that have chronic pain syndromes. Chronic pain is a complex problem because it’s usually an invisible illness. For these patients, MRIs are usually negative, standard blood panels are normal, […]
How I Recovered from a Shoulder Injury and Still Got Stronger
How I Recovered from a Shoulder Injury and Still Got Stronger Shoulder injuries are brutal. Whether you’re an athlete, a fitness enthusiast, or someone that uses their arm/hands for a living, a shoulder injury can get in the way of your performance. The shoulder is a complex joint with a lot going on in the […]
Research: Why Did These Pre-Term Babies get Manipulation?
Research: Why Did These Pre-Term Babies get Spinal Manipulation? This week I found a very interesting study published in the journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. The Effect of Optimally Timed Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment on Length of Hospital Stay in Moderate and Late Preterm Infants: Results from a RCT or Here I know what you’re thinking. […]
The 3 Best Nutrients for Brain Health
The 5 Best Nutrients for Brain Health Nutrients with evidence of improved brain performance and disease resistance. We talk a lot about brain health here on the blog, specifically when it comes to the effects that trauma, atlas displacement, and circulation play in the development of neurological disease. However, we can’t ignore the role that […]
Innovative Treatment for Migraine Headache Patients in West Palm Beach
Innovative Approach for Migraine Headache Patients in West Palm Beach Migraine headache is the most common neurological disorder in the world. Despite it’s prevalence, there are millions of people across the country that suffer without relief from this debilitating condition. For most people, migraines are only something they deal with a few times a year. That’s nothing to […]
Christmas is Not a Diet Killer and January 1st is Not a Magic Diet Fixer
Christmas is Not a Diet Killer and January 1st is Not a Magic Diet Fixer It’s the season for sweet treats, heavy foods, and overeating. Obviously my patients want me to fatten me up for something special because this is a pretty close representation of what my reception area looks like: It’s that time of […]
“I can’t turn my head to drive” – Neck Pain in West Palm Beach – Cervical Spine Correction
“I can’t turn my head to drive” The Scary Truth About Neck Problems Neck pain is one of the most common and brutal conditions that people in Wellington and West Palm Beach want treated in my office. I think people often underestimate how debilitating spine pain from the neck can be. We put such little thought to […]
Research: Dementia from Head Injury May be Plumbing Problem
Research: Dementia from Head Injury May be Plumbing Problem Journal of Neuroscience publishes research about the role of brain’s plumbing system causing brain damage. Last week, another study was published that helped connect the dots about the nature of head injury and brain damage linked to dementia. You can check out the Science Daily Summary […]
Stretch vs Strength: The Surprising Results in Sports Injury Prevention
Stretch vs Strength: The Surprising Results in Sports Injury Prevention The prevailing thought process in little leagues, pee wee football, and high school sports have generally placed a high priority on stretching to reduce injury amongst their athletes. The idea has gone mostly unchallenged by youth sports coaches in the name of “it just makes […]
4 Reasons Why Text-Neck is Not a Thing
4 Reasons Why Text-Neck is Not a Thing: Why Blaming Your Phone for Your Neck Pain is Plain Wrong Last week, the main stream media went crazy with articles talking about the danger of a new phenomenon called ‘Text-Neck’ Now this is actually something that chiropractors have been discussing for the past 7 or 8 […]
Atlas Correction vs. Traditional Manipulation
Atlas Correction vs. Traditional Manipulation This is a post that may catch some flack, so I want to preface it first with my intentions. 1. This is a question that my patients are frequently asked when they want to refer a family or friend, so first and foremost this is a guide for them. 2. […]
One Stunning Image That Redefines What We Know About Aging
One Stunning Image That Redefines What We Know About Aging One of the coolest things about social media is the way that it allows you to learn and interact with people that you may never have interacted with in the past. Using sites like Twitter and Facebook have given us unprecedented access to follow our favorite athletes and celebrities, […]
Hurt Your Arm? Caught the Injury Bug? Can You Train with One Arm?
