General Questions
Functional Medicine utilizes special comprehensive blood labs, stool testing and saliva testing to identify specific areas that are commonly overlooked by traditional medicine. Functional Medicine uses these special tests to direct therapies through use of natural herbs and supplements in order to clear out chronic bacteria or parasites in the gut and to repair broken down metabolic pathways including vitamin deficiencies and inflammatory cascades (like irritable bowel syndrome or brain inflammation after a concussion) and help address these metabolic pathways from the inside out in order to help all therapies be even more effective.
- Decreases inflammation
- Decreases free radical activity
- Improves blood flow
- Shortens tissue healing time
- Increases mitochondrial activation
Forms of Payment Accepted include: All major credit cards, cash and checks. We can provide treatment on medical liens for automobile accidents and worker’s compensation cases.
We are out-of-network providers, meaning we do not have a contract with YOUR insurance company.
Technically, according to the Arizona Board of Chiropractic Examiners, the answer is "No." We are unable to use the term "specialist," so there are no Chiropractic specialists.
However, there are many different avenues of training a chiropractor can receive as post-graduate education, and the term used to show a chiropractor has completed special or advanced training in a specific area is termed "Diplomate". ie Diplomate of the American Chiropractic Neurology Board (like Dr. Berry and Dr. Teames). The trick is, they must be truly Board certified by the appropriate board to be considered a diplomate.
One of the most difficult certifications to obtain is the Neurology Chiropractic Diplomate course. These diplomates are trained extensively in neuroscience, pathology and non-surgical and non-medication based therapies that care for the most difficult neurological patients, often termed functional neurological patients because they don’t have a “pathology” or something wrong that can be identified on their blood work or MRI, but they’re severely burdened with issues like chronic pain, balance issues, headaches, chronic fatigue, neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s, or even autoimmune diseases like hashimoto’s or non-celiac disease gluten sensitivities. Diplomates in neurology identify the weakened areas through standardized neurological testing (that even your neurologist performs) and they begin rehabilitating the areas that are associated with sub-optimal performance.
FM is also a very difficult program to progress through as you are forced to constantly stay ahead of the medical curve, by supporting diseases with nutritional strategies that follow and employ the most up to date research articles into their practice in order to help patients stabilize their labwork on blood, stool, saliva, and urine tests. Once stabilization is gained, and all rocks are over-turned, you finally find the root cause of the disease, and are able to then support the broken down pathways, and give the body what it needs to function normally again.
DNS is a technique that rehabilitates faulty development of muscular control of developmental reflexes from an infant to an adult. At certain times throughout the developmental stages of an individuals life, they must use different systems to establish stability in order to make eye contact, turn their head, roll over, lift their head, raise their arms, support their body, crawl, stand, walk, talk and run.
There are multiple forms of upper cervical chiropractic, light pressure, heavy pressure, instrument guided, and manual based adjustments, but the overall philosophy of UC Chiropractic is that the head rests on the top bone in the neck, and if that bone is misaligned, then there will be significant dysfunction within the system. X-rays are often required to determine the “listing” ie where the top bone (the atlas) is in relation to the head and 2nd bone in the neck (axis). Proper vectors and adjustments will correct the abnormal positioning and health will be restored because the top bones (and some say most important) of the neck are now aligned again.
Active Release Therapy, Myofascial Release and Functional Neuro-Orthopedic Rehabilitation are all soft tissue techniques aiming at re-establishing proper soft tissue mechanics, as well as relieving nerve compression that are contributing to chronic and acute pain patterns.
Chiropractors trained in pediatrics often only see children or pregnant mothers preparing for the birth process. Chiropractic with pregnant women and children has been anecdotally shown to improve the birthing process and reduce ear infections in children. They often use very gentle techniques as pregnant women require do to changes in their hormones and children at very early ages.
CONCUSSION FAQs
A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury caused by a whiplash, rapid acceleration and deceleration, or impact to the body or head that causes the brain to move quickly within the skull. No. You can become concussed via whiplash like in a car accident or running into something and not hitting your head, a fall, a blow to the head, or by being exposed to neurotoxic chemicals, alcohol, infection, etc. (chemical concussion). After taking emergency precautions (urgent care, emergency room, imaging) and have ruled out immediate/life threatening dangers, you should contact ACNC for an evaluation regarding the functional status (Concussion Assessment) of your brain. In the meantime you should rest and limit stress to your eyes, brain, balance, and workload. We recommend baseline concussion assessments in addition to ImPact testing. Concussions are characterized by a constellation of neurological symptoms that can include but are not limited to: Typically, individuals recover from concussions within 1-4 weeks depending on the severity of head injury, the health of the brain before the injury, and the proactive steps taken after the injury. If symptoms are still present after 4 weeks, this is considered chronic, and can be labeled as “Post-Concussion Syndrome.” PCS is categorized as being symptomatic after the typical window of recovery has passed as stated above. In concussion, your brain is squished against the skull kind of like an egg-yolk inside an eggshell, and your brain-stem gets stretched, twisted and can have micro-shearing. The brain-stem contains all of your vital centers and interconnects other areas of your brain which include but are not limited to your cardiovascular, respiratory and autonomic systems, as well as your balance and sensory systems and your reticular activating system. Videonystagmography, Saccadometry, and Computerized Dynamic Posturography in addition to our neurological exam help to determine the injured area(s) of your brain. We also recommend neuropsychiatric testing. Unlike medication, neuro-rehab is specific to strengthening and balancing parts of the brain that may have been injured. Think of neuro-rehab as exercise for the brain helping to optimize each individual part to make the system stronger. We also work with metabolic therapies to help brain cells get the proper nutrients during the recovery process. YES! At ACNC we have all the diagnostic, treatment tools and information that are necessary to support you in your neurological rehabilitation to help recover from a concussion or head injury. We manage and co-manage with your medical team as well.
