Conditions We Manage

In the world of sports, few injuries draw as much attention these days as concussions/traumatic brain injury (TBI). Science and research are showing us just how powerful these injuries are, and we have exponentially increased our knowledge in the past decade about what these injuries are, how to measure them and how to prevent them. However, what hasn’t been as thoroughly explored is how to provide care post-concussion/TBI. We at the NeuroLIFE Institute deal with patients who suffer from the effects of concussions/TBI regularly. We strongly recommend every person receive a baseline test; at the NeuroLIFE Institute, it’s a 15-20 minute battery of tests that allows us to give you a virtual start-and-finish line. We utilize C3 Logix, a state-of-the-art program designed by researchers affiliated with the Cleveland Concussion Center, a world-renowned facility in the concussion arena. We also boast a comprehensive (and drug/surgery free) care protocol that involves everything that influences your brain and nerve system. Whether it’s our daily NeuroLIFE Brain Smoothie, our customized EyeCare programs or balance training on the GyroStimTM, we strive to minimize the injury and maximize the recovery process in each person’s brain. If you have not yet had a baseline test that assesses your balance, vision and cognition or you suffer from one or more concussions, please contact us to learn how we can help.

Dysautonomia is an umbrella term used to describe any disorder that affects the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and it doesn’t function as it should. ANS controls the body’s involuntary, automatic functions like heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, temperature regulation, and hormonal and sexual function. Many forms of dysautonomia can occur at any age and usually involve abnormal symptoms in many organ systems including cardiac, gastrointestinal, neurological, and pulmonary.

Dysautonomia is relatively common but it is not well understood by most healthcare professionals. It is estimated to affect more than 70 million people and recently has been more noticeable, especially during the pandemic period and in people who suffer from COVID-19.

At the NeuroLIFE Institute, our approach focuses on assessing and regulating the integrity of the autonomic nervous system assessment. We use a variety of neuro-rehabilitation that provide a drug-free and non-invasive long-term solution to help you go back to your normal life.

The type of condition falls under the category of dysautonomia:

postural orthostatic tachycardia

Orthostatic intolerance

Hypertension

Functional neurological disorder

Hormonal imbalance

vasovagal syncope / Autonomically Mediated Syncope  

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) affects an estimated 24 million people throughout the course of their life and can be caused by a range of events such as witnessing a death, serving as a soldier, experiencing a severe shock or loss, or many other reasons. For sufferers of PTSD, there is actually nothing “post” about it; in their minds, they are reliving that moment over and over again. Often, these recurring flashes of memory are true-to-life, and people can feel trapped within their traumas. Symptoms of PTSD include depression and anxiety, obsession with the traumatic event, delusion, weight loss and change of mood, nightmares and difficulty interacting socially. These symptoms usually appear within three months of the traumatic event, and can last for months or even years. The NeuroLIFE Institute uses innovative therapies and emergent technologies to target and stimulate areas of the brain that have been damaged. When the brain is forced to process and respond in these areas, patients can see signs of progress such as improved sleep, lower anxiety levels and better stress management.

At NeuroLIFE Institute, we view performance as the ability to master your environment. Athletes in particular must control their environments to excel in the game. Your brain and nerve system are responsible for assessing your environment, deciding how to control it and then activating the proper movements to do so. Vision, visual processing speed and reaction time all can be improved with a healthier brain and nerve system. Better vision can be developed by improving the function of the areas responsible for processing what you see. Your vision may be great now, but is it as good as it can be? We use advanced equipment and methods to analyze what can be maximized and improved to optimize your performance. Visual Processing Speed is a measure of the way your brain perceives visual input and then reacts to it. Our equipment, such as the GyroStim, is used to greatly improve visual processing speed in elite athletes. Reaction time is key in sports.  Your brain should be reacting in milliseconds to respond in sport. We use leading-edge technology and methods to not only improve the speed with which you react, but also the accuracy.  Our equipment measures your reactions in milliseconds, or fractions of a second.  This may not seem like a lot, but at the speed of sport, a couple of milliseconds could translate into a few inches.  When trying to put the bat on the ball, come out of the starting blocks, or make that catch in front of the defender, milliseconds are the difference between success and failure. How much could you benefit if you reacted faster and hit your targets more precisely? By improving all of these neurological aspects, we take all the hard work, sweat and tears you put into being the best and elevate your game to the next level, enabling you to transcend your sport. We have treated professional athletes to take them to the next level, are you doing everything that you can to be at your peak performance? Let us take you there.

