Kim - I checked again. My chiro is not a member of NUCCA (not that it matters to the anti-upper cervical MAV members LOL). He is part of the Upper Cervical Health Centers of America: www.uppercervicalcare.com. I’m sure it’s all very similar. The C2 is very important with dizziness/vertigo. Mine is skewed left where most of my symptoms lie. Interesting… coincidence, there, MAVer’s??? I think not. Now whether or not much can be done at this late date, that would be the age old raging debate. Kim, when is the last time you had an adjustment?? Was any of the previous treatment successful or helpful?? I swear all I want to do is sleep since I was in there yesterday…
Gail
Hi Gail,
I’m on the next flight…I’ll give it a whirl…and get some yummy clam chowder while I"m there!! 
Kelley
Hey guys,
I met Scott over on the mm.org site and we’ve had some great chats over the last few months. He brought me over to this site, but I haven’t posted all that much because I suffer from MM, not MAV. There used to be a MM section here but I guess it got so little traffic that it was removed. On the bright side, the thing I like about this board is that I can speak a lot more plainly about my thoughts on treatments without having an army of NUCCA-worshipping, turmeric-wielding, anti-vaccine warriors raining hellfire down on me. As I mentioned above, per Scott’s request I will add my .02 cents on NUCCA (which, for my purposes, includes AO, Up-C, Blair, etc. techniques), both the good and the bad:
My background is that I developed MM in the left ear some 20 years ago, and have a permanent 65% hearing loss in the left ear. The vertigo burned out for me about 15 years ago. Two years ago, I developed MM in my “good” ear and I started getting treatment. After initial success with oral steroids and dex injections, I eventually became refractory to steroid treatment and my docs were out of suggestions. So I started looking around for alternative therapies, because I’d rather try something than just sit on my hands and do nothing. Among the alternative treatments I tried was NUCCA. I was extremely skeptical about it up front because of the cult-like devotion that some NUCCA patients seemed to exhibit. Especially when they would try to explain how, physically, NUCCA worked and it was obvious that they understood precious little about human anatomy. Nevertheless, what did I have to lose?
First off, it’s important to keep in mind that the practice of chiropractic medicine is predicated on the concept that the body has an innate healing ability, and that this ability can be disrupted by subluxations and nerve impingements in the spine. NUCCA practitioners take this a step further, and are taught that the misalignment of the first two vertebrae (C1 and C2) causes all manner of disruption throughout the rest of the body. The theory goes that if you correct that disruption, the body will naturally heal itself.
In my case, I met with a guy who has been a NUCCA practitioner for 33 years and is extremely well-versed in the field. Though he has a prefernece for natural and homeopathic treatments, I never got the sense from him that he was anti-medicine. I can tell you that from a patient experience perspective, it was one of the greatest doctor/patient relationships I ever had. This guy spent as much time as possible speaking to me, asking me questions, getting to know me, etc. There is no questio in my mind that he cared deeply for my well-being and that he truly believed in the power of NUCCA (i.e. he was not a shyster).
I wound up seeing the guy apprximately 24 times over a 3-month period. I can say without a doubt that NUCCA did not do a single thing for me from the MM perspective. It DID actually resolve a long-standing muscle spasm in my neck and helped to restore my range of motion within 1 or 2 visits. However, all of the “objective” testing that was done (i.e. leg length discrepancy measurements) were bunk.
The muscle stimulator therapy, trigger point massages and stretching helped me feel great from a tightness perspective, but it never affected the quality of my hearing, it did nothing for tinnitus and my aural fullness did not respond to any of the treatments. After 24 visits, my neck was allegedly perfectly aligned and I felt no different than I had when I started. To the extent that I improved, it was due to a mix of cardio exercise, diuretics and mix of various circulation-enhancing supplements I take.
This post has obviously gone too long already since my screen is jumping all over the place. Therefore, rather than keep typing, I’ll settle for answering any specific questions any of you might have.
Thanks Wino, really appreciate it! 
Scott
edit
— Begin quote from ____
There used to be a MM section here but I guess it got so little traffic that it was removed.
— End quote
It’s still in the archives but yeah, there was no traffic and I thought it made more sense to have everyone post in the general discussion area – MAV or MM.
Hey WIno,
Thanks for taking the time to post. Sorry it didn’t work. Hopefully you are on some regimen that is working for you.
Kelley
Hey Wino - thanks for all your input. I was in treatment for MM as well this past year. I was on the diuretics in addition to a supplement regimen by John of Ohio found on the MM Foundation website who also paid special mention to this website which is how I figured out that maybe I didn’t have MM and/or might have MAV also. I am probably as skeptical of acupuncture (which I tried when I was diagnosed/misdiagnosed 3 years ago with fibro), reiki, chiro, and homeopathy (which I have also used) blah blah blah as anything else. However, I find that a little of everything seems to help. Most likely major placebo effect with everything. I’d like some more continuous relief from my sore, stiff neck (not sure that’s possible). Not sure anything will work as well as my topamax for the dizziness. And, financially I will not be able to continue anything endlessly even with the assistance of health insurance. So, we’ll see. One thing is for sure: I will report back with my results. Then we can compare NUCCA/Blair Procedure notes and stir the pot again on the whole subject. And, I really appreciate this forum, as always.
