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Some parents wanting Neurofeedback for their children have a difficult time getting them in for sessions during the school year. Extra-curricular activities, homework, and perhaps tutoring make keeping regular appointments for Neurofeedback difficult.
Now that we are at the end of the school year and starting summer, there is more free time and flexibility in the schedule. Therefore, it is easier to get in for the Neurofeedback appointments! To schedule an appointment, call 727-509-3760 schedule online at www.TuttleHeath.com, or email [email protected].
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 Flashing like a strobe light, these photic stimulation glasses stimulate the brain at different frequencies using light. Tuttle Health, LLC has recently acquired two new technologies to help patients! These are both stimulation therapies for the brain. Visual entrainment is photic (light) stimulation of the brain in which a person wears glasses that flash light. Similar to a strobe light, the speed of the flashing can be adjusted to stimulate the brain in a desired frequency. The stimulation frequency is based on what is shown in a person's brain map.  pEMF microtesla coils are placed on the head either alone or in conjunction with Neurofeedback sessions. Micro tesla is a very low electromagnetic field. How strong is the electromagnetic field? Not any stronger than those earbuds you wear in your ears every day. It's the frequency of the field generated and the location or placement of the coils that make the brain change.
These additional technologies add to the value of the neurofeedback services I provide and give me more ways to help patients get better faster. You can reach the office at 727-509-3760 or email [email protected] to learn more or schedule an appointment. I'm honored be co-author on a presentation that received a research award for "Best Scientific Paper" at the Association of Chiropractic Colleges Research Agenda Conference in 2019 (ACC-RAC). I have presented there three times prior to this for research related to chiropractic and brain function. This award was for a second round of analysis on data I collected on brain function immediately before, immediately after, and 1 week after chiropractic adjustments. Thanks to my colleague Stephanie Sullivan, DC, Ph.D. who helped lead this second round of analysis.
This research showed that there was a change in "effective connectivity" in the brain, which is basically the direction of information flow from one area of the brain to the other. Robert Thatcher, Ph.D., who developed the science behind effective connectivity analysis, likens it to the relationship between a parking lot and a football stadium and the people in and around the two. He states "effective connectivity measures the direction and magnitude of the flow of people that travel between the two locations.“ In other words, how many people are moving and in what direction they are moving. Our work showed that chiropractic adjustments resulted in a marked change in information flow in the brain up to one week of having the adjustment. This work is also being presented in Berlin, Germany at the World Federation of Chiropractic conference in later March. The abstract is below. Changes over time in effective neural connectivity following a chiropractic adjustment Stephanie Sullivan, Rebecca Shisler Marshall, Dan Tuttle, Emily Drake, Ronald Hosek, Jerry Hochman Objective: To assess changes in brain communication patterns over time. Methods: A secondary analysis of electroencephalography (EEG) data from a previous single session chiropractic randomized controlled trial (NCT01953614) was analyzed at three time points: baseline, post, and one-week post. Brain communication changes were measured using LORETA Phase Slope Index (PSI), measuring direction and magnitude of communication between brain regions. Analysis was conducted on normalized PSI scores between fourteen study-specific Brodmann Areas. To control for Type I error, permutation tests were performed, followed by two-way mixed ANOVA and univariate analysis for significant simple main effects (SMEs). Results: One significant change was observed baseline to post with SMEs for the sham group (p=0.03). From post to one-week, six of the seven SMEs were observed for the sham group (p:0.001 to 0.033), involving the visual association cortex or posterior cingulate. In contrast, for baseline to one-week post, three of four SMEs were present following chiropractic care (p:0.003 to 0.027), and changes were observed in cortical executive function regions. No SMEs were observed in the control. Conclusion: Changes in brain communications patterns were more evident in relation to one-week post intervention and differ regionally between chiropractic and sham interventions. Dana J. Lawrence (2019) ACC Research Agenda Conference 2019: Peer Reviewer Acknowledgments and Abstracts of Proceedings. Journal of Chiropractic Education: March 2019, Vol. 33, No. 1, pp. 51-77 What is Chiropractic Manipulative Reflex Technique (CMRT)?
