Table of Contents
As a clinician, I present in this educational post a comprehensive, evidence-informed narrative that synthesizes the latest findings from leading researchers in neurophysiology, psychoneuroimmunology, and developmental biology on the vagus nerve. My goal is to translate complex mechanisms into a practical, clinically actionable framework for clinicians, allied providers, and informed patients, moving beyond a symptom-based model to foster true resilience. The post grew from a relentless pursuit of understanding, sparked by a pivotal clinical moment—losing a young patient to sepsis—which underscored the critical link between the nervous and immune systems. We will explore how vagal tone is central to this connection, orchestrating anti-inflammatory signaling through the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway.
We will embark on a journey that begins with the earliest influences on our nervous system, exploring how prenatal stress and preterm birth can set a trajectory for future health, and touch upon the fascinating links between neurodevelopmental conditions like autism and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. I will unpack the polyvagal framework in clear terms—distinguishing the ventral vagal social engagement system from the dorsal vagal immobilization or “freeze” response, which I refer to as the “turtle zone.” We will see how chronic stress can lead to states of dissociation and how these autonomic oscillations can mimic mood disorders. A central theme will be self-awareness, rooted in interoception—the brain’s perception of our internal bodily state. We will differentiate the embodied, present-moment “I” from the narrative “me” (often caught in past traumas or future anxieties) and discuss why a fractured sense of self, linked to prefrontal cortex dysfunction, is a hallmark of many neuropsychiatric disorders.
A compelling section covers epigenetic inheritance, citing landmark studies like the “Cherry Blossom Study” to show how stress responses can be passed down through generations. However, this is not a life sentence; neuroplasticity offers a powerful antidote. We will then connect these concepts to the specific, measurable impact of chiropractic care. Drawing from Dr. Heidi Haavik’s pioneering work, we will examine how the chiropractic adjustment acts as a precise sensory input that alters processing in the prefrontal cortex, modulates the autonomic nervous system, and influences the brain’s Triple Network, particularly the Default Mode Network (DMN)—the hub of introspection. We’ll review remarkable biomarker evidence showing how chiropractic care can increase Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), a key molecule for neurogenesis in the hippocampus.
Furthermore, we’ll dive deep into the gut-brain axis, explaining why the vagus nerve cannot be treated in isolation from the microbiome. I introduce psychobiotics—specific microbial strains that can lower inflammation (CRP), elevate BDNF, and improve mood. We will discuss post-COVID neurocircuit disruption in youth, including amygdala-prefrontal disconnection and hippocampal changes, and outline targeted nutritional strategies involving omega-3s, berberine, and acetylcholine support. The role of neuroinflammation, driven by the mast cell-microglia axis, will be explained, along with modulators like sulforaphane and NAC. We will also explore hormone-brain interactions, such as the “pregnenolone steal” and perimenopausal cognitive changes that mimic ADHD. Finally, this post provides a holistic, actionable framework—a roadmap for rebalancing and rewiring the nervous system using diaphragmatic breathing, state-aware chiropractic adjustments, and other evidence-based strategies to restore flexible, resilient health.
As I stand before my colleagues and delve into the latest neuroscience, I am consistently reminded that the seeds of our adult health are often sown before we even take our first breath. The evidence is now unequivocal: prenatal stress is profoundly associated with a host of adverse outcomes, most notably preterm birth. But the trajectory extends far beyond the perinatal period. For years, I have spoken about the deep, underlying connections between seemingly disparate neurological conditions. Today, the broader neuroscience community is catching up, and the literature is replete with investigations into the potential links between autism and Alzheimer’s disease. This isn’t a coincidence; it’s a reflection of shared pathways of inflammation, immune dysregulation, and nervous system dysfunction that can be traced back to our earliest developmental stages.