Hurt Your Arm? Caught the Injury Bug? Can You Train with One Arm? Last week I posted an interesting article on my Facebook Page and Twitter that talked about the benefits of training with just one of your extremities (arms). The link to the abstract of that article is here if you’re a little geeky like […]
What’s a Normal Headache? Tension headaches vs migraines
What’s a Normal Headache? This is truly one of the more frustrating things that I hear in practice. When someone tells me about their “normal headache”. I remember having conversations with friends who used to describe their headaches as a normal part of their day, with the expectation that everyone just has their head hurt […]
POTS disease and Dysautonomia – Sick, fatigued, and a heart out of control
Sick, fatigued, panic attacks, and heart flutters – What is Dysautonomia Unless you suffer from multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, or traumatic brain injury, dysautonomia is probably a word that you’ve never heard of. The problem with that, is that the symptoms of dysautonomia are probably the most difficult to deal with in when […]
What’s that Hump Behind my Neck? Can it go away?
What’s that Hump behind my neck? Can it go away? One of the things I never anticipated when I decided to become a chiropractor was the number of people I would see whose chief complaint was a cosmetic issue. It’s true that posture can have significant effects on your perceived attractiveness, and even your ability […]
New Research: What’s the Connection with Colic, Migraines, and Parkinson’s Disease
New Research: What’s the Connection with Colic, Migraines, and Parkinson’s Disease A study released earlier this week showed that there is a link between migraine headaches and Parkinson’s disease. The study found that patients who experienced migraines with aura in their middle ages had nearely twice the risk of having Parkinson’s Disease later on in life. […]
Can Head or Neck Injuries Lead to Mental Health Problems?
Can Head or Neck Injuries Lead to Mental Health Problems? I’m going to take you somewhere interesting on today’s blog post. I was originally going to write a story about how some recent patients started to notice changes in their levels of anxiety, depression, and mental focus changed while getting adjusted. The problem is that […]
Is Grain-Free Right for Me?
Is Grain-Free Right for Me? Paleo Diet? Grain-Free? Gluten-Free? Low-Carb? There’s a lot of buzz going on in the world of diet and nutrition about the benefits of low-carbohydrate diets. Books like the Atkins Diet, Grain Brain, and Wheat Belly have brought a very interesting conversation about the place that some of our favorite foods […]
NFL Preseason: Wes Welker Suffers 10th Concussion Along with 61 Others
NFL Preseason: Wes Welker Suffers 10th Concussion Along with 61 Others It’s the last week of meaningless games for NFL teams. The NFL preaseason is coming to an end with games that matter coming right around the corner. For those of you that don’t know, the name of the game for the last preseason NFL […]
How a Car Accident Helped a Patient Find and Answer to Tinnitis
How a Car Accident Helped a Patient Find and Answer to Tinnitis Most people would never think about a car accident as a blessing in disguise. Why would someone be thankful for a situation in which their car is ruined, their neck/back hurt, and they’re responsible for navigating the buerocratic mess of personal injury law […]
Can Exercise Help Ease my Pain?
Can Exercise Help Ease my Pain? Earlier this week, a great article was written in the blog of the New York Times’ Health section. The blog was discussing an article published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. In the article, the researchers found that groups that participated in moderate intensity exercise showed an […]
Brain Injury: It’s Not Just a Concussion Issue
Brain Injury: It’s Not Just a Concussion Issue Football training camp has begun! The sport of kings has returned, as both NFL and NCAA teams prepare for the upcoming season. In the background of every football season sits the issue of head injury and concussions. In fact, the NCAA has actually reached a settlement totaling […]
The Crossfit Games – Watching with a Chiropractor’s Eyes
The Crossfit Games – Watching with a Chiropractor’s Eyes It’s one of my favorite athletic events of the year: The Reebok Crossfit Games. For most people, the games are about watching their friends compete (Go Team Crossfit Hardcore!), getting motivated to achieve a chiseled physique, and of course there’s the sheer excitement and joy of […]
Stretching: You’re Doing it Wrong. Here’s Why
Stretching: You’re Doing it Wrong. Here’s Why “Make sure you get a good stretch before you run!” “Alright guys, before we get on the courts for practice, let’s make sure we stretch” “Stretching is going to help make sure you don’t get hurt on the field” These are the lessons that most of us […]
“My Doctor Says I Have to Stop….”