CMRT is a type of soft tissue work developed by a chiropractor and osteopath named Dr. M.B. DeJarnette. It involves manual stimulation to the organs of the body. A CMRT-trained doctor may also touch various reflex points on the body depending on which organ is affected. This is additional work beyond simply adjusting the spine. What's the general idea behind CMRT? Each spinal vertebra in the thoracic and lumbar spine corresponds with an organ or organ system. For example, thoracic vertebra 5 goes with the stomach. When thoracic 5 is subluxated (chiropractic term for a vertebra not functioning properly), the stomach function can be affected (a somato-visceral reflex). Similarly, if the stomach is irritated by something, it can send signals back into the spine causing the vertebra to become subluxated (a viscero-somatic reflex). This is part of why some people have to go back to chiropractors again and again to have the same vertebra adjusted. They haven't fixed the viscerosomatic reflex. Who performs CMRT? Only chiropractors with advanced training in Sacro-Occipital Technic® (SOT®) practice CMRT. It requires additional continuing education after a doctor graduates school and then practices using it on patients. I am the only doctor certified in SOT® Methods in Pinellas county and only 1 of 2 in the entire Tampa bay area. What are SOME of the problems I have successfully treated with CMRT:
Want to know more or see if CMRT might be the right therapy for you? Email [email protected] or call 727-509-3760.  Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can be a complicated disorder to treat. I am trained in a variety of techniques to treat PTSD, including Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, regular behavioral therapy, Neurofeedback, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). EMDR is something that only licensed mental healthcare professionals who have been trained can provide. According to the EMDR institute:
Those are impressive numbers, especially when you consider the years of therapy that some people have to go through to deal with PTSD and sometimes only get partial relief. EMDR is thought to work at a biological level involving trauma networks in the brain. However, the exact way it works remains unknown.  What I like about EMDR is that it guides the person to have awareness of how their psychological issues are manifesting in their body. With some patients, I do both EMDR and chiropractic in the same session. With those patients, I find that the areas that the psychological issues manifest are the same areas that require chiropractic treatment. Thus, my expertise in both mental and physical health may potentially help to improve patient outcomes because I can target the problem in a variety of ways. Of course, any patient can elect to only do EMDR as a therapy in my office. I do not pressure patients into any therapy they do not wish to partake in.
EMDR isn't just for PTSD. It has been used to treat phobias, panic disorder, somatoform disorders, performance anxiety, chronic pain, headaches, GI problems, eating disorders and negative body image. If you are interested in seeing if EMDR might be the right therapy for you, give my office a call at 727-509-3760 or send me an email to [email protected].  TMJ problems affect women more than men. People are often surprised to learn that chiropractic can help with Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) problems (also called Temporomandibular Disorder, or TMD). The TMJ is really two bones coming together - the temporal bone and the mandible (jaw) to form the TMJ. Symptoms of TMJ dysfunction include:
Structures in the body are connected. Although TMJ dysfunction is often the chief complaint in terms of symptoms, the cause of the discomfort may actually be coming from somewhere else in the body. Other things that might be causing the TMJ to not function properly include:
A lot of times I find that so-called TMJ problems really aren't TMJ problems at all. I will work on other structures in the body, especially the pelvis, cervical spine and cranial bones in the head and the TMJ symptoms disappear. That said, there are times when the TMJ needs to be worked on. There are GENTLE chiropractic adjustments for the joint itself and the soft tissue structures of the face and neck.  SOT® is an advanced form of chiropractic that deals with the bones in the head. However, depending on the nature of the condition, chiropractic may not be enough to resolve the presenting TMJ issues. That is where co-management of the condition is necessary with a dentist. A dentist may use an appliance in the mouth or otherwise adjust the bite. It is important that the structures of the body including the pelvis and cranium be in balance before the fitting of such an appliance or adjusting the bite. It is also important to examine the pelvis, cervical spine and cranium after the fitting of an appliance to ensure stability of the entire system. I am happy to work with any dentist on achieving the best possible outcome for my patients.
Sacro-Occipital Technic® (SOT®) is a gentle form of chiropractic that includes cranial work. I am the only chiropractor in Pinellas county that is certified in SOT® Methods and only one of two in the Tampa area. SOT® doctors have been working with dentists effectively for years and have presented and published research both in the United States and internationally on co-management of TMJ conditions. Please contact my office to schedule an appointment to see if you can benefit from my unique ways of addressing TMJ problems. Call 727-509-3760 or click on the link above to schedule online.
 I've had several patients come and see me for stomach pains and acid reflux. These are problems often dealt with by medical doctors and managed by medication. But do those medications get to the cause of the problem? In these cases, the answer was definitively "no!"  The problem is where the esophagus meets the stomach. I successfully treated all of these cases with something called Chiropractic Manipulative Reflex Technique (CMRT). It's an advanced part of Sacro Occipital Technic® (SOT®). CMRT involves soft tissue work on the body. Food moves into the stomach through the diaphragmatic sphincter. Like the other sphincter we all know and love, it should properly open and close to function. When it doesn't do that, stomach acid can pass backwards into the esophagus causing what is called acid reflux. In both of these cases, the diaphragm was under tension and was affecting the diaphragmatic sphincter. Part of fixing the cause was to pull the stomach away, since it was also pushed up under the diaphragm. The psoas muscle also connects at common points with the diaphragm. When the psoas muscle shortens or tightens, it pulls on the diaphragm. The psoas muscle also is involved with low back problems and this is why acid reflux and low back issues can go together. Both these cases also had subluxation of the 5th thoracic vertebra (T5). T5 has connections with the stomach (gastric) reflex, which influences acid production. As part of CMRT, I did reflex work on this area too.  Antacids let bad bacteria grow where they shouldn't. Eww. These cases resolved relatively quickly: an inexpensive fix to what can be a very costly problem.
