About Dr. Flanagan
It was in 1982 that I met Dr. Harry Shapiro who was the former curator for the Department of Anthropology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, and a leading expert on the design of the human skull, artificial skull deformation and trepination.It was this relationship that put me on a course that I would never had envisioned. In 1978 I graduated with high honours from Sherman College of Chiropractic with particular focus on specific corrective care of the upper cervical spine, which is the most critical and important area of the spine. Following graduation I spent several years studying Applied Kinesiology and Sacrooccipital Technique, which includes specific pelvic analysis and corrective care procedures for the foundation of the spine, as well as craniopathy which is described below.
The pelvis contains the tail end attachment of the cord. Except for the tail, the brain and cord float within the cranial vault and spinal canal. The human pelvis is complex when it comes to health problems and requires specific analysis and correction. In my opinion, it is just as important as specific upper cervical care. Craniopathy, on the other hand, is the study of the musculoskeletal system of the skull, as well as cerebrospinal fluid flow, called CSF, in the brain and cord.
It was because of my interest in craniopathy that I met Dr. Harry Shapiro through a friend. The doctor became a patient and we had many long conversations regarding the design of the sutures and base of the skull, as well as craniopathy and chiropractic. While Dr. Shapiro was intriqued by basic chiropractic and craniopathic theories, certain craniopathic concepts clearly conflicted with his extensive forensic findings. In particular, he disagreed with issues regarding deformation of the base of the skull and the state of its special joints called sutures. Consequently, he insisted that I use the museum to do my own research.
When I got there he handed me a well used canvas sack with a set of old calipers strapped to the inside. Honestly, I had no idea about how to use them. He then gave me an old monogram he had published in 1928 called, “A Correction for Artificial Deformation of Skulls.” That’s how my chance investigation into the sutures and the design of the base of the human skull got started. It was supposed to be finished in just a few days. Instead, it turned into decades.
I spent several years examining hundreds of normal, pathological and artificially deformed human skulls. It was the artificially deformed skulls from former indigenous people of Peru and Bolivia, however, that started me looking into hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus, in turn, led to normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) and Alzheimer’s, which led to Parkinson’s and later mutliple sclerosis. Early on I recognized the close similarity between narrow angle glaucoma and NPH. Both are related to low pressure drainage issues due to similar causes. The difference is that glaucoma puts pressure on and damages the optic nerve causing blindness. NPH, on the other hand, puts pressure on the brain and causes dementia.
In addition to human skulls, I studied some primate skulls along with bats, whales and giraffes. I studied the later three because of the extreme circulatory challenges to the brain during head inversion and deep dives, which are similar to inversion and Valsalva maneuvers in humans and known to increase intracranial pressure. I was looking for answers and compensatory mechanisms these animals use to control intracranial pressure, and for possible clues as to how humans contend with challenges caused by upright posture. I found plenty of forensic evidence.
I wrote my first paper on the potential role of the spine in venous drainage issues and neurodegenerative diseases in 1987. A Google search for “stenosis Alzheimer’s” will produce an article I wrote for Dynamic Chiropractic in 1990 calling for research into the potential role of venous drainage isssues in the brain and Alzhiemer’s disease. I subsequently published many other papers on similar subjects, including Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis. After three years of additional study, in 1990 I became certified in chiropractic neurology. In additon to my professional publications, I recently published a book called THE DOWNSIDE OF UPRIGHT POSTURE – THE ANATOMICAL CAUSES OF ALZHEIMER’S, PARKINSON’S AND MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS, based on more than twenty years of research.
The book is written as a story to make it easier to digest and remember some important and difficult concepts. It is packed with relevant information. It was written for lay people, as well as physicians and scientists to stimulate further research. It was also written for anyone interested in physical anthropology, upright posture and the human brain. You can learn more about the book by visiting my website at uprightdoc.com. No one has all the answers to the mystery but we have some new and important pieces to the puzzle that may bring us closer to solving it. I will be discussing topics from the book on this blog. It is an important subject that needs further investigation.
I am not a doctor but have a daughter who was diagnosed with MS after suffering head and neck trauma etc. from being hit by a taxi in NYC with not a single MS symptom prior to her accident. Her diagnosis came just over a year later although she showed symptoms with leg weakness being one of them within 6 weeks of her accident but as she had also hit her knees and suffered a hematoma on one of them therefore her orthopedic doctor assumed it was because of the injury.
I am fascinated by your studies and have been an avid follower of the CCSVI theory and Dr. Sclafani who is an IR and very involved in this possible treatment here in the New York region. He answers questions on thisisms.com and I wondered if you were present at the symposium at the end of July which was attended by various IR’s, Neurologists, patients who had been treated, etc. both researchers and pioneers in this new treatment.
My daughter has been treated by her chiropractor for the past year or two and he is an Atlas Orthogonist and it seems to help her with severe the neck pain that she gets and she always has the sensation of warm face, blood flowing, tingling and pins and needles during and after her treatment which surely indicates a blood flow change?
Sorry if this question is somewhat disjointed but my point is that as you have so much to offer I wonder if you would consider being involved in the research (that is if you are not already) with like minded doctors in their discussions and potential treatment of CCSVI etc? I know that all MS patients, Parkinsons, etc. can only benefit from a possible solution to these awful diseases – clearly the 70 years theory of MS being an auto immune disease have not resulted in any kind of cure.
Sincerely,
Colleen Roth
Specific upper cervical care is perfect for reducing the strain in most cases but there are different schools of thought and still depends on the experience and method used by the doctor. Some rely entirely upon leg length tests and thermograms for pre and post checks. Personally I would like to see more monitoring of postural analysis, station and gait, tendon reflexes, upper motor neuron signs and muscle strength and symmetry of range of motion. Some people may have permanent damage to tissue of the upper cervical spine that can block drainage outlet and may need to be drained using Zamboni’s procedure. Some patients may need upper cervical and Zamboni’s procedure. There is much more to this story.
I enjoy what I am doing and would love to be involved with others. CCSVI has provided huge step forward toward finding answers to many cases of neurodegnerative diseaes. It has opened a whole new door. I will be posting some upper cervical research in the future that is unbelievable based on everything I have learned over the years. What’s more, it is corroborated by phase contrast upright MR angiograms. Things just keep getting better.
A Cat 2 pelvis is a strain and sprain of the sacroiliac ligaments that results in misaligment of the ilia. It is most likely the source of the weakness in your right leg. It can also cause a great deal of pain in the low back, such as when getting up and down from chairs or putting on socks for example. Pelvic problems can also distort the sciatic foramen in the pelvis, which contains nerves and blood vessels to the leg, which will cause numbness and tingling for example. Lastly, pelvic problems undermine the stability of the sacrum which is the platform the spine sits on. This can upset the shouder girdle causing deformation of the thoracic outlets, which can cause the right arm weakness and rsd type symptoms you have. The pelvic problem will also extend past your shoulder and affect your neck, especially the base of the skull.
In brief, it sounds to me as if you have a chronic pelvic problem casused by the hard fall onto your right knee, which is causing the right leg weakness and further resulting in a thoracic outlet syndrome affecting your right arm. Specific upper cervical care will not fix your problem, nor will basic chiropractic side posture type adjustments. You need specific pelvic correction by a qualified chiropractor who practices sacrooccipital technique using pelvic blocks.