A prospective patient sent me an excellent inquiry about migraines: a common problem among my patients and the population at large.

Following is this person’s original request for answers and my reply.

I have chronic migraines and have attempted a multitude of medications that have often had worse side effects than the migraines themselves. I heard of this facility in passing and found the website, but I do not fully understand the techniques as described. I’ve read the information here and am hoping there is something more you might be able to send me. As a research scientist I am particularly interested in any conclusive studies that may have been done beyond the testimony included on this site. I understand this might not be a practical request, but I appreciate the consideration. Thank you.

Hi (name withheld),

Sorry I couldn’t call last night. 8 PM “your” time is 9 PM “my” time. Had a granddaughter to put to bed and a 14-year-old pug to take for a walk before it got to be too late. I don’t know whether there might be earlier times when I might reach you, or what your late end looks like. I could always call you on a break from work.

Short answers to some of the issues you’ve already raised or that I could anticipate.

Migraines and severe headaches are neither occasional problems nor occasional wins in my practice. Patients with a chief complaint are common in my own practice (daily), and my success rate working with them is close to 100%. This is not the case with tinnitus or severely frozen shoulder, where we get some improvements regularly and total relief occasionally.

There are scientific journals like JMPT that publish articles on chiropractic’s outcomes in treating headaches. Not yet published yet from the cranial world specifically. I know that the Cranial Spinal Integration people still have a goal of getting some journal articles published, and I believe they have a good chance. One of the founders of this work, Dr. Joel Alcantara, has a research background and is regularly asking our members to contribute case studies. The time will come.

Funding formal studies is problematical in the more natural/holistic healing arts. No patentable pharmaceuticals at risk, and no stock exchange multi-national corporations who might benefit opening their war chests and saying, “Let’s do clinical trials.”

Also the number of chiropractors who take advanced classes in the cranial area are few and far between. They are not required to take these classes and may not feel that spending the extra money to take them is justified. By and large, these classes are more expensive than typical weekend seminars. Smaller and less organized professional bodies have a harder time getting journal quality studies done.

In my own practice, I take careful and detailed notes and do carry out my own research–informally. Because I frequently make my own discoveries, read what others have found and confer with colleagues from within and across professional borders, I am getting results with patients that I think are unusually good with migraines and other sticky problems.

One day last week, my patient roster included an oncologist, a pathologist, 4 RNs, a massage therapist and a psychotherapist. On a weekly basis, I probably see 5 MDs as patients, and they DO refer.

How can Cranial Spinal Integration help with migraines? Migraines are about blood vessels and the nerves inside the muscular walls of blood vessels. When the upper neck vertebrae become misaligned, the vertebral artery and nerves going to the brain are disturbed. They travel through openings in and between these vertebrae.

Distortions in the alignment of the bones of the skull cause a pull on a lining that attaches to the inside of the skull. This lining, the Dura Mater, leaves the skull with the spinal cord. This relatively inflexible lining attaches to the top two vertebrae in the neck. If the 22 bones of the cranium or skull are misaligned, they will exert a pull on these top level vertebrae, compromising the nerves and blood vessels. This, fortunately, is a reversible process. Even more fortunately, no medication side effects. My CSi colleagues and I accomplish this for our patients every day. Unfortunately, working directly with these vertebrae without addressing the skull doesn’t always lead to results that are as stable.

I hope I’ve answered many of your questions. I think I’ll put my reply to you (without identifying you) in my blog. Your questions about migraines and about research are excellent, and I like the thinking behind them. Meanwhile, you have migraines, and I believe I can help you. Can’t promise. Please let me know if you still want me to call, or just set up an appointment by calling the number below between 8:30 and 5:00 Monday through Friday.

Best wishes,

Stuart C. Marmorstein, D.C., D.B.C.S.
Managing Director, Head to Foot, LLC
713.831.6875
http://www.drstuart.net

Nowadays, a high percentage of my new patients are people already diagnosed with fibromyalgia by rheumatologists. If you’ve been suffering with chronic pain, I’ll be happy to work with you (whether or not some other doctor or doctors have already diagnosed you.) It is rare for someone NOT to have a good and rapid response to the combination of treatments I use in my practice.

I specialize in several techniques that help to normalize A) the control system for the body (brain and nerves); and B) the support system for the body, which is the musculoskeletal system. Normal work and play activities should not cause any strain, pain or undue fatigue.

Often, what seems like an insignificant fall or other injury will start a chain of events that causes the brain to lose its ability to coordinate the muscles properly. When that happens, we overwork doing normal, everyday things. The muscles become tense and knotted (fibrous) and debilitating pain can result.

On our initial visit, I work to eliminate functional disturbances to the brain from trauma. Without this critical first step, realigning the spine and pelvis is a waste of time, because the body will not hold onto the changes. Trying to relax the muscles may offer only temporary relief. We have to change patterns that trigger muscle dysfunction. If it hurts to stand, sit or walk, you know that something must be wrong! These neurological patterns will not show up on x-rays, MRIs or laboratory testing, but they are easy to demonstrate through simple, in-office functional testing methods.

After the first visit, I do a lot of work to show the brain where a section of the body’s muscles aren’t working as well as they should be. After doing a series of precise muscle isolation tests (for instance–33 PAIRS of muscles in the neck), the brain knows which muscles work and which ones don’t. Because the patient’s brain gets feedback about which muscles need to “turn back on,” the testing is actually part of the treatment.

There are several powerful cranial adjusting methods that can “reset the circuitry” of the body and get the muscles to support the head and body better, removing strain from the neck, low back and smaller joints. In my practice, I emphasize the use of Cranial Spinal Integration (CSi) and Bio Cranial techniques. These methods reduce imbalances arising from various head injuries and encourage the body to re-organize itself. Healing can take place very rapidly, bringing with it tremendous relief from pain and tension and the emotional drain that accompanies them.

It is unusual for chiropractic, osteopathic, medical or naturopathic practitioners to combine the muscle isolation and repatterning work with the cranial adjusting as I do in my practice. I believe that this is the main reason patients from around the world tend to get quick results without needing excessive numbers of visits.

We also consider nutritional and emotional stress components of a person’s problems as needed–always starting with the assumption that the primary issues are physical in nature.