Antacids lower the pH in your stomach. This can allow for bad bacteria to grow in your digestive tract that aren't supposed to. Yuck! If you are experiencing acid reflux, please give me a call. I can tell you after an initial exam if you have this problem causing your reflux. If not, I can help develop a plan to figure out what other problems could be causing the pain.  SOT® blocks allow for gentle and effective management of sciatica symptoms. There are several chiropractic techniques I use to treat sciatica, based on patient needs. Sacro-Occipital Technic® (SOT®) is unique in the usage of wedge-shaped blocks under the pelvis. People with sciatica are in acute pain, and the blocks help guide the body back into balance and stop the pain. Blocks are especially effective at getting rid of the "antalgic lean" or lean to one side that people with sciatica develop.  SOT® also deals with the soft tissue components of sciatica, including the piriformis muscle. As described in my other blog entry on sciatica, the muscle can either be too tight or too loose. Either way it can affect the sciatic nerve leading to pain. Even if the vertebra or disc is causing the sciatica, people with sciatica will usually have some involvement of the piriformis muscle that needs to be addressed to resolve the problem. The psoas muscle is also involved in sciatica. The psoas muscle attaches to the intervertebral discs themselves. Getting the psoas muscle to relax is an important part of sciatica treatment.  The special table in my office that allows me to do Cox Technic® flexion/distraction. The other way I treat sciatica is with Cox Technic®. This is another low force method I use in my office. It helps open up the disc space and increase mobility in the lumbar spine. Research shows that Cox Technic® reduces pressure in the disc, reduces pressure on spinal nerves, and widens the spinal canal foraminal area.
Cox Technic® even works on cases of failed low back surgery! Yes, even if you have had surgery and are still suffering, research shows that Cox Technic® may be able to help. And it helps with problems in the cervical spine (neck). Both SOT® and Cox Technic® are gentle forms of working on the spine. This is in contrast to traditional "popping and cracking" done by more traditional forms of chiropractic. Want to know more or schedule an appointment? Please contact my office 727-509-3760, email [email protected] or book online.  What is sciatica? Sciatica means you have pain along some part of the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the body, coming out of the lumbar and sacral parts of the spine. It travels through the buttock and down the back of the leg into the heel and foot (technically it gets some other names down there, but it's all part of the same big bad nerve). What isn't sciatica? Some patients will tell me they have sciatica, but then point to part of there leg that isn't related to the sciatic nerve. Leg pain doesn't necessarily mean sciatica. If the pain is on the side front, or doesn't go below the knee, it might not be the sciatic nerve. Those are often sacroiliac joint issues. What causes sciatica? The sciatic nerve exits out of the lumbar spine. It can get irritated by abnormalities there including
BUT...it can also be aggrevated by the PIRIFORMIS MUSCLE. In layman's terms, that's a muscle in your butt and the sciatic nerve passes right under it (in most people). The piriformis muscle can either become too tight or too loose and that will trap the nerve creating the pain. For a small number of people the nerve passes through the muscle.  A word about discs
When MRI's first came out a lot of low back pain and sciatica was blamed on the disc. There was a study done in the 1990's showing that people without back pain and without sciatica have abnormal discs. In other words, just because you have an abnormal disc doesn't necessarily mean that's what's causing your sciatica. Nor does it mean that you have to have surgery. I have a very high success rate of treating sciatica (or what patients initially thought was sciatica) in my practice. If you do need another type of healthcare provider, I will refer you to someone else. Look for part 2 of my blog on sciatica and the unique ways I treat it.  Patients are often surprised to see wedge-shaped blocks in my office. Even patients who have been to other chiropractors will say "my other chiropractor never used those before."
The blocks are part of Sacro-Occipital Technic® (SOT®), which is the primary form of chiropractic I do. People love them because they are gentle. Often patients also say that adjustments work better or seem to "hold" better when I use the blocks. Blocks are placed under your hip bones (pelvis) in various positions. Your body will naturally bring itself back into alignment while laying on the blocks. Patients who don't like the traditional popping and cracking associated with traditional chiropractic are especially fond of the blocks. But other patients ask me how something so simple could do anything? It's a myth that a crunch must be heard for an adjustment to have occurred. In fact, I have conducted and presented research at international conferences showing that laying on the blocks changes brain function. Yes, really! Click here for a portion of that study. Bottom line, the blocks are awesome. Call my office at 727-509-3760 or email [email protected] to schedule an appointment today to learn how the blocks can help you. |
AuthorI'm a Chiropractic Physician, Psychotherapist and researcher. I'm interested in helping people live their lives to their full potential. That could be simply without pain. Or it could be without more complicated physical or mental health problems. Or it could be getting help in making changes in their life so that they can achieve their dreams. Archives
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