My Experience With Koren Specific Technique (Gentle Chiropractic)

[Wayne]

UPDATE on 1-30-15 — My first two KST sessions have gone exceedingly well!
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1-19-15
Today is sort of a big day for me. I did an initial 15-minute consultation this past year with Dr. Timothy March regarding getting a specialized chiropractic treatment called Koren Specific Technique (KST). I decided to wait until this year to begin seeing him, and prompted by a recent dream, just this morning made an appointment for this coming Friday.

The videos below (lots more videos on YouTube) give brief descriptions of KST, which involves very gently adjusting many parts of the body using a small electrical device. -- I'll report back here after I've gotten some experience with it.

Best to everybody, I hope our day is going well!

DrKevinKita YouTube Video - 2 1/2 minutes - Good quick introduction

DrStevePolenz - 3 1/2 minutes - Brief, but a bit more personal and descriptive

DrAnnaSaylor - 6 1/2 minutes - More comprehensive, includes emotional components

 

[Wayne]

Energy Flows and Unusual Sensations

I’ve now done two KST sessions, spaced a week apart, with my second one happening yesterday. This is an update on what I’m experiencing. In short, it’s a LOT. In fact, most everything in my daily life feels “different” to one degree or another. — Within moments after my first session, I started noticing new energy flows into various parts of my body. First in my right rib area, then down my neck and upper back, then throughout my head. But the flow that was the strongest and lasted the longest was down my left leg and into my left foot.

A few hours later, I was out for a walk, and suddenly realized my right leg felt like it was unusually large and bulky (perhaps like that of an elephant), and my left leg felt thin and spindly (perhaps like that of a crane). Interestingly, neither really felt stronger or weaker than the other. — Within an hour after tuning into my left leg feeling spindly, I noticed it again felt “different”, as if it had “reflated”, perhaps like a balloon. This flowing of energy into my leg reminded me somewhat of what it feels like to have a physical limb go to sleep, and then have the blood circulation return to it.

Dr. March mentioned that I might wake up the following morning feeling particularly good, or perhaps particularly bad. I guessed that, based on prior experience, I would likely experience a bit of both. As it turned out, it was mostly the latter. — However, I did feel better that first night, and noticed my movements around the house were more precise and fluid. I slept well that night as well. The next day, I felt a bit better than normal.

The 2nd day after however, I began to feel somewhat worse, with various aches and pains showing up to a greater degree than I had noticed in the time leading up to the session. This appeared to be the kind of "retracing” I had been told was not only possible, but quite likely, as it's a significant aspect of this kind of therapy.
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There’s much more to this report, but I think I’ll break it up into 3-4 different posts. Next post will be on TMJ and facial pain reduction.

 

[Wayne]

TMJ and Facial Pain Reduction

I do a daily massage routine (usually twice daily) to work out various pain syndromes in my body. One particular area that I focus on is pain across my eyebrows, and pain in my TMJ area. The pains in both of these areas were noticeably affected after my KST sessions. While the pain above my right eye stayed about the same, the pain above my left eye was significantly less. The pain in my TMJ area was even more noticeably lessened. — I did notice a bit of sporadic pain in my right temple area.

Thoughts I’ve had about this: — There’s been some posting on PR about the role of TMJ dysfunction in ME/CFS. I once started a thread entitled, “Oral Systemic Balance - by Darden Burns” which delves into some of this. There’s also been some interesting posts by a Dr. Amir on the thread entitled, “ME Caused by Squeezed Nerve?"

Connecting some dots: — When I had my first session, Dr. March very gently palpitated the atlas area just below my right ear. At one point, he asked me to open my mouth, and then a little later, asked me to move my jaw back and forth. Within moments after I did this, he said something like, “there, we got it”.

I believe this connects in with structural issues in the mouth and jaw area. — What if the source of the problem is a misaligned atlas? It would seem to make sense to adjust that before doing extensive (and expensive) therapies involving various kinds of appliances that are often used to correct oral and TMJ misalignments.

 

[Wayne]

Ramifications of Improved Circulation in Head

About 2-3 days after my first session, I had an odd sensation on the left rear side of my head. It felt like the skin would tighten up, and then relax. This lasted for maybe 15-30 minutes. About a half hour later, I felt a subtle but brief pain flow through this same area. About 15 minutes after this, I noticed a cool feeling energy flow go through the same area. None of these sensations have returned since that time.

