Alton Chiropractic Neurology

Information may not be reliable

Infants and Children
Dr. Bemis has had over 20 years worth of experience treating infants and children. He uses many different techniques and all of these techniques are gentler and milder forms of adult treatments. One of the specific treatments is Cranial-Sacral Therapy (CST).
CST was pioneered and developed by osteopathic physician John E. Upledger following extensive scientific studies from 1975 to 1983 at Michigan State University, where he served as a clinical researcher and Professor of Biomechanics. CST is a gentle, hands-on method of evaluating and enhancing the functioning of a physiological body system called the craniosacral system - comprised of the membranes and cerebrospinal fluid that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord. Using a soft touch generally no greater than 5 grams, or about the weight of a nickel, practitioners release restrictions in the craniosacral system to improve the functioning of the central nervous system.
Why do Infants need Chiropractic care?
Subluxations are areas of interference to the nervous system caused by pressure or irritation from spinal bones. Chiropractors correct subluxations. One of the most common causes of a subluxation in an infant is the birth process. Chiropractors have been warning the public of the danger to newborns from the common birth processes used today. Birth is a natural phenomenon that should not be viewed or treated as a medical condition. However, in an attempt to “manage” the birth process, many problems are created.
The most prevalent danger chiropractors have been warning about when it comes to the birth process is Traumatic Birth Syndrome resulting in the creation of subluxations. Numerous articles and experts have warned of the damage that occurs to the nervous system in the neck of newborns during the trauma involved in the common birth process. This damage ranges from mild subluxations in the upper neck to more serious subluxations involving spinal cord damage, neural hemorrhage and central nervous system problems.
Many authorities suggest that the position of the mother coupled with the pulling from the delivering physician has a lot to do with the creation of these subluxation related problems. When the delivering mother is lying on her back she is not only working partially against gravity but she has reduced the pelvic opening size. These two factors then require the attending physician to pull harder on the head of the child. This increased pulling and twisting during the birth process, coupled with a decrease in the pelvic opening and a non alignment with gravity often set the stage for birth trauma, subluxation and the resulting problems.
Health consequences to the newborn from subluxations caused from birth trauma range from immediate and severe to hidden problems that may take years to surface. Some of the more immediate and tragic results that have been documented are spinal cord and brain stem injuries, brain bleeding and swelling, neurological deficits, breathing problems and even sudden infant death syndrome. The long-term consequences are as varied as the nerve system itself. Some of the more commonly mentioned problems that have been linked to traumatic birth are learning disabilities, headaches, visual and hearing problems, certain palsies, and a number of immune functional problems.
Chiropractors have been stressing for years the importance of having newborns checked for vertebral subluxations. Checking the spine of an infant is painless and easy. The importance of a developing baby being free of nerve interference from subluxation cannot be understated. Even infants that appear healthy may have subluxations due to traumatic birth syndrome. All babies deserve the best chance at a healthy happy life. Babies deserve Chiropractic.
Functional Blood Chemistry
In 2006, Dr. Bemis began incorporating into his practice Functional Endocrinology; Functional Blood Chemistry Analysis; and Functional Analysis of Neurotransmitter and Brain Function.
Functional Medicine is the science of treating the human body's imbalances by using natural supplements and therapies based upon research and technologically advanced testing. No other facet in health care will provide you with an explanation of 1) why you are where you are and 2) an action plan of how to get you back on track to Optimal Health. Functional Medicine recognizes that each body part plays a role in maintaining health. We are able to interpret the functions and alterations in metabolism. Dr. Bemis understands the complex series of vicious cycles occurring in your body that feed each other. Conservative therapies such as body work, diet, nutrition, and lifestyle changes can be utilized to optimize and change physiology. Dr. Bemis uses Functional Endocrinology and Functional Blood Chemistry to scientifically identify, naturally treat, and provide ongoing support to unlock these vicious cycles of hormonal and biochemical imbalances in order to restore health.
The goal of Functional Medicine is to assist your body in returning to dynamic balance. We work to:

* Identify and manage any structural alterations causing stress to the body
While acknowledging the existence of disease and altered functional states, Dr. Bemis focuses on the underlying processes and seeks a treatment which removes, replaces, repairs and restores the underlying events causing the problem.

Chiropractic Neurology is defined as the field of functional neurology that engages the internal and external environment of the individual in a structured and targeted approach to affect positive changes in the neuraxis and consequent physiology and behavior. Chiropractic neurologists are chiropractors who have continued with advanced post graduate training and testing to be able to provide all the standard chiropractic services and additionally, the specialized services that their advanced training allows.
How is a chiropractic neurologist different than a medical neurologist or a neurosurgeon?
Chiropractic neurologists, medical neurologists and neurosurgeons differ greatly in their methods of treatment.
The medical neurologist will prescribe medications or injections. The neurosurgeon uses surgery to correct a condition. The chiropractic neurologist uses non-surgical treatment methods without medicine.
Many conditions of the brain and nervous system do not respond well to aggressive interventions such as drug therapy or surgery. Additionally, the drug therapies used by medical neurologists, and the surgical interventions of the neurosurgeon often carry increased risks for serious complications or dangerous side effects.
For this reason, chiropractic neurologists fill a unique and significant role in treating brain and nervous system disorders using safe and effective methods producing lasting health benefits.
Energy Medicine- The new frontier
Dr. David Bemis uses a technique called Total Body Modification (TBM). This is similar to the autonomic resonance testing ART technique and incorporates some similar elements. Both techniques employ the use of manual muscles testing as a comprehensive diagnostic system that uses changes in muscle tone as a primary indicator. The journal Chiropractic & Osteopathy published a review on the reliability and validity of manual muscle testing in 2007. (Scott C Cuthbert and George J Goodheart Jr, Chiropractic & Osteopathy 2007,15:4.)
ART Definition: When a substance is placed over an area of your body that contains this identical substance, a stress signal is elicited, which makes a strong indicator muscle go weak.
This simple phenomenon allows you to determine:
1. Problems in your body that are not visible with the naked eye.
You can use a particular toxin in a vial and scan your body for its presence. You may use a substance that you may be unaware that is allergic or sensitive to your body.
2. If a medication or nutrient reaches the target organ in your body. It has been found that many times a particular nutrient or medication does not appear in the target area (i.e. an infected tooth or a diseased heart) in concentrations high enough to achieve the therapeutic benefit. With direct resonance you can scan your body over this area with the identical substance, and find out if it is present there or not. Oftentimes you may find that something is blocking or preventing the “drug uptake”. When that happens, TBM can help determine what the blockage is, which may include: Jewelry and belt buckles, scars, bacteria, virus, foods, chemicals, heavy metals etc.
There are many other applications of TBM, including, allergy testing and food allergy elimination, detoxing from drug residues, determining and treating for microorganisms and stealth pathogens, eliminating infections, determining and treating underlying psycho-emotional issues and much more. The use of Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is also useful in clearing psycho-emotional and addictions.

Proper nutrition plays a vital role in achieving optimum health. There is no physical problem which doesn’t have nutritional component. There are several different approach to determining nutritional deficiencies. A common employed diagnostic evaluation for nutrition is the Ulan nutritional assessment approach. As noted with Energy medicine, this technique uses muscle testing and resonance testing to determine weakness with organs and systems or blockages to proper absorption of nutrients. Many times nutrition is required to give the body what it needs to heal, repair and restore proper function. Without proper nutrition, the body will use what has available but often will never fully recover.