I begin with the physiological premise that the autonomic nervous system profoundly shapes health and disease trajectories. The HPA axis is a central conductor of stress physiology. During pregnancy, maternal stress can shift glucocorticoid exposure through placental signaling—the fetus perceives the mother’s stress environment and calibrates its stress set point accordingly. This calibration can change cortisol rhythms, receptor sensitivity (especially glucocorticoid receptor expression), and immune function. Mechanistically, elevations in maternal cortisol may influence fetal neurogenesis, synaptogenesis, and axonal pruning via direct and indirect pathways—glucocorticoids modulate transcription factors, neuronal growth guidance molecules, and astrocyte maturation. This conclusion is not speculative; it is consistently supported by perinatal neuroendocrinology.
From my clinical vantage, the infants I meet who present with high tone or dysregulated state transitions often map back to either perinatal stress, preterm birth, or early environmental sensory mismatch. When I evaluate tone, I consider ventral vagal maturation, which typically consolidates at the end of the second trimester and into the third trimester, and continues to refine over the first six months postnatally. If birth occurs two weeks early, autonomic maturation can be meaningfully incomplete; the ventral vagus—our social engagement branch—is not fully prepared to coordinate social gaze, prosodic vocal processing, and cardiorespiratory rhythms in a smooth, resilient way.
To truly grasp this, let’s look at some of the most vulnerable among us: infants who have spent time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Clinicians used to observe what they termed “life-altering events” in these babies after they went home. Now, the terminology has evolved to Brief, Resolved, Unexplained Experiences (BREUs). These are frightening episodes where an infant may suddenly exhibit a dangerously low heart rate (bradycardia), slowed or stopped breathing (apnea), and a change in muscle tone or responsiveness.
This isn’t exclusive to infants. We see this shutdown response in adults and children under immense, chronic stress. Think of the student in the classroom who is constantly being told, “Hey, wake up! Pay attention!” This child isn’t lazy or defiant. They are often “daydreaming” because their nervous system is so profoundly overwhelmed by their environment—be it chaos at home, bullying at school, or an undiagnosed sensory processing disorder—that the only way it can attempt to survive is to disengage. The brain pulls the emergency brake. The child appears vacant, their eyes glaze over, and they retreat into an internal world. This is the turtle zone in action, a physiological state of shutdown misinterpreted as a behavioral problem. It is a desperate attempt at self-preservation.
I began to understand the vital integration between the immune and nervous systems after the devastating loss of a young patient to sepsis. That trauma underscored the fatal cost of a physiology that could initiate inflammation but could not resolve it. In the late 1990s, many in clinical practice considered the immune system a distinct “soft” biologic domain and the nervous system a “hard-wired” domain with little cross-talk. Through relentless study and the blossoming of psychoneuroimmunology, it became clear: the nervous system regulates immune responses in a highly orchestrated manner, and the vagus nerve is pivotal in this regulation.
The cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway, described in seminal work by Tracey and colleagues, shows that vagal efferent signaling releases acetylcholine, which acts on alpha-7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (α7nAChR) on macrophages and other immune cells to downregulate pro-inflammatory cytokine release (e.g., TNF-α, IL-1β). This is not simply an “off switch.” It is a modulatory system that promotes resolution and prevents the collateral tissue damage associated with prolonged inflammation. When vagal tone is impaired, the body can become locked in a pro-inflammatory bias, especially under infectious load or chronic stress. Clinically, this state increases susceptibility to septic trajectories, perpetuates autoimmunity, and fuels neuroinflammatory cascades that degrade mood, cognition, and pain thresholds.
Comprehending this neuroimmune integration redefines clinical priorities. We do need inflammation—it is essential for pathogen clearance and the initiation of tissue repair. But we also need a precise brake pedal—a shift to anti-inflammatory resolution—at the right time. The vagus nerve provides that brake through coordinated afferent sensing and efferent modulation. The clinical lesson is precise: assess autonomic state, cultivate vagal tone, and support the body’s built-in capacity to resolve inflammation. When I speak about inflammation as the common denominator of modern disease, I am describing a mechanistic chain: chronic stress biases the HPA axis toward maladaptive cortisol patterns, which can blunt glucocorticoid receptor efficacy, skew immune signaling, and perpetuate low-grade systemic inflammation marked by elevations in IL-6, TNF-α, and CRP.
