The Cervical & Vagus Nerve Connection?! – A NYC Chiropractor/Applied Kinesiologist/NeuroKinetic Therapist Explains

I’ve been pondering the possible connection between the Cervical nerve and the Vagus nerve.

The Vagus nerve is the tenth cranial nerve or CN X, and interfaces with parasympathetic control of the heart, lungs, and digestive tract. The Vagus nerve supplies motor parasympathetic fibers to all the organs (except the adrenal glands), from the neck down to the second segment of the transverse colon. The Vagus also controls a few skeletal muscles in the neck or cervical area. The Vagus nerves are paired; however, they are normally referred to in the singular. It is the longest nerve of the autonomic nervous system.

The first and second cervical nerves are responsible for innervation of the head, face, inner middle ear, sinuses, eyes, upper neck, auditory nerves and other areas. The cervical nerves C3-C7 bear the responsibility of innervating the neck, shoulders, thyroid, teeth, tonsils, outer ear, nose, mouth, vocal cords, and more, with some of their individual responsibilities outlined below. The fourth cervical nerve innervates the thoracic diaphragm, leading to the creation of the surgical mnemonic “Cut C4, breathe no more.”

The Vagus Nerve (also known as the “wandering nerve”) exits the upper cervical spine and descends down to the heart and the stomach and the rest of the digestive system. We know of cases where severe massage of the neck muscles affects digestion and respiration.

The Vagus nerve travels along the side of the cervical vertebrae; fibers of the cervical nerves and the vagus innervate similar neck muscles. Misalignment of the upper cervical vertebrae affects the nerves that innervate those muscles. A biofeedback can affect the Vagus.

A relatively new patient made me ponder this possible connection: he had fallen on his head 30 yrs ago. He complained of neck pain, gall bladder pain, low back pain, walking dis-ease, excessive hunger (drinks lots of veggie and fruit juices). He looked emaciated, held his head forward and his shoulders elevated. His X-rays show facet problems w C1-2 vertebra and a slipping forward of C2 on C3; he admits that he self-adjusts his neck.
On examination, found a bilateral weak psoas (a muscle involved in walking) which suggests a fixation of the occipital bone and C1 vertebrae and then also a fixation of C2 and C3.

https://drvittoriarepetto.wordpress.com/2010/12/13/spinal-pain-not-being-helped-see-an-applied-kinesiologist-it-may-be-a-fixation/

I found abnormal sacral movement- a Sacral Wooble, released the erector spinal muscles, adjusted two cranial bones and  worked on acu-points for gall bladder, spleen and liver as well as lymphatic points
His neck’s range of motion is better and walking is not uncomfortable.
Gave instructions on how to track his head back without elevating his chin and told him to stop adjusting his own neck. My dietary advice was to stop juicing and eat solid veggies and more protein.
I emailed him  a youtube video on how to hold his head and another one on the dangers of self-adjustment.

Click here: Forward Head Posture Correction (Anti-Ageing Must) – YouTube

Click here: DOOLEY NOTED: Why You Shouldn’t Self-Adjust Your Neck – YouTube

That night and the next 2 days I get emails saying that though he thought I didn’t do a lot; he was not hungry and he had two really good bowel movements and his breathing and his voice is stronger. He was looking forward to his next visit.

Forward lean is a  constant problem with texting, working at a computer and just bad posture. Note that the doctor in the first video mentions that more forward lean, the more years of forward lean, the more medications the patient is on; more stress on cervical…more stress on Vagus?/…more problems w/ organ function.?!!. 

Copyright – 2017-Dr. Vittoria Repetto

Vagal Neurons: New findings in the gut-brain connection

The Spinal Nerve / Autonomic Nerve Connection – A NYC Chiropractor/ Applied Kinesiologist / NeuroKinetic Therapist Explains

Muscles, Connective Tissue Between Organs Influence Illness 

 

 

 

Want more information on Dr. Vittoria Repetto and her NYC Applied Kinesiology/Chiropractic/ NKT practice at 230 W 13th St., NYC 10011; please go to www.drvittoriarepetto.com

And please check out the Patient Testimonials page on my web site.

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A NYC Chiropractor Posts 2 Video Parodies on Conventional Medicine’s Response to Lipitor & Vitamin D

Watch the Lipitor paradox-funny yet sad truth. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqdzJLOQM2I&sns=tw

Parody on conventional medicine response to Should I take vitamin D? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1K3s0ir74Y&NR=1

Enjoy!!

 

 

Want more information on Dr. Vittoria Repetto and her NYC Applied Kinesiology/Chiropractic practice; please go to www.drvittoriarepetto.com.

