QUESTION:

Dear Dr. Heller,

I have a bone in my neck the C5-6 vertebrae that was cracked in an accident. It has grown to heal the crack but it has continued to grow. I now have been diagnosed as having sever neural foraminal narrowing. I live in constant intense pain. I would like to better understand what this disorder is and why it has gotten this big. Any information would be appreciated

My Sincerest Thanks.

ANSWER:

Almost certainly the alignment is wrong in your neck and your body is doing the best is it can to repair the damage, not recognizing that it is making your overall condition worse. Often the alignment needs to be corrected. This is not a regular part of "Allopathic" or "Western" medicine, which only corrects large alignment changes. An article in Radiology Journal September 1996 showed that radiologists given neck MRI’s to review couldn’t tell who was in pain and who wasn’t.

I strongly recommend you read "Spontaneous Healing" by Dr. Andrew Weil and pursue craniosacral therapy and osteopathic treatment. This should be done by someone who does basically only this, not a D.O. that does primarily allopathic medicine. You may also need surgery to remove a bone spur.

I’d also highly recommend getting a good physical therapy evaluation to make sure everything is aligned correctly. The kneecap is often off-line to the outside in women, and this should be checked. Your posture will likely need work as well.

You should get a thorough lab evaluation, especially a CBC, chemistry profile, thyroid, urine, sed rate, and possibly a parathyroid evaluation. A multiple vitamin would be a good choice.

I’d also strongly recommend you get any and all mental health diagnoses treated, since the muscle tension and fatigue associated with anxiety, depression, and anger markedly worsen the condition. The screening test I use for my patients may be of use to you in this regard.