I often describe our hypervigilant state as “squirrel mode”—a shorthand for an amygdala-centric pattern in which the brain scans for threats with remarkable frequency. In real time, this manifests as an inability to settle, continuous orienting to movement, sound, and environmental changes, and an internal experience of readiness to react. When the amygdala and related salience networks dominate, they bias the hypothalamus toward sympathetic output and activate the HPA axis—the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system that governs stress response and cortisol secretion.
This transition—from beneficial acute anti-inflammation to harmful chronic pro-inflammation—is central to modern disease burden. Cardiometabolic syndromes, neurodegenerative conditions, autoimmune flares, and mood disorders are fueled by persistent low-grade inflammation. The physiological reason is straightforward: chronic HPA axis activation distorts hormonal rhythms, disrupts mitochondrial function, increases oxidative stress, and drives endothelial dysfunction.
The autonomic footprint of squirrel mode is unmistakable: elevated sympathetic tone, elevated resting heart rate, reduced HRV, shallow or rapid breathing, reduced digestive motility, impaired signaling in the reproductive axis, and increased muscular tension. Clinically, this condition means the HPATG axis—hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-thyroid-gonadal systems—is misaligned. Infertility patterns are more common when the body prioritizes survival over reproduction; GnRH pulses flatten, LH/FSH signaling decreases, and ovarian/testicular function can be dampened. Thyroid conversion (T4 to T3) may be blunted, with reverse T3 elevated in chronic stress states. All of these degrade resilience.
Why do we use interventions targeting the amygdala, HPA axis, and autonomic balance? Because restoring accurate threat appraisal and rhythmic hormonal balance reduces inflammatory load, improves energy metabolism, and frees cognitive resources for executive function. The therapeutic logic is to recalibrate sensory processing, upgrade interoceptive accuracy, and strengthen prefrontal cortical governance over subcortical threat circuits.
This brings us to a fundamental principle of neuroscience and psychology: our previous experiences predict our present responses. This isn’t just about what has happened to us personally in our own lifetimes. We are now beginning to understand, through the field of epigenetics, that we carry the physiological load of our ancestors. The traumas, famines, and profound stresses they endured have left molecular signatures on our genes, predisposing us to respond to stressors in particular ways.
The formula is elegantly simple and profoundly impactful: Sensory input dysfunction leads to motor dysfunction output. Our nervous system is a constant feedback loop. It takes in information from the world through our senses (exteroception) and from within our bodies (interoception). It processes this information, creates a perception or model of reality, and then generates an appropriate behavioral or physiological response (motor output). When the sensory input is distorted—whether by a misaligned spine altering proprioceptive signals, a traumatic memory coloring emotional perception, or a gut microbiome in disarray sending inflammatory signals to the brain—the output will inevitably be dysfunctional. The brain’s perception of the body and the world becomes inaccurate, and its commands to the body follow suit. This is the neurophysiological basis of so much of what we see in our clinics: chronic pain, anxiety, digestive issues, and a pervasive sense of being unwell.
This is where the conversation gets truly exciting and deeply personal. In the world of neuropsychology and neurophilosophy, the concept of the sense of self is paramount. It is the number one area of investigation for nearly all neuropsychiatric disorders. Why? Because if we do not know who we are at a fundamental, embodied level—if we cannot connect with our own internal state—how can we possibly form meaningful, healthy connections with anyone else? How can we navigate the world with resilience and emotional intelligence?
(I have to take a moment here. As I teach and get passionate about this topic, I can feel the heat in the room. My hair feels like it’s standing on end, almost like a Chia Pet. It’s this very act of noticing—my hair, the temperature, my own internal state of excitement—that is a perfect, real-time example of the sense of self in action. It’s this “I” I’m about to describe.)
We must differentiate between two aspects of the self: the “I” and the “me.”