Business and industry drive our economy. When we are faced with the kinds of tasks that are demanded in the boardroom on a regular basis, it can stress our bodies and minds to the brink.

Your mind can’t tell the difference between the stress of a deadline at work and the stress of running through the jungle from a tiger; so when we use the term “it’s a jungle out there,” it is more accurate than you think. The brain and body react with the same set of chemical and physical processes to a deadline as they would to running for your life.

Unfortunately these processes rob us of the ability to think clearly, efficiently and with tenacity. Over time it will make it difficult to sleep and recharge, leading to an array of unhealthy conditions.

Just as an athlete has to train at the gym in order to outpace their competition, executives need to maintain the fitness of their greatest asset in the boardroom: the mind. At the NeuroLIFE Institute, our approach utilizes the latest in technology combined with the leading-edge care to optimize your brain and body, helping you to better manage stress and make assertive decisions when they matter most.

In Life
It’s no secret that today we are more stressed than ever before. With work deadlines, family responsibilities and daily tasks, we push our body and brain to the limit. In this fast-paced world, we can’t just quit our commitments; instead, we must learn how to best manage our stress.
Here at the NeuroLIFE Institute, we use the physiology of the brain to understand how to manage modern day anxiety. Did you know that physiologically, your body doesn’t recognize the difference in running for survival from a wild lion compared to stressing out over an upcoming test or deadline? More importantly, did you know stress-related changes in your body cause you to be more susceptible to diseases like cancer and obesity? They also short-circuit your ability to recall memories and might even increase your likelihood of a concussion not resolving after a head injury.

Our approach involves assessing your brain and nerve system’s health from a functional and biochemical perspective. We get a picture of where you are now, and where you can be with the proper interventions such as GyroStim therapy, Interactive Metronome, dietary and supplement changes, and high-quality chiropractic care. Using this multi-system approach to health, we help optimize your brain to deal with the stresses of life.

Performance Optimization
We live in a stressful world and spend much of our time at the office. At the NeuroLIFE Institute, we understand that executives want to be able to make quick decisions, exhibit strong leadership skills and react in a professional manner regardless of the circumstance. Our approach will help train your brain to be more efficient. When your brain and nerve system are operating more efficiently, you will be able to think and act more quickly and decisively. You will receive tailor-made strategies designed around your goals and lifestyle, giving you a leg up on your competition.

Recent estimates in the United States show that about one in six, or about 15 percent of children aged three through 17, have one or more developmental disabilities. Developmental disabilities are a group of conditions due to impairment in physical, learning, language or behavioral areas of the brain. These conditions begin during the developmental period, may impact day-to-day functioning and usually last throughout a person’s lifetime.

Proper evaluation of children with a developmental delay is critical. When realized early, there are treatment options to help catch the child up to speed and decrease the severity of symptoms, as well as the length of time the child is affected. At the NeuroLIFE Institute, we evaluate using the most up-to-date, evidence-based methods when working with all of the children in our office.   We evaluate for proper developmental milestones and the presence of special reflexes that indicate possible developmental delays. We obtain a complete picture of your child’s development using this information.

With a clear analysis of the health of your child’s nervous system, we tailor a care plan to fit their individual needs. We use leading-edge technology to assess and treat every patient, such as the GyroStim, Interactive MetronomeTM and the latest in Chiropractic Functional Neurological Principles.

Risk Reduction
Early detection of childhood developmental disorders is key. Our team of professionals will assess your child for proper attainment of developmental milestones.  Early detection of childhood developmental disorders is key to your child growing and developing a happy and healthy brain and nerve system.

Stroke — it’s one of the most frightening words a doctor can tell a patient. With four million Americans who have had a stroke and live with the after-effects, it is the leading cause of disability among adults in the United States. Only 10 percent of people who suffer from a stroke recover completely. At the NeuroLIFE Institute, we believe our care can make a huge difference in someone’s life. Our approach differs from standard rehabilitation programs in that we are not focused on rehabilitation of a limb, such as an arm or leg. Rather, we are focused on optimizing the areas of the brain that allow function to body parts. We use the most sophisticated equipment to assess what your brain function is, and more importantly, what it could be. Then, we utilize our state-of-the-art equipment like the GyroStim and Vibration Platforms to tailor a care plan best suited to you. If you or somebody you love has suffered a stroke, transient ischemic attack (commonly referred to as TIA) or other brain injury and want to learn how we can help you improve your quality of life, please contact us.