And please check out the Patient Testimonials at the “Our Practice” page at the web site.

 

Question for everyone:

I’ve been thinking about how ancestral place of origin has an effect on how our body (& specifically our digestive systems) processes different foods. For example over the years, I have learned that my body digests sheep cheese (goat’s milk/cheeses) better than it does cow milk products…can’t stand the taste of cow’s milk and if I eat too much cow’s cheses, I get a mucous-like feeling in my mouth.

This does not happen if I eat sheep or goat cheeses and I can stand to drink goat’s milk

After returning to my paternal ancestral place of origin and hearing the sheep bleating in the hills, I wonder if my digestive system has formed w/ the foods of this town and area.

So my question to you is: If you have visited yr place of ancestral origin, have you noticed that your system is more in “tone” w/ food ( and recipes)  from that area.

Please note: My question is in the framework of the last 500 yrs ( not in the sense of Dr. Adamo’s blood types) ….where did your people come from(what countries) …what foods did they eat there…how did it change when they came to this country (USA & Canada) when you visited your ancestral land, how was the food different (products and preparation). etc.

Want more information on Dr. Vittoria Repetto and her NYC Applied Kinesiology/Chiropractic practice; please go to www.drvittoriarepetto.com or www.westbroadwaychiropractic.com

And please check out the Patient Testimonials at the “Our Practice” page at the web site

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Is Low Fat Really Healthy?

Or is a little bit of whole fat better for you?

So here we are with all the health gurus telling us that we should be eating all our foods in their natural forms aka un-processed. And yet when most of them talk about dairy, the majority of these people talk about drinking and consuming low fat milk, yogurt and cheeses. And of course, the same people talk about not using things like coconut milk or eating egg yolks. In fact I have seen articles talking about the Mediterranean diet and talking about how low fat dairy is part of that diet.

This is strange to this daughter of Italian immigrants who on her travels from her teenage yrs to the present (59 yrs old) never saw her grandparents who lived into their uppers 90’s & low 100’s (nonno & nonna – the latter) or the present healthy 80 something’s in her father’ hometown eat anything low fat. We have been so obsessed with the concept of low fat/saturated fat/no fat that for over 30 years we have poisoned ourselves by eating margarine and substituting trans fats for saturated fats and have added refined sugars (or worse high fructose corn syrup) to products like yogurt and ice cream. And yet we are fatter and much more important less healthy than we were thirty years ago.

Click here: Do Low-fat Foods Make Us Fat? Mindless Eating Leads Us To Consume More Calories

One of our current epidemics is the low levels of Vitamin D in the general population.  Could the fact that we are not consuming enough fat to help absorb the fat soluble vitamins like Vitamin D(the fat soluble vitamins are Vitamin A, D, E and K) and Omega 3’s be playing a part in this besides not getting enough sun?  Fat also help us absorb proteins and calcium. Our brains also need fat; in fact our brains are mainly fat: http://www.fi.edu/learn/brain/fats.html#fatsbuild.

Could this obsession with low fat and 30 yrs of substituting trans fats be a factor in the rise of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s?? How might a low fat diet affect our dopamine receptors and our fat receptors in our tonque and brain?  Click here: Discovery of ‘fat’ taste could hold the key to reducing obesity

Are you taking turmeric as a natural inflammatory supplement; talk to an Ayurvedic healer and they will tell you that cooking turmeric in butter (ghee) or coconut oil or milk (in addition in combo with black pepper) potentates the effect of the turmeric.

We also know that whole fat dairy products (esp. from grass fed ruminants) contain more conjugated linoleic acid and has been shown to be possibly effective for preventing colon & rectal cancer, weight loss and atherosclerosis. http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-826-CONJUGATED%20LINOLEIC%20ACID.aspx?activeIngredientId=826&activeIngredientName=CONJUGATED%20LINOLEIC%20ACID#vit_interactions http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/582029 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conjugated_linoleic_acid

 http://www.integrativepractitioner.com/topics/brain-health/inflammation-and-brain-health/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ip16-free-content-facebook&utm_content=digital

Inflammation and Brain Health

Research has shown links between our modern high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet, and increasing rates of certain diseases, particularly those relating to neurological dysfunction and overall brain health. As neurodegenerative disorders rise, so too has sugar consumption in the Western world. Yet, new research has shown that healthy, fat-rich diets have a myriad of benefits to the brain on the macro-scale in brain function, and benefits on the micro-scale in terms of inflammation. Recent studies have documented blood sugar’s effect on a wide collection of troubles from the size of the hippocampus, to diabetes, stroke and dementia risk.