The problem is that for many people, the “me” completely overshadows the “I.” They live almost exclusively in their narrative. If you live in the past, you live in depression. You are constantly replaying old hurts, traumas, and failures. If you live in the future, you live in anxiety. You are perpetually caught in a cycle of “what if” scenarios, worrying about things that have not happened and may never happen. The brain, in its incredible complexity, has a critical limitation: it cannot differentiate between a real, present-tense threat and a vividly imagined or remembered one. When you dwell on a past trauma, your amygdala fires, your adrenal glands release cortisol, and your heart races as if the trauma were happening right now. The physiological toll is identical.
This is the state of the majority of our country, and indeed much of the world. We are living in a state of chronic nervous system dysregulation, driven by a disconnection from the present-moment “I” and an over-identification with the past-and-future-oriented “me.” This is why the work we do as healthcare providers who influence the nervous system is so profoundly serious and essential.
When this sense of self completely disintegrates, the consequences can be catastrophic. It’s a classic pattern we hear about all too often in the news. “He was a great kid, but he had a hard time making friends. He was a little awkward, kept to himself a lot, and spent all his time in the basement playing video games. “And the next thing we know, this individual is the perpetrator of a mass shooting or has died by suicide. What we are talking about is a fundamental breakdown in the ability to connect—first with oneself, and then with others. A person who lacks emotional awareness because they are so dissociated from their own “I” cannot develop empathy. They cannot co-regulate with others because they cannot even self-regulate.
This is largely the domain of the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Remember what I said earlier? The pioneering research from Dr. Heidi Haavik and her team has repeatedly, over and over again, demonstrated that the single most significant area of the brain changed by a chiropractic adjustment is the prefrontal cortex. This is the seat of our executive functions: our ability to plan, to make decisions, to regulate our emotions, and to control our impulses. It is the part of the brain that allows us to have a sophisticated, introspective sense of self.
I speak about this with such passion because I have been there. I have been to that dark place. My best friend took his own life over nine years ago, and for the longest time, I couldn’t fathom how someone could reach that point of utter despair. But unless you have experienced that level of nervous system collapse and psychological pain yourself, you have no clue. And I have been there. In the wake of a series of devastating events, I lost everything: my physical capacity due to severe injuries, my financial stability, and a large part of my family support system. The world went black. All I could tell myself, the one thread I clung to, was, “I’ve got to get my nervous system regulated.”
Never, ever say, “That wouldn’t happen to me.” Life has a way of humbling you, and it can come back and bite you when you least expect it. The key to climbing out of that hole is cultivating resilience, and resilience begins with reconnecting to the “I.”
In the polyvagal framework, the dorsal vagus represents an older, unmyelinated pathway mediating energy conservation and immobilization. I call it the “turtle”—the emergency brake that slows heart rate, respiration, and metabolic output. Under acute survival pressure, dorsal vagal dominance can manifest as freezing, dissociation, or shutdown. It is not the same as calm; it is a defensive immobilization designed to reduce detection and conserve resources when fight-or-flight seems impossible.
The ventral vagus—my “gorilla” metaphor—corresponds to the myelinated pathways associated with social engagement and prefrontal modulation. This circuit integrates facial nerve, glossopharyngeal, and vagal outputs for prosody, facial expression, and relational safety signals. When ventral vagal tone is adequate, the prefrontal cortex (PFC) exerts top-down control to assess context, apply impulse control, and flexibly allow sympathetic mobilization when needed—then re-establish calm when the coast is clear.
Clinically, patients may oscillate between sympathetic hyperarousal (anxious, wired, irritable, hypervigilant) and dorsal shutdown (fatigue, numbness, anhedonia). This oscillation can mimic bipolar-like mood-energy swings without meeting formal criteria for bipolar disorder. The reason is autonomic dysregulation, not necessarily primary neurotransmitter imbalance. Indeed, up to 50% of individuals with major depressive disorder who do not respond to medication often present signs of autonomic rigidity and impaired interoception, suggesting that effective care must address the nervous system’s regulation rather than exclusively targeting synaptic monoamines.
