Hey you guys,
I don’t know how much you have followed my health journey, but the short version is:
I was diagnosed with numerous health issues after having my first gastritis flare-up in 2016, including insomnia, gut issues, hypothyroidism etc.
And besides this also the possible root cause of them all, an atlas dislocation.
When I woke up, I was already feeling like I was hit by a car, always blaming missing sleep on this.
I didn’t even realize that I had headaches, because I thought it was just tension in my neck and shoulder muscles.
Obviously, at first I was surprised to hear about the connection of all symptoms I mentioned above, but when you think about it, it makes so much sense.
THE ATLAS
The atlas is the first cervical vertebra, directly located between the jaw and spine. You can also think of it as the connecting point of your head and spine.
It is on top of the axis (the second cervical vertebra) and even the tiniest dislocation of it has consequences on the vertebras under it.
My doctor explained to me, the atlas can be falsely rotated either to the right side, to the left side plus/or pointing with the left side up/right side up.
If that happens the whole balance in the body shifts and our organism is trying to ensure said balance all the time.
So, he vertebras under the atlas shift their positions which can lead to a functional scoliosis since the diclocations can stretch throughout the whole spine and even change the placement of the hip and lead to a ‘shortened leg’.
Ok, now the whole body is misaligned. That means that also some muscles are more or less tense depending how much weight they have carry.
But let’s get to an even more interesting fact:
You know our brains are the data processing center’s of our bodies which can only work seamlessly if they have enough fuel.
In our bodies this fuel is blood.
Did you ever experience dizziness or a blackout after doing too much strenuous exercise/after standing up?
This was possibly due to a decreased information transportation to the brain, because the blood flow was ‘cut off’ for a little.
What happens when the information is decreased then?
Well, you know the nerves receive information through electrical impulses, these impulses reach the brain slower, so it’s an overall longer reaction time that the body has to deal with now.
Do you know this has significant influences in all of our processes in the body whether it’s digestion or the hormone response. It changes the whole way how efficient the metabolism works.
Not only the blood flow is influenced. The neck has very sensible veins and nerves (especially the vagus nerve) running along the sides and back of it.
And since the vagus nerve regulates the parasympathetic and sympathetic nerve system, a dislocation again has major effects on all functions within our bodies.
Now just imagine this happens when a person is still a kid. This kid could be stunted. Just because this tiny vertebra is misplaced.
But enough with that, I bet you ask yourselves, how does this happen?
Well, quite easy actually. It can happen with something as simple as a bad fall off from the bike, whiplash through a car accident, but even at birth (if the baby was taken out with forceps for example).
Stunned, right?
Okay, now. Is this curable might be your next question and I can happily say: YES!
CHIROPRACTOR vs. OSTEOPATH
There are probably a dozen different methods how to realign the cervical vertebra and its following displacements throughout the body, but I personally have heard of these two areas: chiropractic and osteopathy.
A chiropractor usually works harshly and I’ve heard a few horror stories like very painful treatments with bruising and even worse pain after those treatments.
Also it is not entirely uncritical to work on the cervical vertebras with high force.
A harsh impulse could actually ‘break your neck’ and well, we don’t want to take that risk, right?
The other area of specialists I know are the osteopaths who mostly work with muscle stimulating methods first and then give the impulse for the atlas to move back to its right position.
And one of those methods was done with me.
I will now present you the atlas reflex method and keep reading until the end for my personal experience (short, mid- and soon longterm).
ATLAS REFLEX THERAPY
First of all, placing the atlas back to its original position doesn’t miraculously cure you!
But, since a dislocation is connected to numerous health issue, it can definitely help subside the symptoms.
Here are common symptoms connected ti an atlas dislocation:
- headaches and migraines
- dizziness and lightheadedness
- neck pain and tension
- pain after whiplash
- tinnitus and ear sounds
- stiff neck
- problems with muscles and balance
- problems with coordination
- scoliosis
- problems with spinal disks
From personal experience I could list a lot more symptoms like digestion problems, weak ankles, sleeping issues, shallow breathing etc., but that’s not the point now.
The steps:
- You need to get looked at by a SPECIALIST. Not every osteopath has specialised in atlas dislocation, so search for someone who is really qualified to diagnose and help you. You’re in luck if you live in Germany, because I can just tell you to look up your closest specialist here: Atlasreflex.
- If you have an atlas dislocation you will then first be massaged on the neck with a special device (themper-technology) giving impulses to relax even the deep muscle tissue. This feels a bit weird, you can definitely feel your muscles being tricked which is the whole sense of this. And of course to relax them so the soft manually given impulse is given later without any pain whatsoever.
4 different points on the neck as well as under the head are treated, so that the atlas starts to swing. - After 10 minutes of this massage, the impulses for your individual dislocation will be given sitting, then checked lying on the stomach and then you’re already done.
- Approx. 1 month later there is a second appointment which is used as a check-up and/or second treatment depending how your body has received the impulses and started to work putting the vertebra in the right place.
After the treatment:
I’ll be quite frank with you. The next 3 days are like being hit by a car. I got a very sensitive and stiff neck. Even the tiniest turning motion with my head hurt, but after these few days it gets better.
You can also expect to be very tired and wanting to sleep the whole day which sadly wasn’t as easy, because lying on the neck was painful as well, even with a proper neck pillow.
Also I didn’t have a real appetite, but I still tried to nurture my body to help the healing process.
One other thing, I’d like to mention: Washing my hair 8 days after the treatment and combing it was still very painful, and you have to be careful doing it, so I’d definitely recommend to wash your hair on the day of the treatment (before it obvi) and then stretch the next time as long into the future as you can!
My osteopath also recommended to not do any exercise for at least 14 days and to not do anything involving too much neck motion (yes, this means better not drive your car too often in that time or at least the days after treatment).
HEALING EXPERIENCE
Approx. 3 weeks after the first treatment, I noticed:
a) I didn’t have any pain from the treatment anymore and
b) I started to get less neck pain after getting up in the morning
After 10 days after my second treatment, my stomach issues became less and less prominent.
My mood got better, I experienced less phases of depressive thoughts and mood swings and emotional binge-eating sessions.
I felt like I could focus better. And I’m pretty sure I have a better posture, like feeling grounded with my feet while walking with equal distribution of my body’s weight on them.
I’m almost reaching the 2 month mark and although some of my neck pain is still there from time to time as well as my stomach issues, it all gets slightly better. I just have to give it time.
You know after 3 months we have a completely new body. All cells have renewed themselves after 3 months.
So, I’m excited to see where I am in a month, I guess.
But before I end this post, here’s a list of possible ameliorations on your body’s functions after the atlas reflex therapy:
- better immune system
- more calmness in difficult/stressful situations
- less anxiety
- positive regulation of functions e.g. blood pressure, bloodflow of the heart and therefore preventative against heart/cardiovascular disease
- pain subsides or is even eliminated
- better digestion
- better concentration
So, that’s all I have to say about the atlas therapy for now.
But, as always, leave your thoughts in a comment or e-mail.
Have you ever had problems similar to those mentioned above, have you tried everything, but your issues seem to stay the same?
Maybe, you atlas is the one thing, you didn’t think of.
I hope you’re all okay.
Bye for now.
Love,