“My Doctor Says I Have to Stop….” How many times have you been a victim of this? #86544836 / gettyimages.com My doctor told me I have to stop running because of my knees My doctor told me I have to give up golf because of my back My doctor told me I have to stop […]
I Have a Military Neck, Now What?
I Have a Military Neck, Now What? My doctor told me that I have a military neck and that it was causing my neck pain… My last chiropractor said that I have a military neck and I needed a year to fix it Over the past 10 years, I’ve noticed that the general public is […]
Guest Blog: 12 Things You Should Know About Whiplash
Whiplash: 12 Things you should know by Dr. Noah Kaplan 1. Significant injuries occur at low-speeds. 2. Women suffer greater injuries than men because they have less strength in their neck muscles. 3. Early mobilization is critical. Use of a cervical collar actually gives worse results than no treatment at all. Immobilization following injury causes […]
Does My Short Leg Matter?
Does My Short Leg Matter? “Doc, I know you said my right leg is 1/2″ shorter than my left leg, but is it really that bad? Doesn’t everyone have this problem?” “Wow, 1/2″ difference. Is that a lot?” These are some of the common questions that come up during my consultation when I screen people […]
Answering the Age Old Question: Heat or Ice or ….?
Answering the Age Old Question: Heat or Ice or….? When you are in the throws of a new injury, one of the most important concepts you need to know when performing self care is whether an injury needs to be iced, or if it should be heated. Both therapies are very inexpensive, and easy to […]
“Chiropractic Lowers Blood Pressure” – Addressing this Myth
“Chiropractic Lowers blood Pressure” – Addressing this Myth In 2006, a landmark study for chiropractic was done in at the University of Chicago. It was published by one of the world’s leading authorities on hypertension Dr. George Bakris, and it was featured in the world’s leading hypertension journals. The study showed that a special type of […]
Chronic Daily Migraine Headaches – Finding a Solution
Chronic Daily Migraine Headaches – Finding a Solution Migraine headaches are among the most debilitating and dreadful neurological problems that exist. They may not be fatal, but the effect on someone’s quality of life can be dramatic. Imagine having days where the sight of light cripples you. Imagine having terrible nausea, and a constant pounding […]
Don’t Go to Bed Before Reading These Neck Protecting Tips
Don’t Go to Bed Before Reading These Neck Protecting Tips “Doc, I know that you can help me get better, but what can I do on my own to keep this problem from coming back again?” Almost everyone who comes to my office want to know what they can do to protect their neck from […]
Head Injury, Chronic Dizziness, Concentration Problems, and the Atlas – A Case Study
Concussion Head Injuries and the Atlas – A Case Study Back Story A 16-year-old girl presented to my office with complaints of dizziness, inability to concentrate, headache, and neck pain for 3 months. All symptoms began after she fell off a horse and struck her head against the ground. After her fall, she went to […]
The #1 Technique you MUST learn after a back injury
The #1 Technique you MUST learn after a Back Injury Not every case of back pain is a chiropractic problem. New movement strategies are needed to build stability while healing takes place I’m no expert on treating low backs. Although I have spent most of my time developing expertise in the biomechanics of the head […]
Don’t Crack Your Own Neck Before Reading This
Don’t Crack Your Own Neck Before Reading This A wave of videos and books teach you to adjust or manipulate yourself. Will you get hooked on the crack? Is it safe? I’m sure you see it almost everyday. Whether it’s the local weight lifter before he hops on a bench, the fidgety co-worker who likes […]
I Wish I Had Found You Sooner
I Wish I Had Found You Sooner One of the best things about my work is how fast people can start to see a difference in their life when their Atlas gets corrected. It’s one of the reasons that a patient’s 2nd visit with me is one of my favorite times in the office. It’s […]
TMJ and the Neck – What’s the Connection?