Why use polyvagal-informed methods? They teach the nervous system to flexibly move along the ladder: to mount a brief, proportionate sympathetic response when needed and then return to ventral vagal safety. This flexibility preserves metabolic health, enables accurate social appraisal, and supports consistent executive functioning.
We carry an intricate inner landscape of signals—more than twenty internal modalities—that inform our moment-to-moment sense of self. Interoception encompasses visceral sensation (heart, lungs, GI tract), immune status (cytokine signaling), hormonal rhythms, osmotic and pH sensing, CO₂ levels, thermoregulation, and microbiome-derived metabolites. These signals converge on the insular cortex, anterior cingulate, and PFC, shaping emotions, decision-making, and motor output.
Patients with poor interoceptive accuracy often mislabel internal states: anxiety is mistaken for hunger, fatigue for depression, or GI distress for global threat. In trauma, interoceptive signals can be construed through a lens of danger; in chronic illness, immune noise overwhelms clarity. Clinically, we aim to enhance interoceptive precision through paced breathing, vagus-oriented practices, mindful movement, and GI restoration, so the brain reads the body’s condition accurately and chooses proportional actions.
Why focus on interoception? Because behavior and mood originate from perceived bodily states. Accurate interoception reduces false alarms, optimizes autonomic tuning, and supports stable endocrine rhythms.
The fun part of my journey—and I use that term with a bit of irony—was rediscovering the profound importance of interoception. I remember reading this beautiful research paper, a deep dive into the neuroscience of self and interoception, and I was just floored. I thought, “Holy shit, dog! This is awesome.” It articulated everything I was experiencing and striving for. Remember, we have our five external senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch), but we also have a universe of internal senses. This is what I am talking about: the ability to know your internal status. That is the “I.”
My recovery was a brutal, painstaking process. I initially sought help from conventional therapy, but it was a disaster. The approach they took was not suited for my state of brain injury and trauma, and it frankly messed me up even more. I developed Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD), now known as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), a condition of severe chronic pain and nervous system dysfunction. It was, to put it bluntly, a shit show.
When I was finally able to begin my own recovery process, I couldn’t use most of my extremities. I had about 50% function in my left leg, and that was it. My world had shrunk to the edge of my bed. And what did I do? I started with the most basic, primal, nervous system-regulating activities I could manage: humming and rocking. Humming provides gentle vibration to the vagus nerve, a key player in the parasympathetic “rest and digest” system. Rocking provides rhythmic vestibular input, which is incredibly soothing and organizing for the brain.
All I could think about was, “Heidi… prefrontal cortex. I’ve got to get my prefrontal cortex back on board. ” I knew that if I could restore function to that part of my brain, I could start to work my way out of this shithole. My entire focus was on rebuilding my nervous system from the ground up, moving from a world dominated by chaotic exteroception (external stimuli) to one grounded in coherent interoception (internal awareness).
I was so moved by that paper on interoception that I sent it to Dr. Haavik, and we had a fantastic back-and-forth discussion about its implications. A landmark study in epigenetics best illustrates why interoception and our inherited responses are so significant.
How many of you have heard of the Cherry Blossom Study? It is one of the most elegant and slightly terrifying demonstrations of how trauma can be inherited across generations.
Researchers at Emory University took a group of male mice (let’s call them Generation 0 or G0). They exposed these mice to the distinct smell of acetophenone, a chemical that smells like cherry blossoms, and simultaneously gave them a mild but stressful electrical shock. As you would expect, the mice quickly learned to associate the smell of cherry blossoms with pain and fear. They developed a classic stress response—freezing, elevated stress hormones—whenever they smelled it.
Here is where it gets fascinating. They then allowed these mice to breed. Their offspring, the first generation (G1), had never been shocked. They had never even smelled cherry blossoms before. Yet, when the researchers exposed the G1 mice to the smell, what was their stress response? It was the same. Identical to their daddies’. They showed fear and stress, despite having no personal experience to justify it.
