In the last post, I showed how researchers at the University of North Carolina have found a link between cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that accumulates in the head of infants and the onset of autism. I also talked about how the continuous circulation of CSF is vital for brain health because of how it cleanses the brain tissue and protects it from inflammation.
In this post I want to present a case where brain health was improved in former NFL quarterback Jim McMahon, who suffers with memory loss and early stage dementia in addition to severe headaches and depression after sustaining several concussions during his NFL career.
The picture above shows two MRIs taken when he sought out Upper Cervical Chiropractic care. The imaging specialist used a technique that makes CSF white in color; the MRIs of the infants in last week’s post were taken with a different technique that makes CSF appear black.
In McMahons pre-adjustment MRI on the left, you can see the CSF collecting in the prefrontal area of the brain and a loss of continuity of CSF signal around the outside of the brain where it meets the skull.
Specific films where also taken to calculate a precise upper cervical spinal adjustment to release tension from the nervous system so the spine could release the tension in Jim’s neck allowing the CSF to flow better where the head meets the neck. In the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary on the ‘85 Bears, Jim describes how the adjustment was so gentle that he thought nothing had happened, but when he sat up he felt a drainage in his head that he described as “like the toilet flushed”.
The image above on the right is the MRI taken immediately after his first Upper Cervical adjustment. Notice how the pooling CSF had cleared from the prefrontal region and how there was better white CSF signal around the brain where it meets the skull indicating better continuity in flow.
McMahon now considers Upper Cervical Chiropractic care as vital to his brain health going forward:
“Some days are better than others,” McMahon said. “I don’t know when it’s going to happen. Whenever my neck gets out of alignment and fluid starts backing up into my brain, it’s miserable until I get it fixed and get it adjusted. Then the pain at least goes away.”
As an Upper Cervical Chiropractor myself, I hope that more people with a history of head and neck trauma come in to get checked. I believe a lot of these degenerative brain changes can be avoided by caring for the spine early on.
In case you would like to see McMahon’s account of his experience with Upper Cervical Chiropractic care in the clip of the ’85 Bears 30 for 30 episode, watch it here.
Wiederer, D. (2016, January 27). After significant breakthrough, ex-Bear Jim McMahon finds agony lessening. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved from https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/ct-jim-mcmahon-85-bears-film-spt-0128-20160127-story.html