One Woman's Journey — and What It Means for You
Louella Harris contracted polio in 1958 in Kenya, East Africa — just eight months after receiving the polio vaccine. She was three years old.
Thirty-four years later, after earning a Master's degree, building a career in media advocacy, and getting married, Louella began experiencing a creeping pain in her arms and neck that burned into her chest. Her doctors diagnosed her with Post-Polio Syndrome and Fibromyalgia. Their recommendations: painkillers and exercise.
The pain kept getting worse. Eventually, Louella was confined to bed for months. Any movement was agony. Her husband Richard became her full-time caregiver — dressing her, feeding her, helping with every daily need. She couldn't sit up to watch television or hold a book.
Searching for Answers
The Harrises tried everything. Different medications. Nutritional approaches. Several types of chiropractic care. Nothing worked. At that point, there genuinely didn't seem to be any answers left.
Then one day, while watching the clock for her next pain pill, Louella had a strong, inexplicable feeling: there was an answer out there — and when she found it, it would matter far beyond just her own life.
A few weeks later, a friend called with information about a little-known procedure practiced by fewer than 2,000 chiropractors worldwide: Upper Cervical chiropractic care.
Finding Upper Cervical Care
Louella located an Upper Cervical chiropractor in her state. He took the time to call her back, answer her questions thoroughly, and explain the approach — without making any guarantees. What he shared was unlike anything she had heard before, and that alone gave her hope.
Her most immediate concern was cost. She hadn't worked in months, and any expense felt like a burden. She was relieved to learn that, despite the intensive specialized training required, Upper Cervical care costs no more than standard chiropractic care. The doctor also offered a payment plan so patients could start care right away — because he understood that earlier care generally means better outcomes.
The Results
Four months after beginning precision Upper Cervical chiropractic care, Louella was out of bed, back to work, and pregnant. Nine months later, at age 39, she gave birth to a healthy baby girl — naturally.
A Broader Pattern
After Louella's recovery, she and Richard began meeting others who had struggled with conditions their doctors said were untreatable. Many of those people were experiencing significant improvement — or complete resolution — after having their upper cervical spine corrected and brain-to-body communication restored.
The conditions that were improving included:
- Fibromyalgia and chronic pain
- Migraines
- Epilepsy
- ADD/ADHD
- Hypertension
- Trigeminal neuralgia
- TMJ disorders
- Some forms of arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome
- Immune system disorders
- Herniated discs
- Numbness and tingling in the limbs
- Allergies and asthma
- Neck, back, arm, and foot pain
- Sciatica
People recovering from accidents were also healing faster and at lower cost compared to traditional rehabilitation alone.
This is not a claim that Upper Cervical care cures any condition. What it does show is that when the body is properly balanced and brain-to-body communication is restored, the body's own healing capacity can improve outcomes across a surprisingly wide range of conditions.
Why the Same Diagnosis Can Produce Different Results
Two people can have the same diagnosis and respond very differently to Upper Cervical correction — and there's a clear reason for that.
Take carpal tunnel syndrome as an example:
- If the problem originates in the wrist itself, correcting the atlas may provide only modest relief.
- If the atlas is irritating the nerves that travel down into the arm and wrist, correcting it can produce dramatic improvement.
That said, the vast majority of people tested show body imbalance — including a measurable short-leg pattern — that points to atlas misalignment. Even someone whose carpal tunnel developed from repetitive wrist use very likely has an atlas misalignment contributing to the problem. Correcting the atlas and restoring body balance will, at minimum, help your body cope more effectively.
How Upper Cervical Correction Works
Your brain sends constant messages through the brainstem to every system and organ in your body. When the atlas (C1) or axis (C2) — the top two vertebrae in your spine — shift out of their proper position, they can disrupt that communication and throw your body out of balance.
When an Upper Cervical correction is made:
- Body balance is restored
- Stress and pressure around the brainstem are relieved
- Healing messages from the brain can flow freely again
- Your body's natural self-healing process reactivates
Because the atlas plays such a critical role in your overall health, it's worth having it examined — if only to rule out the possibility that a misalignment is contributing to what you're experiencing.
Take the Next Step
If you're living with pain or a condition that hasn't responded to other treatments, Upper Cervical care may be worth exploring. We'd be glad to answer your questions and help you find out whether this approach is right for you.
Smith Upper Cervical Chiropractic Dr. Roger D. Smith 16052 Beach Blvd., Suite 130 — Huntington Beach, CA 92647 (714) 848-8122 RogerSmithDC.com