The researchers didn’t stop there. They bred the G1 mice to produce a second generation (G2), the grandpups of the original traumatized mice. When the G2 mice were exposed to the smell of cherry blossoms for the first time, what was their response? The same as their granddaddies’.
This was a groundbreaking demonstration of epigenetic inheritance. We inherit more than just our eye color and height; we inherit our ancestors’ responses to stress. Our neuro-adaptability, our very resilience, is to some extent pre-programmed. Oh shit, indeed.
But the story doesn’t end on that bleak note. The researchers, fascinated by the results, redid the study with a new twist. They took a new G0 group, traumatized them with the cherry blossom smell and the shock, and then they desensitized them. Through repeated exposure to the smell without the shock, they leveraged the laws of neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to rewire itself. They deconditioned the fear response. They essentially treated the mice for their PTSD, mitigating their reaction to the cherry blossom smell until it was neutral again.
Then, they bred these “healed” mice. Their G1 offspring? No response to the smell. The G2 generation? Fine, no response. This is incredibly cool! It tells us two things:
But wait, there is more. If you thought two generations was a long time, let’s talk about C. elegans. This is a type of nematode, a tiny, beautiful glow worm that glows green under certain conditions. In the world of neuroscience, researchers use different model organisms to study complex human diseases like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and autism. They use glow worms, fruit flies, and zebra fish, in addition to mice and rats. This is because, believe it or not, a certain sequence and number of their genes are analogous to the human genetic code. So, essentially, what I’m telling you is that we share a series of genetic sequences with a glow worm and a fruit fly. You’re welcome. That’s your brain.
In a remarkable study, researchers took these glowworms and moved them from their normal, comfortable environment to a stressful, heated environment. This stress caused them to start glowing. When they were returned to their normal environment, they continued to glow, which they shouldn’t have. The stress had flipped an epigenetic switch.
Then, they bred them. And bred them. And bred them. What they found was that for up to 14 generations, these worms inherited the epigenetic expression of stress from their ancestors. Fourteen generations! Some studies even point to the possibility of up to 50 generations of epigenetic trauma inheritance. Lucky us!
This work is deeply personal and fascinating to me. My own family history is horrific. My parents were survivors of World War Two. My mom is going to be 89 in August, and as she ages, I hear the same stories over and over. But every once in a while, she’ll throw in a new one, a memory that has surfaced, and I’m left thinking, “Oh my God, I’ve never heard that before.” They are stories of such profound trauma and hardship that my brain can’t even fathom them. It’s difficult to reconcile these horrific events with my own family.
However, after I was injured and went through my own emotional trauma and subsequent trauma therapy, it became incredibly clear how my own neuroplasticity, my personal responses to stress, were so intimately tied to these generational traumas. It’s a fascinating and sobering reality. Yes, we have a deep-rooted, handed-down inheritance of traumatic experiences.
So, how do we navigate this complex inheritance? The way to sum up this entire section is to understand the hierarchy of regulation.
This brings me to a crucial point about neuroplasticity. How many of you know people wearing wearable devices, meticulously tracking their steps? “Oh man, I’m at 9,950 steps! I’ve got to go walk 50 more steps to get my 10,000 for the day!” We understand this concept of repetition for physical health.
Now, apply that exact same analogy to your brain. It takes at least 6,000 to 10,000 repetitions of a new thought, behavior, or experience to break old, entrenched neural pathways and to build and myelinate new ones. The brain has to receive that new information over and over and over again to know that it’s safe, that this new way of being is the default, not the exception.
What does this mean for the care you provide in your office? Is one or two adjustments over a person’s lifetime going to be enough to break a lifetime of stress patterns, not to mention generations of inherited trauma? No. Depending on the individual’s history, the severity of their nervous system dysregulation, and their allostatic load, they may need more frequency of care initially. If they backslide, they may need to come back in for another course of care to keep breaking those dysfunctional loops and reinforcing the healthy new ones. It is a process of retraining the brain.