TMJ and the Neck – What’s the Connection? One of the most common and troublesome problems that I’m noticing in my practice is a condition known as Temporomandibular joint dysfuction, or TMD for short. In fact, many of you may have heard someone talk about their TMJ or having TMD, but didn’t quite know what […]
There’s No Such thing as Chiropractic Massage
There’s No Such thing as Chiropractic Massage For decades, there has been a tremendous amount of confusion between chiropractic care and massage therapy. It’s not surprising considering that many chiropractors employ massage therapists in their offices and often bring them to promotional events. On the flip side some massage therapists perform spinal manipulations and are […]
Sleep Deprivation, Garbage Trucks, and Chronic Brain Disease
Sleep Deprivation, Garbage Trucks, and Chronic Brain Disease Sleep is one of the most valuable commodities in today’s modern world. Unlike other healthy habits like exercising or eating more vegetables, getting more sleep is a habit that most people crave and are willing to fix any time of year. Just ask the makers of drugs […]
Atlas Displacement and Venous Insufficiency – a Case for MS
Atlas Displacement and Venous Insufficiency – a Case for MS A lot of people who knew me when I was in my previous practice knew I worked with many people with chronic neurodegenerative diseases like multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s Disease. It always struck people that I would see a patient with those problems because most […]
Are Neck Adjustments Dangerous?
Are Neck Adjustments Dangerous? When a lot of people think about a chiropractic adjustment, what usually comes to mind is move reserved for a mixed martial arts match or an old Steven Segal movie. They see the wrenching of the neck, a loud CRACK and POP, and a man helplessly crumbles to the floor unconscious. […]
Fixing that Pesky “Muscle Problem”
Fixing that Pesky “Muscle Problem” Sometimes it’s funny to hear some of the things people say to you when you tell them that you are a chiropractor. I get to hear about the aches and pains of the people in a group, and I’m happy to help and provide insight into the problem whenever the […]
Why Your Posture Isn’t that Important
Why Your Posture Isn’t that Important It may come as a shock to people who are my patients, and to the hundreds of people who wear my “Got Posture?” t-shirts, but you heard it here first…. Your posture really isn’t that important…. That’s right. I said it. Your posture; not that important. […]
When the Chiropractor is in pain
When the Chiropractor is in pain Though it’s never been my main focus in practice to take care of people with back pain, when you have the word “chiropractor” associated with your name, it just comes with the territory. You get used seeing so many people come in limping and in agony, and they leave […]
Top 5 Keystone Blog Posts of 2013
Top 5 Keystone Blog Posts of 2013 A new year is upon us, but it’s been a great first year for followers of the Keystone Chiropractic Blog. Below are a list of your favorite and most read posts of the year. Keep following along and let us help you achieve the best new year yet! […]
How I Healed my Gut from Inside-Out
How I Healed my Gut from Inside-Out This may be surprising to some of my friends and family, but what many people don’t know about me is that I used to suffer with some terrible recurrent gut problems when I was a teenager and my early 20’s. It didn’t affect me often; maybe once every […]
The chiropractor that DOESN’T want to adjust you
The Chiropractor that DOESN’T want to adjust you When someone walks into my office, they may notice that it’s different most chiropractic offices they’ve visited. What they won’t find are massage tables, physical therapy suites, supplements, or footbaths. In fact, the only pieces of equipment you will see are my chiropractic adjustment tables and my […]
Recovery from Equestrian Falls and Traumatic Brain Injury
Recovery from Equestrian Falls and Traumatic Brain Injury When you you live and work in the Village of Wellington, you begin to understand what the equestrian community means to this city. Polo players, dressage, and event jumpers give bring life to the city and firmly establish it as the equestrian capitol of the country. Many […]
4 Tips for Surviving the Holiday Bulge – One Might Even Surprise You
4 Tips for Surviving the Holiday Bulge Thanksgiving is around the corner and most of us are getting are tummies ready to take on a fantastic meal. However, for people who have been embarking on a journey to make healthy eating choices, the holidays can be a time of dread. What happens if I cheat? […]
Does the Brain Stem Affect Inflammatory Conditions?
