The Atlas is a single, 2 oz. doughnut-shaped vertebra at the top of the spine. Trillions of nerve fibers from the brainstem travel through the small opening in atlas and flow down into the spinal column. These nerve fibers supply all of the parts of our body with the vital connection to our brain. Without this connection, our Cardiovascular, Digestive, Respiratory and even our Immune systems cannot function properly. Because of the smallness of the opening and because of the atlas' close proximity to the brain stem, if the atlas has moved out of position even a fraction of a degree, many different dis-ease conditions may occur. The conditions stem from the two most immediate effects of this malposition: postural imbalance and restriction of nervous system function.
Postural Imbalance
When the atlas and/or axis are out of their proper position, the head moves off center of the body. This creates body imbalance from head to toe. More weight shifts to one side of the body than another. If these vertebrae are also rotated out of position, they can twist your entire spinal structure, including the pelvis, so that one leg becomes shorter than another. Not having your atlas corrected to restore body balance is like continuing to drive a car that has poor alignment. Over time everything is going to break down. You can keep replacing the tires, but unless you have the car aligned, you'll just be wasting your money. The same thing is true for headaches or ADD or hundreds of other conditions that have been known to respond well to Upper Cervical health care. You can keep taking medication, but if your atlas is out of its proper position and causing the problem, it's not going away until you get your upper cervical spine corrected.
Restriction of Nervous System Function
The second serious result of the spine being out of position is the restriction or distortion of critical messages from the brain to all parts of the body. Every cell, organ or tissue that is not receiving adequate nerve energy and communication from the brain will suffer and degenerate. Example: Ball your hand into a fist. This represents your head. Extend your index finger as if you are pointing at someone. Your index finger represents your body. Take a rubber band and wrap it tightly around your index finger at the base of the finger where it is attached to your hand. The rubber band represents your atlas which is wrapped around the spinal cord right near the brain stem and has moved out of its proper position. Wait a few minutes. Your entire finger begins to turn white and then blue due to the circulation being cut off by the rubber band. You can massage your finger to restore circulation. You can inject your finger with pain medication from a syringe to stop the pain. In severe cases you can cut off the finger to erase the pain. However, only the symptoms of the problem have been addressed, not the cause. The rubber band is the cause. The smartest thing to do is to simply remove the rubberband and eliminate the cause of the problem.
The same thing is true for a spine that has moved out of its proper position. It can constrict or distort proper nerve flow from the brain to organs and limbs throughout the body. Your feet may hurt or you may be having kidney problems, but the cause of the problem may not be in those areas at all, but in your spine where a misaligned atlas is restricting or distorting proper nerve flow to areas throughout the body. If your spine remains out of position for years, degeneration of organ, muscle and cell tissue results. Over time, that could be serious, since in many conditions, pain is the last symptom to occur to indicate a problem exists.
Good News! Correction of the top vertebra promotes healing!
First, careful analysis is made of highly specific, low dose x-rays. The doctor then decides exactly how and where to make a precision adjustment of your spine. The correction of the upper cervical alignment is done by hand. It feels like light thrust or a gentle pressure at the side of the neck as the atlas is moved precisely back into its correct position. It is completely "underwhelming." There is no twisting of the neck. Patients are often surprised how anti-climactic it is, until, over a period of time, they feel their bodies healing. The procedure cures nothing. It simply restores the proper connection between brain and body so that organs, limbs and tissues can resume normal functioning. The body can now self-heal. That is why we see so many different conditions responding to this procedure.
However, too many people wait too long to get their spine corrected. This is mainly due to a lack of understanding of the vital role the atlas plays in the health of the entire body throughout life. It is becoming increasingly clear that parents should have their children's atlas' examined as soon after birth as possible and have periodic upper cervical check ups throughout their lives. Countless problems could be avoided entirely. A correctly positioned atlas is so fundamental to good health; everyone from children to grandparents need to get their spines examined now.