Connecting some dots: — I definitely feel l'm experiencing improved circulation in my entire head area, from my jaw and facial area all the way to the back of my head and down my spinal column. It was pointed out to me within minutes of that session that I had much improved color in my face. That new circulation felt nice, but I think there is likely to be even more significance to this. — I think it will likely lead to improved overall endocrine function and brain detoxification.
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I’ve done a fair amount of research on a technique called Nasal Specific. [I've had this therapy done, and found it to be very helpful.] It involves inserting a balloon into the sinuses and inflating the balloon, which then widens and/or opens up obstructions in the sinus area. It also has the capability to move (or unlock) the cranials, which often get locked up when they are traumatized, such as in an accident. — I’ve noticed that many who develop ME/CFS and/or Fibromyalgia do so after some kind of car accident.

I’ve read that Nasal Specific has been documented to improve pituitary function. Hypopituitarism is common among people who've had head injuries, even injuries that would not normally be considered serious (less than concussion). HPA axis dysfunction, thyroid issues, adrenal issues, leptin issues, etc. are all prominent features of ME/CFS. — It seems to me (at this time anyway) that there's a good chance KST therapy has the potential to improve any number of these issues.

 

[Wayne]

Less Than 24 Hours After My Second Visit

My second KST session was yesterday afternoon. I should mention that Dr. March did not use the little electrical device during our first session. He instead focused on “stabilizing the nervous system” with his gentle palpitations around my atlas area. Yesterday, he focused more on the left side, while during the first visit he focused more on the right side. He said that unless he does this first step, the KST treatments using the little massager are far less likely to hold.

But yesterday he did do a number of areas with the little electrical massaging device. Interestingly, he did some muscle testing to try to pinpoint various emotions that might be associated with certain structural and energy blockages in my body. The main one to come up was a significant head injury/whiplash I had at age 15.

He told me to visualize as clearly as I could what was going on just prior to this event—and then during and afterwards. As I did this, he would use his little device and try to release both the emotional component and physical component simultaneously. It may have worked, given my experience about 3:00 am this morning.

I awoke from a dream, but soon noticed a lot of activity in my brain that was similar to what I’ve often experienced in the past. But this time is was far more intense. In short, it feels like jutting images and impulses racing haphazardly through my brain and neurological system, often accompanied by a sense of anxiety or panic. Fortunately, I'm usually able to dissociate myself fairly well from these experiences so they don’t overwhelm me.

Last night, it was so intense, I began to wonder if I would become overwhelmed. Instead of trying to get back to sleep, I got up, did my morning energy balancing routines, and then sat down for a contemplation (part of which involves softly singing the HU song which is in my signature). Interestingly, even though my brain and neurological (and perhaps emotional) experiences were quite intense, my contemplation (perhaps paradoxically) left me feeling more grounded than normal.
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So that’s an update from my first two KST sessions. It feels like a lot, but I also feel I’m integrating it all fairly well. As Dr. March mentioned, when different things come up, as they almost assuredly will, it’s time to celebrate. So today I’m celebrating. I only got four hours of sleep last night, which normally devastates me the following day. But my brain is definitely functioning better than normal today, and I’m now getting ready to go for a walk, and celebrate a bit more!

Best to All, Wayne

 

[perchance dreamer]

Interesting! I want to try KST. I see that a chiropractor in Austin offers it.

My TMJ recently flared and made my teeth hurt. This time biofeedback techniques didn't work, so I told my chiropractor about it. She used her arthrostim to address it, and the tooth pain stopped after just one treatment.

 

[Wayne]

My TMJ recently flared and made my teeth hurt.

Hi Perchance Dreamer,

Good luck if you end up going to a KST practitioner in Austin. -- Just to mention, when I got the Nasal Specific technique done, my teeth hurt for a couple days afterwards. My TMJ was definitely better afterwards as well.
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EDIT: -- I recently ran across this 5 1/2-minute video and liked the thoroughness that's presented:

Chichester Chiropractic Clinic - KST (Koren Specific Technique)