Cervical spine adjustements: Manual vs. Activator?

Hi Dr.Sutter,

I went to a chiropractor back in early June and he did a manual neck rotation for the upper cervical spine, which I've had done several times before a few years ago. Well this time it didn't go so wonderfully as the rotation ended up tearing some ligaments/muscle in my neck, near the carotid sinuses. I was experiencing severe migraines, neck pain, etc., (I was also experiencing chest pain stronger than usual right around this time also. I learned that there are nerves on and around the carotid sinuses that correspond to the heart for blood pressure and rate which makes me speculate whether it's related), bad enough to require toridol a few times. I had a duplex ultrasound done on my neck (I wanted to check for dissection) and this is how I discovered I have some pretty bad plaque build-up in my arteries. Anyways, it still hurts but it seems like it has improved since the injury.

I don't blame the chiropractic neck rotation for the injury, at least not directly. Given that I've had neck rotations like this done before with no injury, I believe that my illnesses caused my body to lose elasticity thus making me prone to injury. This would explain why some people end up with arterial dissection at the salons, etc.

Anyways, I still want to get my chiropractic adjustments completed, as I definitely have some 'subluxations', but I want to avoid manual cervical spine adjustments for awhile, at least until I'm well. That leaves adjustments via activators as an option.

Are activators as effective as manual adjustment for the cervical spine?

Also, is there anything you recommend that will help speed up the healing process in my neck?

As far as the arterial plaque goes, I read what you wrote about calcium and the liver, but is there anything I can take/do that will minimise the risk of stroke and such while I'm working on clearing up my liver? One method I'm aware of is the ascorbic acid/lysine protocol I mentioned in another topic here, but it runs contrary to your program, which I'm beginning to follow.

Thanks in advance. Tweet