And to be fair, some of the health gurus either do not demonize saturated fat or are starting to understand that it’s not fat but inflammation and the role that refined carbohydrates have in increasing the inflammation that has a bad effect on your heath. Please read: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/the-cholesterol-myth-that_b_676817.html & http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-weil-md/healthy-eating_b_629422.html

So what am I saying?

If you can tolerate dairy products and enjoy them, try switching to quality whole milk products (organic, growth hormone & antibiotic free, non-homogenized, grass fed, etc.) and eat them in moderation; maybe a few spoonfuls of yogurt a day or one pound of cheese consumed over 1-2 weeks.

If you eat meat, again eat them in moderation…try lean cuts from animals that have been grass-fed & raised in a sustainable manner. Eat no more than 4 ozs. a day and try to limit it to 4 times a week. Enjoy your eggs as nature intended w/ the yolks but limit yourself to 8-10 a week. And either cook them w/ olive oil instead of butter or poach them.

Eat lots of sources of mono-unsaturated fats in addition, incorporate some nuts and seeds into your diet, eat lots of veggies, some fresh fruit and stay away from refined sugars and fake or trans fats.

In other words,  enjoy your food in all its unprocessed whole glory, just be moderate in your intake.

Here are some studies comparing low fat milk to whole fat milk:  In a study in American Journal of Epidemiology 2007;166(11):1259-1269 entitled Calcium, Vitamin D, and Dairy Product Intake and Prostate Cancer Risk: The Multiethnic Cohort Study, no association of calcium or vitamin D intake was seen across racial/ethnic groups. In analyses of food groups, dairy product and total milk consumption were not associated with prostate cancer risk. However, low-/nonfat milk was related to an increased risk and whole milk to a decreased risk of total prostate cancer http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/567465

Eight-year-old children who drink full-fat milk every day have a lower BMI than those who seldom drink milk. This is not the case for children who often drink medium-fat or low-fat milk. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091103102347.htm University of Gothenburg (2009, November 4). Children Who Often Drink Full-Fat Milk Weigh Less, Swedish Research Finds. ScienceDaily.

In a study of Effect of consumption of whole milk and skim milk on blood lipid profiles in healthy men, the drinkers of whole milk had low lipid profiles http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8116537

In a 16 yr. study of Dairy consumption and patterns of mortality of Australian adults: there was no consistent and significant association between total dairy intake and total or cause-specific mortality. However, compared with those with the lowest intake of full-fat dairy, participants with the highest intake (median intake 339 g/day) had reduced death due to CVD (HR: 0.31; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.12–0.79; P for trend=0.04) after adjustment for calcium intake and other confounders. Intakes of low-fat dairy, specific dairy foods, calcium and vitamin D showed no consistent associations.  http://www.nature.com/ejcn/journal/v64/n6/abs/ejcn201045a.html

A reduction in dietary saturated fat has generally been thought to improve cardiovascular health.  The objective of this meta-analysis was to summarizethe evidence related to the association of dietary saturatedfat with risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, and cardiovasculardisease (CVD; CHD inclusive of stroke) in prospective epidemiologicstudies. Design: Twenty-one studies identified by searching MEDLINE andEMBASE databases and secondary referencing qualified for inclusionin this study. A random-effects model was used to derive compositerelative risk estimates for CHD, stroke, and CVD. Results: During 5–23 y of follow-up of 347,747 subjects,11,006 developed CHD or stroke. Intake of saturated fat wasnot associated with an increased risk of CHD, stroke, or CVD.The pooled relative risk estimates that compared extreme quantilesof saturated fat intake were 1.07 (95% CI: 0.96, 1.19; P = 0.22)for CHD, 0.81 (95% CI: 0.62, 1.05; P = 0.11) for stroke, and1.00 (95% CI: 0.89, 1.11; P = 0.95) for CVD. Consideration ofage, sex, and study quality did not change the results. Conclusions: A meta-analysis of prospective epidemiologic studiesshowed that there is no significant evidence for concludingthat dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased riskof CHD or CVD. More data are needed to elucidate whether CVDrisks are likely to be influenced by the specific nutrientsused to replace saturated fat. http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/ajcn.2009.27725v1

Dairy Consumption and the Incidence of Hyperglycemia and the Metabolic Syndrome: Results from a French prospective study, Data from the Epidemiological Study on the Insulin Resistance Syndrome (DESIR). This study links dairy intake with lower BMI , BP, TG, & reduced insulin resistance. (not funded by industry) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21447660  

Component in Common Whole Fat Dairy Foods May Cut Diabetes Risk http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101220200000.htm

© 2010-Dr. Vittoria Repetto  

© 2016 revision – Dr Vittoria Repetto

© 2018 revision – Dr Vittoria Repetto

Lots of Research on High Fat diets: May 6th Seminar I’m Taking: Ketosis and the Ketogenic Diet: A Deep Dive

Want more information on Dr. Vittoria Repetto and her NYC Applied Kinesiology/Chiropractic practice; please go to www.drvittoriarepetto.com

And please check out the Patient Testimonials at my web site

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Nutrition Tips: Folic Acid: Killer or Cure-All?