Risk Reduction
Stress management is crucial to risk reduction of stroke. Our approach helps patients decrease chances of stroke and heart disease by turning stress from a negative response to a positive response, something they can manage and conquer.

An estimated 5.3 million Americans of all ages will have Alzheimer’s disease in 2015. The number of Americans with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias will grow each year as the size and proportion of the U.S. population, age 65 and older, continues to increase. By 2025, the number of people, age 65 and older, with Alzheimer’s disease is estimated to reach 7.1 million.

About 50,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease each year, with more than half a million Americans affected at any given time. However, getting an accurate count of the number of cases may be impossible, because many people with early symptoms of Parkinson’s disease assume their symptoms are the result of normal aging and do not seek help from a healthcare provider.

Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease make up number one and two on the list of neurodegenerative disorders. Currently, there is no universally accepted cause or cure for either disease. However, there are things that can be done to slow, or even stop, the progression of the disease and greatly improve a person’s quality of life for many years. The earlier that these disease processes are realized, the better. Early detection and intervention for the care of these conditions is extremely important.

At NeuroLIFE Institute, we perform a complex examination of every person that visits us for care. Our team of experts assesses every aspect of your health to form a complete picture of what makes up your individual case. We use innovative equipment to uncover even the smallest details about your health, which will help us to provide the best care for you and your family.

We use GyroStim technology to properly move your body through space and improve the function of your brain and nerve system. The latest in functional neurological assessment and care will be an integral part in maintaining and improving your quality of life.

Risk Reduction
Lifestyle choices often affect us more than we recognize. In fact, Alzheimer’s disease is currently being referred to by some as “Diabetes Type 3” because of the huge metabolic aspect of the disease; when the brain can’t get enough sugar, it ceases to function properly.

Having proper dietary considerations is crucial throughout your lifetime. Those with neurodegenerative conditions actually develop them about 20 years before they begin to show symptoms. Early detection and intervention in your 40s and 50s can greatly improve your health throughout the rest of your life.

Our bodies are designed to move. Time and time again, research shows how far-reaching the benefits of daily movement can be. However, what happens when movement is unwanted? For millions of people, the loss of control of their body can be extremely frightening and frustrating. Often, subtle signs are missed or ignored until our daily lives are affected.

At the NeuroLIFE Institute, our clinicians are trained to detect subtle signs and symptoms, long before they become disruptive. Using emergent technologies such as Videonysgamography and Computerized Posturography, we can take a look into the health of the brain and nerve system, revealing what your body isn’t telling you yet.

Once we determine what it is that is causing the movement, we develop a personalized program to improve the function of that area in your brain and nerve system.  Rather than covering up the symptoms, while things continue to break down, we get to the root of the problem.

Risk Reduction
Sufferers from movement disorders such as Epilepsy, Parkinsonian tremors, cerebellar ataxia, Restless Leg Syndrome and many others, have hope as well. Our unique approach to optimizing the brain and nerve system with tools like the GyroStim and Interactive Metronome allows us to make the changes to the brain and nerve system you really need. There is no “one-size-fits-all” care plan for a movement disorder, and our patients benefit from getting customized care that help the brain control the body once again.

A functional sense of balance is created by a cohesive collaboration of several parts of the brain and nerve system. These parts are the somatosensory system (proprioception), the vestibular system, the visual system and the auditory system. Dysfunction in any of these systems can cause a balance disorder. A balance disorder can cause the perception of unsteadiness in any position (lying, sitting, standing or walking). It can be accompanied by a sense of dizziness or feeling disoriented.

Vertigo is a type of dizziness and refers to a perception of self-motion or motion of the surrounding world. Vertigo is one of the most common neurological complaints, affecting approximately 20-30 percent of the general population. An inner ear disease, known as a vestibulopathy, can cause vertigo, or it can be due to a lesion of part of the central nerve system (brainstem, cerebellum or brain). Some symptoms associated with vertigo are:

• Imbalance/False sense of movement or rotation
• Difficulty walking
• Nausea/vomiting
• Hearing loss
• Tinnitus
• Fullness and/or pain in the ear
• Nystagmus (a rhythmic jerking movement of the eyes)
• Slurred speech
• Double vision

Many neurological disorders can cause the symptoms of vertigo and imbalance. At the NeuroLIFE Institute, we perform an extensive neurological exam to determine the cause of these symptoms so that we might direct the most expedient and effective course of care. In conjunction with traditional neurological examination, we utilize computerized dynamic posturography (CDP) to objectively quantify and differentiate among the possible impairments to balance control. Additionally, we use videonystagmography (VNG) for objective vestibular and central nerve system assessment. These tests include following visual targets with the eyes as well as stimulation to the vestibular system. Both the CDP and VNG testing are non-invasive and painless.

