Brain Fog and the Upper Cervical Spine
In the upper cervical spine, there are four main structures to focus on. They are:
The Foramen Magnum of the Occipital bone
The Atlas vertebra (1st cervical bone)
The Axis vertebra (2nd cervical bone)
The Brainstem of the Nerve System.
The Brainstem exits from the Foramen Magnum. The Atlas and Axis bones protect and surround the Brainstem. The brainstem connects all the nerves from the brain to the nerves of the body.
In Upper Cervical Chiropractic, the focus is on the neurophysiology and biomechanics of the Craniocervical Joint and how it effects all other areas of the body in some way, shape or form.
Regarding Brain Fog, the secondary focus is on the Reticular Activating System.
The Reticular Activating System (RAS) is a component of the Reticular Formation. The Reticular Formation is found throughout the Brainstem and makes up the “switchboard operator” function of the Brainstem. The Brainstem collects and organizes all the stored information and energy from the brain above and passes it off to the body below. It also receives all the stimulation from the body below and transfers and organizes it to the brain above for interpretation. The Reticular Activating System assists with consciousness, the regulation of arousal and sleep−wake transitions, motivation and emotion. The RAS helps “filter” pertinent stimulation and information between the brain and body senses to maintain relative cohesion between us and our environment.
The Nerve System in general does four main things:
It controls all the movements we make
Senses everything we feel
Regulates all our body organs
Relates us to the outside world
When nerves get stressed, it effects their sensitivity, perception and behavior. There are three types of stresses we deal with in life. The stresses are physical, chemical and emotional in character. These stresses create nerve tension and spine imbalance.
One specific job of the brainstem is to adapt these stresses and help bring the spine back into balance. If the stresses are too great for the brainstem to adapt, compensations arise. One particular compensation that occurs in the upper cervical spine is a vertebral subluxation.
A vertebral subluxation will cause the Atlas and Axis bones to get locked in a misaligned position. This lock will perpetuate spine imbalance and Nerve System tension. This tension will lead to abnormal sensitivity, perception and behavior of the brainstem and surrounding nerves. Nerve System function is disrupted.
Over time, this disruption can lead to symptoms. The usual symptoms of Brain Fog are:
Difficulty concentrating or focusing.
Confusion.
Fatigue.
Forgetfulness.
Losing your train of thought.
Mental exhaustion.
Not having the right words.
Slow thought process and reaction time.
Trouble paying attention.
The goal of Chiropractic is not to medically treat the symptoms of Brain Fog. Chiropractic aims to correct nerve tension and spine imbalance. Chiropractors correct this by adjusting the vertebral subluxation of the upper cervical spine.
Correcting the subluxation better optimizes the function of the brainstem and associated nerves. The Nerve System overall can sense, perceive and behave at a greater potential when a subluxation is corrected.
- Jarek Esarco, DC, CACCP
Related Blogs:
Neurophysiological Importance of the Upper Cervical Spine
Unbalanced Spine/Head Imbalance
"If The Problem Is In The Brain, Why Adjust The Spine?"