For additional information on l-5-MTHF, please read https://drvittoriarepetto.wordpress.com/2009/12/16/are-you-utilizing-your-folic-acid-the-case-for-metabolically-active-form-of-folic-acid-%e2%80%93-l-5-mthf/

For supplements, containing L-5-MTHF, please call www.metagenics.com
More on Health
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Cranial Sacral Therapy in Applied Kinesiology

Cranial Sacral Therapy is a technique taught in Applied Kinesiology based on Cranial Osteopathy which was discovered by osteopath Dr. William Sutherland after he had a remarkable insight while examining the specialized articulations of cranial bones. Contrary to popular belief Dr Sutherland realized that cranial sutures were, in fact, designed to express small degrees of motion.

DeJarnette and Goodheart introduced diagnostic methods for the evaluation and treatment of cranial dysfunctions. The key technical factor that has advanced cranial diagnosis and treatment, and brought the entire field of cranial therapy into accessible, reproducible, practice and scientific form, was provided by Goodheart’s discovery that the musculoskeletal system and manual muscle testing (MMT) reflects what is going on within the cranial mechanism.

MMT has allowed applied kinesiologists to discover the dramatic functional relationships that exist between the cranium and every other articulation and tissue in the body. Furthermore, patients are not treated in a “touchy feely” fashion in which the patient’s skull is cradled for an indeterminate time, until the cradler perceives warmth or a yielding or softening sensation.

 There are many other physical signs and tests (besides MMT) that also reveal cranial dysfunction; these have been written about extensively in the applied kinesiology (AK), sacro-occipital technique (SOT) and osteopathic literature. Returning the dura to a physiological range of tension by using specifically applied cranial corrections is a major goal of AK evaluation and treatment, which seeks to achieve zero defects inside and outside the cranium.

Like Cranial Osteopathy, Cranial Sacral Therapy seeks to restore the natural rhythmic movement found between the bones of the skull and the sacrum which is correlated to our inspiration and expiration; in other words, the cranial bones and sacrum move in different directions when we breathe in and in opposite directions when we breathe out.

The purpose of this is to aid the circulation of the cerebrospinal fluid throughout the central nervous system.

And some suggested that CSF flow along the cranial nerves and spinal nerve roots allow it into the lymphatic channels. Restoring normal cranial-sacral rhythm enables the body to function optimally and may alleviate a wide variety of painful and dysfunctional conditions within the body.

Using a soft gentle touch practitioners release restrictions in the cranial-sacral system to improve the functioning of the central nervous system.

There are many results why the motion of the cranial and the sacrum may be disturbed.  

For some, it can be caused by the trauma of a difficult birth. Normally since the bones are very flexible, normal movement and the act of crying restores the natural movement.

For others, it could have been caused an accidental bang to the head, a fall, whiplash following an auto accident. Jaw problems can also affect the cranials as when we chew or clench our teeth, there are muscles forces directed to the skull such as the pull of  the   Temporalis muscle on the squamosal suture of the skull. Even the act of holding our breath during physical exertion (we should be breathing out at that moment), can cause a failure of proper cranial and sacral motion.

 Dysfunction of the cranial sacral motion can be seen in different problems, even some caused by the entrapment of cranial nerves

as they exit the cranium such as trigeminal neuralgia, headaches, migraines, low back  and disc problems, general weakness on one side of the body, problems w/ visual acuity, low or high blood pressure, a spastic ileo-cecal value, neck flexor weakness, allergies, hypochlorhydria, earaches, loss of balance, tinnitus, dizziness and vertigo, recurring upper cervical (neck) problems and scoliosis  

 In applied kinesiology, there are techniques to find the dysfunctions (or cranial faults) and to find out how to fix it. The difference in muscle strength when the patient is breathing in or breathing out is one clue. The asymmetrical face is another clue that there may be a problem. Or the doctor can observe what happens to the strength of a muscle when she (or he) presses on certain cranials or sutures; this is called a challenge.

Cranial-sacrum corrections are easily made and if incorporated with the correction of accompanying spinal dysfunction, muscle balancing and proper nutrition, it will have a lasting effect.