Care for balance disorders and vertigo consists of specific vestibular rehabilitation therapies that are customized to the unique requirements of each individual patient. These care methods might consist of one or more of the following: specific eye movement exercises (pursuits, saccades, convergence, fixation and gaze stabilization); vestibular stimulation exercises (movements of the head in a prescribed direction and speed to elicit specific outcomes); gait therapies; whole body rotation in the GyroStim, which is a rotational chair that moves through the planes of yaw (left and right) and pitch (forward and backward); body movement therapies uniquely directed to stimulate the affected areas of the central nerve system; balance training therapies; and cranial nerve stimulations therapies directed at enhancing the function of specific brainstem or brain dysfunction. This list is not exhaustive and might include other therapies determined by the treating doctor deemed affective after a careful analysis of each patient.

During and after each method of care, the chiropractic neurologist assesses each patient to determine the results. This constant process of monitoring allows our doctors to expedite the care process. Outcomes of care at our facility are positive in most cases, with patients typically experiencing some level of symptom relief and others experiencing total relief. If a patient does not respond to our care or is not a candidate for care, they will be referred to another facility that might be better suited for their recovery, if possible. Whether or not a patient is a candidate for our treatment can only be determined by examination.

Performance Optimization
Our approach can help optimize balance. There are three major areas of the brain deal with balance; being over-dependent on the wrong system can cause difficulties when that area is challenged. We optimize all three.

Whiplash injuries involve a sudden “jolt” or “whipping” force to your neck and upper back. Ever hear the screeching of tires before the imminent collision of two cars? Automobile collisions or crash is probably the most familiar thought we have when we think about “whiplash.” The person in the vehicle is safely strapped to the seat by the seat belt while their head is not so well restrained but only limited by the head rest. Collisions which involve a sudden stop or change in direction can cause a mild to severe injury to the neck and upper back. Not only is there likely to be injury to the spine but also to the supporting ligaments, tendons, muscles, nerves and even to the brain itself. Often times, patients who have been in a car wreck sustain a “whiplash” injury to their neck causing soreness, pain, muscle spasm, loss of range of motion, and generalized stiffness. However, sometimes the injuries are worse than first thought. Over the course of a few days following the accident the patient may begin experiencing new symptoms. These can include headaches, dizziness, loss of sensation, difficulty with balance, blurred or difficulty with vision, trouble with falling to sleep at night, irritability, trouble with focus and concentration, fatigue, and other symptoms.

The same forces that caused injuries to the joints, muscles, and nerves of the spine can also cause damage to the underlying brain, brainstem, and cerebellum. When this happens it is likely that the person also sustained a concussion. Modern science has proven that concussion does not have to involve direct trauma or a “blow to the head” but rather the rapid start and stop of the head can cause the brain to shift violently within the skull. The brain may incur bruising, shearing of axons, and even bleeding. It is important that the person injured is seen as soon as possible for an evaluation of concussion or spinal injury. Not all whiplash injuries are associated with concussion. If the person has any symptoms away from muscle stiffness and guarding, it may well be of benefit to be evaluated for a concussion. Since concussion injuries can be difficult to recognize and manage it is important to be seen by a facility in which the practitioners understand the complex interactions of the nerve system.

Research has shown that even the “whiplash” aspect of the injury can be complex and difficult to resolve. Many patients who have experienced whiplash injury continue to have neck pain and muscle guarding for many years to come. 

Identical Symptoms of Whiplash & Concussion (mTBI)

• Headache
• Dizziness
• Difficulty Sleeping
• Blurry Vision
• Irritability
• Memory Problems
• Difficulty Concentrating
• Depression

If you or someone you know has suffered a whiplash type injury, been involved in a car accident, or hasn’t been themselves since a recent injury, we strongly recommend that you, or they, contact us at the NeuroLIFE Institute. There, we can thoroughly evaluate the extent of any injuries as well as assess the health and well-being of the brain and nerve system. Our unique approach will address your specific needs and tailor a program that is best suited to you.