Gail
P.S. I was on the other forum… I don’t remember the NUCCA/tumeric/anti-vaccine fervor over there… what the heck topics must have I been following?? UFO’s or something??? Heck, what am I saying?? …I was SO DIZZY AND SICK in those days I probably don’t remember a thing LOL.
— Begin quote from “rockyksmom”
Hey WIno,
Thanks for taking the time to post. Sorry it didn’t work. Hopefully you are on some regimen that is working for you.
Kelley
— End quote
I have, actually. I do a combination of diuretics (dyazide), cardiovascular exercise and then a mix of supplements based, partly, on the JOH regimen from the other site. I take a mix of L-lysine, quercetine, niacin, vinpocetine, Co-Q 10 and vitamin C. I’ve also quit drinking diet sodas and using artificial sweeteners, and instead drink 3 cups of green tea per day.
I’m sure that some of what I’m doing might be redundant and I could probably cut down on the regimen a bit, but it’s been working for close to 6 months now and I don’t want to mess with success.
— Begin quote from “miniandelsa”
I am probably as skeptical of acupuncture (which I tried when I was diagnosed/misdiagnosed 3 years ago with fibro), reiki, chiro, and homeopathy (which I have also used) blah blah blah as anything else. However, I find that a little of everything seems to help. Most likely major placebo effect with everything. I’d like some more continuous relief from my sore, stiff neck (not sure that’s possible).
One thing is for sure: I will report back with my results. Then we can compare NUCCA/Blair Procedure notes and stir the pot again on the whole subject. And, I really appreciate this forum, as always.
Gail
P.S. I was on the other forum… I don’t remember the NUCCA/tumeric/anti-vaccine fervor over there… what the heck topics must have I been following?? UFO’s or something??? Heck, what am I saying?? …I was SO DIZZY AND SICK in those days I probably don’t remember a thing LOL.
— End quote
Gail,
I tried acupuncture. It was extremely relaxing, but it didn’t do squat for me.
An interesting side-note about my NUCCA experience. I was having a lengthy discussion with the chiro about his experience with difficult cases. As I mentioned above, he has been practicing for 33 years. He told me an interesting story. About a year or two into practice, he treated a patient who was suffering from debilitating migraines. The guy was a war veteran and a tough old Marine who was a painting contractor. After more than 20 years of dealing with migarine issues, they got so bad he was pondering disability. As a last resort, he saw the NUCCA chiro. Well, my doc treated the guy and within 3-4 visits the guy was basically cured. The patient would see him every 6 months ago for follow-up, but never had another migraine again. What makes the story interesting is that the chiro told me in the 30+ years since, he has treated an innumerable quantity of migraineuers and has NEVER successfully treated the condition again. To me, it speaks to the likelihood that the small percentage of folks who benefit from NUCCA seem to have something else going on other than what they have been diagnosed with and that somehow the adjustments address that issue. For that reason, it is certainly worth giving it a try. But if you feel no effects after 2-3 visits, my guess is it isn’t going to do anything for you.
And as to the PS portion of your post, I don’t know how long ago you quit posting on the mm.org site. The turmeric stuff is new, but the NUCCA and vaccine debates have been ongoing for some time now.
Hi Wino… that’s an interesting story about the migraine patient. I was referred by my physical therapist who is working on myofacial pain especially on my left side… and the C2 area is very tight. She just thought that in order to increase her ability to increase neck rotation, etc. that I’d have a much better shot if I was checked out and maybe treated by the upper cervical guy. I’m not sure that anyone including me was thinking that he could “cure” my migraine variant, but if that happens, woo hoo! Honestly, I’m trying to not expect much more than what I’d expect from other alternatives: some better circulation, temporary improvement here or there but much better neck rotation (especially if I do my neck exercises). That’s why I will only allot so much time and money. I had a yearly physical with my internist yesterday, and she said that migraines can be so incredibly complicated that often they improve and a person may not even know why, though many people cite less stress, healthier diet, etc. I have felt MORE stressed just trying to work on all this during the past three months, so there’s a thought. And, I’m also learning to limit what supplements I take because I think too many contribute to my dizziness as well. Time to kick back a bit.
Wino - how’s your condition at this time?? No dizziness?? Tinnitus??(which can be very crazymaking).
Gail
Gail,
It’s definitely worth a try for your neck issues. It completely resolved a spasm I had in my neck and I now have full range of motion. The electric stim therapy and trigger point massages after each session were extremely helpful, too. Sounds like the person you’re seeing isn’t the snake-oil salesman type.
I haven’t had vertigo since 1998, or so. That was when my left ear burned out. The tinnitus has never gone away, but it really doesn’t bother me. If I think about it I hear it, but it doesn’t really disrupt me at all.
I actually had a follow-up audiogram two weeks ago. Since going on my self-styled Wino Regimen :lol: , the audiogram showed that my good ear has even better hearing today than it did from my normal baseline. My bad ear has improved just enough (65% loss) that I am a candidate for a hearing aid, which I have been using now for 2 months. I can hear the world in stereo again!
Wow, Wino… congratulations on improvement on hearing in your right ear… that’s quite an accomplishment and you’re definitely doing something right with the circulation supplements, etc. Yep, I hope the neck work isn’t just a dead end. Just came back from the health food store where one of my trusted buddies there gave me a rather discouraging view of her treatment at said chiro mostly based upon her treatment by the front office staff when she had to discontinue treatment due to finances… Here we go, again!! Been there, done that. I’m braced, so to speak, I guess.
Gail