(For those interested in a deeper dive, especially for pediatric care, there’s a handout available on brain building and bonding. My course, “The Six Pillars of Neurodevelopment,” provides a foundational understanding of this process, particularly for the crucial first year of life.
As a clinician and researcher, I’ve dedicated my career to understanding the fundamental principles that govern our health. I immerse myself in a vast ocean of literature, spanning neuroscience, neurodevelopment, and neurophysiology, and what I consistently find is a remarkable convergence of ideas. The top researchers in these fields, though they may use different terminology, are all fundamentally describing the same core processes. What emerges is a powerful, unified concept: the biology of disease is simply the flip side of the biology of health. They are two outcomes of the same underlying system. The intricate web of our physical, mental, emotional, and even chemical health is woven from the same biological threads.
When we grasp this, we realize that the power to influence our health is quite literally at our fingertips. For my colleagues in the chiropractic profession, this understanding elevates our work to a new level. We must ask ourselves, what are we really doing when we perform an adjustment? We are not merely moving a bone or alleviating a localized pain signal. We are interfacing directly with the master control system of the body—the nervous system. We are sending a powerful afferent signal to the brain, providing it with information it has been lacking. This is not my opinion; this is the conclusion drawn from a growing body of sophisticated, evidence-based research. We are participants in a dialogue with the brain, helping it to regulate and reintegrate its functions. This is about more than just symptom relief; it is about enhancing the very quality of life for our patients.
To truly appreciate the depth of this interaction, we need to explore some fascinating developments in brain science. A while ago, I was deep in a research rabbit hole, exploring the neurological distinction between the “I” and the “me.” The “I” represents our narrative self—the storyteller, the conscious ego, the voice in our head that constructs our identity. The “me,” on the other hand, is the physiological self—the body’s internal state, the constant stream of sensory information from our muscles, joints, and organs. This is the realm of interoception, our awareness of our internal bodily sensations.
I came across some incredible research and shared a comprehensive paper with a colleague, Dr. Heidi Haavik, a brilliant neurophysiologist whose work has been instrumental in this field. We were both struck by a specific region of the brain that lit up in her studies on the effects of chiropractic care: the precuneus network. This area is a core hub for introspection, self-awareness, and our ability to perceive the “me.” It’s the part of the brain that helps us feel ourselves from the inside out. When Dr. Haavik’s team analyzed the data, they found that chiropractic adjustments appeared to modulate activity in this very network. I was floored. “How on earth did you get the data to show that?” I remember asking her, completely amazed. We went back and forth, discussing the profound implications.
Life has a funny way of creating synchronicity. Within a week of this exchange, my husband walked in while I was getting ready for my day and casually mentioned, “Hey, did you see Heidi’s on the Russell Brand show?” I couldn’t believe it. It was a testament to how this crucial information is beginning to break into the mainstream consciousness. I immediately messaged her, eager to know when the interview would be released. More importantly, I couldn’t wait any longer for the full results of her study.
I pressed her. “I know you can’t reveal everything before publication, but what were the results?” She shared some of the preliminary findings, and I was, to put it mildly, in shock. As she described what they had discovered, I was standing in my bathroom, and I genuinely felt like I might lose my composure. It was one of those electrifying moments of scientific validation. The study provided compelling evidence that effective chiropractic care helps to regulate our internal awareness of the body. It influences the precuneus network, the very seat of our physiological self-awareness.
This is the essence of health. Optimal health isn’t just the absence of disease; it’s the coherence and harmony between the brain and body. It’s how well you wear your genes. This leads us to another groundbreaking frontier: epigenetics. We are now exploring the potential for chiropractic care to influence genetic expression. By changing the neurological inputs to the brain, we may be affecting how our genes are read and expressed. This isn’t just about alleviating back pain; we are potentially influencing health at a molecular level. This is deep, profound work, and it’s imperative that we, as clinicians, be fully aware of the magnitude of our impact.