Does the Nervous System Affect Inflammatory Conditions? You may not know what the term “Autoimmunity” means, but I’m sure you know some of the diseases in it’s family. These include: Rheumatoid Arthritis Fibromyalgia Chronic Fatigue Celiac Disease Crohn’s Disease Lupus Psoriasis Multiple Sclerosis That’s right. Many of the chronic illnesses that we walk and run […]
CTE and Football: An Upper Cervical Chiropractic Perspective
CTE and the NFL: A Structural Perspective If you’re a sports fan like myself, then you’re probably aware of the NFL’s crackdown on violent blows above the shoulders. The reason for this crackdown is because of the emergence of a new diagnosis that is wreaking havoc on retired NFL players. This disease has even driven […]
5 Movement Patterns that Can Injure Your Neck
5 Movement Patterns that can Injure Your Neck Problems in the cervical spine are things that I take very seriously. In fact, I’ve devoted my career in chiropractic to mastering my understanding of cervical spine mechanics and correction through the NUCCA protocol. The structural and mechanical integrity of the neck are just too important to […]
I heard that Chiropractic was just a placebo…
I heard that Chiropractic was just a placebo… Today’s post is brought to you by an interesting conversation that I had with someone at lunch last week. I’m part of a Service Club in Wellington that meets for lunch each week. It’s a great group of entrepreneurs and business owners who have found a lot […]
Is Your Blood Pressure a Brain Stem Problem?
Is Your Blood Pressure a Brain Stem Problem? A recent study has brought hypertension back into the spotlight as a leading cause of death worldwide, and the leading cause of cardiovascular disease. Because hypertension has no symptoms, almost 50% of the participants in the study had no idea that they even had high blood pressure. […]
Do I Really Need X-rays?
Do I really Need to get X-rays? One of the most common concerns for people visiting a chiropractor’s office is the potential use of ionizing radiation through spinal x-rays. Many people have concerns about the cumulative effects of radiation exposure, particularly after TV gurus like Dr. Oz discuss it on their shows. More and more […]
Is My Training Program Safe?
Is My Training Program Safe? There’s been a lot of buzz in the both social and conventional media about the dangers of certain fitness trends, specifically Crossfit. One particular article about weightlifting during pregnancy and another one about a condition called rhabdomyolysis spread virally throughout Facebook and Twitter in the past few weeks. It even […]
Whiplash Associated Disorders – What Are the Facts?
Whiplash Associated Disorders – What are the Facts? In my experience, I’ve found that whiplash is a commonly misunderstood diagnosis among the patient population. Many people self-diagnose the pain in the neck following a bad roller coaster ride or car accident as a whiplash injury. While they may or may not be correct, the truth […]
Vertigo – What are Common Causes?
Vertigo – What are Common Causes? Most of us have experienced a bout with vertigo (dizziness) at some point in our lives. Whether it’s the memory of playing dizzy-bats as a kid, a college night out with too many adult beverages, or a trip on our not so favorite carnival ride; the sensation of the […]
The Pain is in my Back, Why Are You Looking At My Neck???
The Pain is in my Back, Why Are You Looking At My Neck??? I have a confession to make. I…….am NOT a back doctor. Whew, that felt great to get off of my chest! I know, I know, it’s a little weird for a chiropractor to come out and say that he’s not a back […]
Becoming a Supple Leopard – A Chiro’s Perspective on Crossfit’s Mobility Cert
Becoming a Supple Leopard – A Chiro’s Perspective on Kelly Starrett’s Mobility Cert With Crossfit’s infamous stories of injury, it may seem unusual that I would subject my body to the potential abuse; particularly for someone who relies on using their body for a living. I first got introduced to Crossfit while I was in […]
Gluten-Free: Should you or shouldn’t you?
Gluten-Free: Should you or shouldn’t you? The Gluten-Free aisle is the fastest growing part of the grocery store. What’s going on here? They fill up whole sections of your local Publix or Whole Foods. New menu sections are designed for them at PF Changs and Cheesecake Factory. In the past 5 years, the words “Gluten-free” […]
What is Scoliosis? Should I be Worried?
