FUNCTIONAL NEUROLOGY:

A Revolutionary Approach to Natural Healing

Functional neurology is a more effective way of working with your nervous system to improve its optimal performance. It can offer you healing possibilities that traditional neurology simply cannot match. When your nervous system is organized, it brings greater organ health, rebuilds damaged organs and slows the aging process.
 

But what does that mean, "When your nervous system is organized?" Click here to read more.

WHAT IS CHIROPRACTIC / FUNCTIONAL NEUROLOGY?

The science and art of Chiropractic has always been neurologically based. Chiropractic is designed to stimulating the nervous system in its most efficient manner -- through the center line structures of the spine and central nervous system. Nowhere is the phrase "use it or lose it" more appropriate; we either use our nervous system properly or it will break down. The properly delivered chiropractic adjustment is one of the most powerful ways to stimulate the brain and nervous system.

Many people might ask how a chiropractic adjustment can stimulate the nervous system. Click here to find out.

WHAT MAKES A CHIROPRACTIC OR FUNCTIONAL NEUROLOGIST DIFFERENT FROM A REGULAR NEUROLOGIST?

A functional neurologist's goal is to integrate all of the brain's sensory activities into an orderly system. They treat a variety of patient complaints using a number of complementary and alternative health therapies.

The human nervous system is designed for the infinite expression of human experience. It is a thing of mystery and a constant source of wonder. Since the early 1990's, science has witnessed an incredibly exciting time in neurological research, especially in terms of our rapidly growing knowledge of the human brain. The present and future potential hold tremendous promise for the application of this expanding knowledge base and patients who take advantage of chiropractors who specialize in functional neurology will see the difference and the benefit. This is the soul of chiropractic neurology.

The functional neurological examination and assessment are similar to that of medical neurologists; however the treatment style is much different. Functional neurologists use specific one-sided stimulations and coupled chiropractic adjustments to rehabilitate brain-based neurologic conditions. Patients with both diseases and physiological problems can benefit from this approach.

WHO CAN BECOME A FUNCTIONAL NEUROLOGIST?

Any primary care physician and/or clinician who has completed specialist level training (Fellowship) in neurology may be admitted as a Fellow of the American College of Functional Neurology after passing the necessary clinical examinations of the college. The American College of Functional Neurology (ACFN) provides Fellowship accreditation in Functional Neurology and clinical subspecialties through its subspecialty boards of Electrodiagnosis, Vestibular Rehabilitation, and Childhood Development Disorders.

Functional neurology has its origin in a variety of chiropractic techniques, many of which deal with the nervous system, as well as other areas of biomedical study, including embryology, neurology, cellular biology, neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, biochemistry, neuropsychology, and genetics. Clinical experience has shown that Click Here to continue reading.

A subluxation happens when a joint (mainly a joint of the spine) is stuck within its normal range of motion and is unable to move through its full range of motion. Joint get stuck when the muscles on one side of the joint's motion get too tight while the same muscles on the other side of the joint give up their tone to those muscles that are too tight. In other words, the muscles with greater tone restrict the joint from moving away from that tone, and the joint gets stuck.

Because the subluxated joint cannot move away from the muscle with increased tone, the brain loses the stimulation it would have otherwise received if the joint were to move normally. This is called "deafferentation" - a reduction in sensory input to the brain. (An "afferent" signal goes to the brain while a de-afferentation is when the normal signal to the brain is reduced because the joint gets stuck.)

Deafferentation is responsible for many brain problems that display themselves in abnormal muscle function. This is how it works: When the brain is not stimulated according to its original design - a deafferentation - then the normal working mechanisms get out of sync resulting in some muscles working too hard and others not working hard enough. That sets up a vicious cycle of abnormal input (afferent) and output (efferent) signals to and from the brain, leading to structural changes that perpetuate the problems. Fixing these structural changes can normalize the brain's response resulting in a functional display more consistent with the human nervous system's original design.

USING APPLIED KINESIOLOGY AS FUNCTIONAL NEUROLOGY

Like any machine, your body runs best when it operates according to its original design.

Applied kinesiology (AK) is a diagnostic discipline used by any healthcare professional who is licensed to diagnose. It originated within the Chiropractic profession by George J. Goodheart, DC, in 1964. AK uses manual muscle testing (MMT) techniques to help determine unique areas of dysfunction and individualized therapeutic needs. According to AK theory, MMT gives the brain necessary feedback on the functional status of the structural, chemical, and emotional aspects of human function. AK is a practice within alternative medicine uniquely different from "kinesiology", which is the study of human motion.

While it is not a requirement to be a functional neurologist, Click Here to learn more.