 For more information on cranial- sacral therapy, cerebrospinal fluid, cranial nerves, and the bones of the skull, please see:

 http://www.answers.com/topic/craniosacral-therapy

http://www.med.yale.edu/caim/cnerves/

http://face-and-emotion.com/dataface/anatomy/cranium.jsp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craniosacral_therapy

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebrospinal_fluid

Mesmerising Video Shows Waves of Spinal Fluid Washing Over The Brain During Sleep

© 2010-Dr. Vittoria Repetto

June 2018

– A new patient had a history of not being able to look to her left without turning her body since contacting toxoplasmosis when she was 18; she was now 80 yrs old. She stated that the infection affected her lt eye.  Found that the muscles for lt. lat flexion were weak but therapy localization (touching) of the ethmoid bone that makes up the lateral part of the eye socket made the muscles stronger. So I adjusted the bone with an inspiration assist and the muscles were strengthened and the range of motion was improved; in fact the range was now better than the right side.

© – 2018 – Dr. Vittoria Repetto

 

Interesting article:  To Improve Memory, Tune It Like an Orchestra

Want more information on Dr. Vittoria Repetto and her NYC Applied Kinesiology/Chiropractic/ NKT practice at 230 W 13th St., NYC 10011; please go to www.drvittoriarepetto.com

And please check out the Patient Testimonials page on my web site.

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The Myth of Stroke Following Chiropractic Adjustment

I was walking towards a local award ceremony when a women standing outside greeted me by name. She continued,” So the MD’s are at it again trying to discredit chiropractors, did you see the science report on NBC the other night?”

“Yes,” I said, “I caught part of it and I thought one of the M.D’s was honest enough to say that he did think there was not enough proof that chiropractic caused strokes.”

I continued” You know in my practice, I take a detailed medical history looking for hypertension, headaches, bad diet or other factors that I may suspect predispose the patient to a stroke and then in the exam, I include blood pressure, pulse rates,  and I do a number of vertebra-basilar tests and have the patient move their head in all ranges of motion, and note any signs of nausea, tinnitus, vertigo, light headaches, slurring of speech, dizziness or nystagmus may indicate vascular compromise or stenosis of the carotid or vertebral arteries

Here’s some more information on some of those tests: http://www.dynamicchiropractic.com/mpacms/dc/article.php?id=37567

www.rollanet.org/~mhall/orthotests-midterm.doc

The second thing that I talk to people about when they ask about chiropractic causing strokes is I ask if they have seen newspaper articles about this and then I ask if they read the complete article. Because I say in every article that I have seen with the headline screaming “Stroke Caused by Chiropractic” it will say, at the end of the article, who did the chiropractic adjustment that supposedly caused the stroke.

And guess what? It’s never a chiropractor.

It’s a personal trainer, a physical therapist or some other person who has not had the training in how to do an adjustment safely.

Chiropractors go through two years of intensive training on how to do adjustments and we practice for those two years on each other before we are allowed to touch a patient in the school clinics for another two years. So that is a total of 4 yrs of practicing how to adjust before we get our licenses.

And the third point that I put across to people is I ask if they know how malpractice insurance premiums are calculated and if they know the difference in premiums between different medical specialties and chiropractic.

Insurance premiums are calculated via actuarial science which is the discipline that applies mathematical and statistical methods to assess risk in the insurance and finance industries; they involve in malpractice the risk of the procedure to cause mortality and injury. group vs. individual practice, involvement w/ an HMO, etc. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actuarial_science

A family physician or an internist may have a malpractice premium of $20,000 to $40,000. This premium goes up depending on their specialty; surgeons have the highest premiums.

As a chiropractor in solo practice, not signed up w/ an HMO, my malpractice premium is $3000. So according actuarial science, chiropractic adjustments done by properly trained doctors of chiropractors is a fairly safe procedure.

Who then, I ask, are doing the dangerous procedures??

“Not the chiropractors” said the women. “That’s right, pass it on!” I said, and headed inside to the ceremony.

© 2010-Dr. Vittoria Repetto

Risk of Carotid Stroke after Chiropractic Care: A Population-Based Case-Crossover Study   

J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis. 2017 Apr;26(4):842-850. doi: 10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2016.10.031. Epub 2016 Nov 21.

Want more information on Dr. Vittoria Repetto and her NYC Applied Kinesiology/Chiropractic/ NKT practice at 230 W 13th St., NYC 10011; please go to www.drvittoriarepetto.com

And please check out the Patient Testimonials page on my web site.

 Want to be in the know on holistic information and postings? 

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