What is Scoliosis? Should I be Worried? As school starts around the country, many parents have concerns about backpacks and scoliosis screenings. What’s the truth? As I speak to more and more patients, I’ve come to a realization that there is quite a bit of confusion about what scoliosis is, and how it can affect […]
“It Must Be Because I’m Getting Old”
“It Must Be Because I’m Getting Old” Are you suffering because of age, or might it be something deeper? “Don’t get old, you end up like this” “That’s just because of old age” “See, this is why you shouldn’t get older” These are some of the most common phrases that I hear in the office […]
Dirty Jobs Star Presents Sad Fact in Newest Commercial
Mike Rowe Inadvertently Makes Sad Point About American Health Mike Rowe one of the most well known faces of Cable Television, as well as the latest and greatest spokesperson for the Ford Automobile Company. The latest Ford campaign has him asking patrons “Who’s healthier: you or your car?” Check him out in the latest commercial […]
Why Counting Calories is Silly
Why Counting Calories is Silly In May of 2002, I weighed in at a svelte 5’9” and 155 lbs. As of yesterday I weighed in at 5’10” and 165 lbs. Though my body has gone through many changes over the last 11 years, I’ve managed to maintain a healthy body weight despite the fact that […]
Dr. Chung Recently Published in Scientific Journal
Dr. Chung Recently Published in Scientific Journal A new article about Structural Chiropractic helping a brain injured patient was published by Dr. Chung last month. The article details the case of a 16 year-old girl who had suffered brain injury following a surgical procedure to remove a brain tumor. Following the surgery the parts of […]
How to avoid becoming a supplement junkie
How to avoid becoming a supplement junkie How taking vitamins have become an extra job, and how to avoid it. Last week I was walking through one of my favorite health food stores in to buy another tub of protein. I had been working out extra hard and my schedule was blocking me from getting […]
Shotguns or Snipers?
Shotguns or Snipers? Which Approach Do you Want? First off, I just want to apologize to any of my fans of firearms. If you’re looking for insight on gun rights/ownership, you will not be getting that information from me. What we are here to talk about is precision. You see, there are generally 2 approaches […]
Natural Solutions for Attention Deficit
Every year, millions of children and adults are being diagnosed with attention deficit disorder. According to the CDC the annual societal ‘‘cost of illness’’ for ADHD is estimated to be between $36 and $52 billion, in 2005 dollars. It is estimated to be between $12,005 and $17,458 annually per individual. Most doctors will prescribe drugs […]
I Tried It Before but I Never Got Lasting Results
I Tried Personal Training before but I Never Got Lasting Results About 3 weeks ago, I was having a meeting with a popular personal trainer in Royal Palm Beach. With shows like the Biggest Loser showing such dramatic transformations in people’s lives, it has inspired millions of people throughout the country to take control of […]
Is High Intensity Training (H.I.T.) Right for Me?
Is High Intensity Training (H.I.T.) right for me? One of the hottest trends in fitness today is focused on something called high intensity training or H.I.T. The basic premise of H.I.T. involves exercising harder in short periods of time while decreasing the amount of volume and time spent exercising. Rather than someone spending hours in […]
Can Research on the Atlas Change Healthcare?
Can Research on the Atlas Change Healthcare? This past weekend, I got to spend time in Minneapolis for the semi-annual conference of the National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association (NUCCA). It was really a pleasure getting to spend time and share experiences with some of the best in the world at structural correction. Two things about this […]
Coconut Oil: Is It Really Healthy for Me?
Coconut Oil: Is It Really Healthy for Me? There are times when you look at the new trends in research, and it seems like a dizzying array of conflicting information. Eat more whole grains Eat less grains Eat more fat Fat kills One of the casualties of these disputes has been the role of coconut […]
Why Keystone?
Why Keystone Chiropractic? The most common question I get whenever I’m out in public is “Why did you choose the name Keystone Chiropractic?”. After all, I’m not from Pennsylvania (The Keystone State), I don’t live in a city with the name Keystone, and I’m certainly NOT a fan of Keystone Light. In my world […]
Do Kids Get Structural Problems?
