What makes NCR different from all other therapies?

NCR is the only physical medicine technique that routinely expects to produce permanent, cumulative changes to the skull, spine, pelvis and nervous system. Other physical medicine techniques require their patients to return for maintenance visits so that the effects of treatment can last. This is because other techniques are not including proprioceptive testing, which allows the NCR doctor to insure that the treatment is always improving the system's overall performance. When the system's stability is improved, there is no reason for the system to return to the older stability pattern. This allows treatments that are essentially permanent. No other treatment technique has these sorts of results predictably. For them, permanent results are the exceptional case, not the routine.

How is NCR different from craniosacral therapy?

Craniosacral therapy descends from the osteopathic cranial manipulation techniques begun by Dr. William Sutherland, D.O. and further modified and improved by Dr. John Upledger, D.O. Therapists performing craniosacral therapy use only their hands on the patient's head and mouth. They use pressures no greater than five grams (not quite enough pressure to squish a grape). Craniosacral therapy is designed to balance the distribution of cerebrospinal fluid.

NCR has a heritage less documented. It began with finger technique in the 1920s, which was improved to include the small endonasal balloons in the 1930s (then known as bilateral nasal specific technique), improved further by Dr. J. Richard Stober, D.C., N.D. in the 1960s and 1970s, who taught it to me from 1980 to 1984.

I developed the concepts of NCR in 1995, and the technique is being constantly modified and improved. The primary precept of NCR is to optimize nervous system and musculoskeletal functions by simplifying structure and improving structural stability. Like craniosacral, NCR is very concerned with the flow of cerebrospinal fluid. With NCR, however, to change the skull, the major focus is movement of the sphenoid bone, which is poorly accomplished with the hands alone. To move the sphenoid, I find the endonasal balloons to be most effective. At this time, I have found that the sphenoid and related cranial bones can require up to twenty-five pounds of force to release the inflexible cranial joints.

So you can see that NCR and craniosacral therapies have some common concepts and goals, but our methods of evaluation and treatment have very little in common.

Can I have NCR in place of some dental work? How long after treatment should I wait to have dental work done? What is the proper protocol for dental work with NCR?

Most kinds of dental work will not be replaced with NCR. Unfortunately, your bridges, crowns, fillings or dentures will not be corrected by this treatment. But the work done by dentists specializing in TMJ, bite problems, dental orthopedics or orthodontia can often be avoided or simplified. Generally these dental techniques are trying to correct problems created by the skull shape by working on only part of the skull. This is not very efficient. If the work is begun with NCR, the need for local dental treatment is much reduced.

If you suspect that you require dental assistance with bridges, crowns, dentures, your tooth position or your bite, get NCR first, then get the dental work, return for some NCR and finish with some dental fine-tuning. If you are getting cosmetic bonding, cleaning, periodontal treatment or a basic filling, there is less concern unless you have a tendency towards TMJ, in which case the long sessions of holding your mouth open will cause changes in your head shape.

Please avoid getting dental diagnosis or therapies for at least a month after completing a sequence of NCR as your head and mouth will still be shifting during this time.

Why does my spine keep going back into a painful position after chiropractic adjustments and how is NCR different?

The shape of the head determines the position that the vertebrae need to be in to best support the head. This determines the spinal/pelvic posture. When local treatment of the spine is performed, the entire musculoskeletal system pattern, including the skull, is not changed. The musculoskeletal system is normally in a stable position. Local treatment of the spine usually causes systemic instability. The system reacts to this instability by returning to a stable pattern. Most of the time this means that the body returns the spine to the previous stable and painful position. NCR, when properly performed, continually moves the skull and spine into newer, less painful and yet still stable patterns. This allows the NCR treatment to be able to stay in the new alignment pattern.

Is NCR more effective cosmetically than plastic surgery?

NCR moves the bones of the skull to the position where they were originally intended to be. This means that the skin will now fit properly, with the lines and wrinkles that appear in later life dramatically decreased, the nose and eyes straighter and more even and the jaw more centered, with no annoying TMJ click. This removes the need for plastic surgery, which is simply a technique for reworking the bones and (especially) the skin to positions where the skin looks tight. NCR is more effective than cosmetic surgery because the asymmetry found in most faces can be corrected. Eyes that appear to be different shapes, a crooked mouth, uneven cheekbones, ears that don't line upall of these are always improved with NCR. Besides looking better with NCR, a patient feels and functions better too.