“My kids are way too young for spinal problems…” During my years in practice, people have often asked why we check so many kids in the office. Most people are under the impression that children are way too young to have a structural problem in the spine. For the most part, you would be absolutely […]
Concussions: Affecting Athletes Young and Old
Concussions: The Long Term Effects Children and Young Athletes are the Fastest Growing Population to Develop Head Injuries One of the hottest topics in sports today relates to an athlete’s recovery from head injuries and concussions. From the NFL, to worried soccer moms seeing their child do a header, to falls at local […]
Don’t Pop That Achilles Crossfitters! 13.2 Words of Wisdom
Don’t Pop That Achilles Crossfitters! 13.2 Words of Wisdom Open 13.2 is a fast and furious workout that can leave you open to injury. Prep properly this weekend! The Crossfit Open is a call to all Crossfitters to challenge their fitness levels and compare themselves to the best athletes around the world. With that being […]
Can Sleep Affect Your Weight?
Can Sleep Affect Your Weight? New Research Shows that Getting Less Sleep Leads to Increased Weight Gains It’s a pretty well known and established fact that getting proper sleep helps in multiple aspects of life and health. Being sleep deprived can impair someone’s decision making, reduce cognitive/athletic performance, lead to depression/anxiety, and decrease immune […]
I’ve Already Had Spinal Surgery, it’s too late for you to help me
“I’ve Already Had Spinal Surgery, it’s too late for you to help me” An interesting thing happened to me yesterday at lunch that led me to today’s topic. I was speaking to this woman in the check out line at Whole Foods, when the topic of chiropractic came up (wow, how’d that happen???).Long story short, […]
8-Hour Energy – Like 5-Hour Energy, but Better
8-Hour Energy – Like 5-Hour Energy, but Better In the past 10 years, one of the most common problems that people talk about is a lack of energy. In fact, if you’re reading this at work right now, you’re probably in the midst of a mid-afternoon crash, and looking for some stimulation to keep your […]
Olive Oil: The Delicious Anti-Inflammatory
Olive Oil – The Delicious Anti-Inflammatory Last year during the holidays, I had the pleasure of receiving an incredible gift from one of my patients. She brought a 1L bottle of one of the finest olive oils from Italy. I was thrilled, because anyone that knows me knows that I love the taste of extra […]
4 Suprising Ways to Protect Your Heart
Broken Hearts – More Than a Valentine’s Day Problem In honor of Valentine’s Day and Heart Health Month, today’s blog is dedicated to that spectacular little engine inside your chest. Although I’m no cardiovascular expert, with more and more people each year seeking out structural orthogonal care for secondary conditions like high blood pressure and […]
Sugar Substitutes: Splenda Isn’t So Splendid
Sugar Substitutes: Splenda isn’t So Splendid One of the greatest things about being a structural orthogonal chiropractor is getting to see the reaction people have as they notice their bodies start to heal. Some of the most common secondary conditions that people present with are headaches and migraines. Of course, I’d love to tell you […]
Is This Silent Problem Killing Your Workout?
Structural Abnormalities and Lifting Efficiency Anyone that knows me or has been following my work knows that I’m pretty passionate about exercise and fitness. Today’s blog is not about the benefits of exercise; at this point, I think we all have a good grasp of that concept. Today is about identifying road blocks that may […]
What’s the Paleo Diet?
What is the Paleo Diet? Armed with 2013 RESOLUTIONS, people everywhere are looking for that next great diet or eating plan to help them reach a healthier body shape and type. In the practice, you may have heard words like “Paleo” or “Primal” Diet in discussions with some of our fitness minded practice members. A primal […]
Does My Protein Supplement Matter?
Does My Protein Supplement Matter? Let’s say that you were going to build a a brand new house. You hired the best architect and the best builders in the world to create the house of your dreams. Now once it comes time to build, you start to choose cheap materials, Chinese Drywall, and low quality […]
Can Running Hurt my Structure?
Can running hurt my structure? Running is #1 exercise of choice for people seeking to increase their fitness. Programs like Couch to 5k have spurned millions of Americans to strap on some running shoes and hit the streets toward better health. However, running is the most common source of sports related injury in the country. Injuries to […]
Icebergs – symptoms versus causes
Most people are familiar with the image on the top. An image of a lowly iceberg. It looks so simple to simply steer around and bypass it on the way to smoother seas. But if our past was a good teacher, then we know that by only paying attention to the surface, we can miss […]
Lower Back Pain Gone!
Lower Back Pain Gone Bonnie – Wellington, Fl