To understand adult health and dysfunction, we must first go back to the very beginning. The foundations of our neurological and postural systems are laid down in the earliest moments of life. Prenatal stress, for example, has been shown to have a significant impact on an infant’s subsequent motor function and postural stability. These are not separate issues; they are inextricably linked.
In fact, motor function is considered one of the single most important predictors of an infant’s neurodevelopmental trajectory, especially in relation to conditions like autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The development of motor control follows a beautiful, logical sequence, a process I call the developmental cascade.
This sequence is non-negotiable. You cannot skip a step. True tummy time is an active, dynamic process. It’s about coming up against gravity, pushing up, and, most importantly, pivoting off the center of their axis. This rotational movement is what truly forges a strong, responsive core. It’s the neurological and muscular training ground for all future movement.
This principle doesn’t just apply to infants. When I assess patients of any age—from a 5-year-old to a 50-year-old—I look at their core control. A simple one-leg stand is a good static test, but the real insight comes from observing how they manage their stability when they have to move off the center of their axis. This happens with every step we take. As you walk through a room, your brain is subconsciously processing an immense amount of sensory information to allow you to meander around obstacles without falling. If this system is compromised, you are living subconsciously in a state of high alert, which I call “squirrel mode”—constantly bracing for instability.
A critical biomechanical detail here is the relationship between the neck and the mid-back. The ability to properly extend the cervical spine (lift the head) originates from the muscles anchored in the mid-thoracic spine. Too often, clinicians become hyper-focused on the upper cervical vertebrae when the root of the problem lies lower down. You must look at the thoracic spine to understand the origin and function of the muscles that control head and neck posture.
Beyond tummy time, another key developmental movement is “toes to the nose.” When a baby lies on its back and brings its feet to its mouth, this isn’t just a cute behavior. This movement is fundamentally important for developing the transverse abdominis and the pelvic floor. These muscles form the base of our core “canister.” Without their proper development and activation, the diaphragm is forced to abandon its primary role as a muscle of respiration and take over as a postural stabilizer. This sets the stage for a cascade of dysfunction. You must have pelvic stability to achieve tongue control, which is necessary for good head control, which in turn supports jaw, tongue, and neck stability. It is one integrated, holistic system.
Now, let’s dive into one of the most pervasive postural issues of our time: forward head posture. The amount of research on this topic is staggering, and its implications are profound. One of the most elegant ways to study this is through corticomuscular coherence. This research method uses electroencephalography (EEG) to measure brain wave activity and electromyography (EMG) to measure muscle activity simultaneously. It allows us to see, in real-time, how well the cortex of the brain is communicating with the body’s musculature.
In these studies, researchers typically assess individuals under various conditions:
Unsurprisingly, the more challenging the surface and the removal of visual cues, the more the subjects’ center of pressure swayed, indicating disturbed postural control. But the truly fascinating finding was this: individuals with forward head posture demonstrated significantly more challenges with postural stability across all conditions.
Let’s connect the dots. An individual presents with forward head posture—think of the “text neck” posture we see everywhere. This biomechanical misalignment immediately creates a challenge for their postural stability. As we just discussed, when the body’s core is unstable, the diaphragm is often recruited as a secondary muscle of stabilization. When the diaphragm is locked in this bracing pattern, it cannot function optimally for respiration, which directly leads to decreased vagal tone. The vagus nerve is the main nerve of the parasympathetic nervous system, our “rest and digest” system. This disruption collapses the entire “vagal ladder,” a concept developed by Dr. Stephen Porges that describes our hierarchy of autonomic nervous system responses. The “gorillas” of our sympathetic nervous system—the fight-or-flight response—are left to run the show without the calming influence of the vagus nerve. The result is a population of people walking around in a state of chronic, low-grade activation and anxiety.
But the research reveals an even deeper layer of dysfunction. These same studies found that individuals with forward head posture exhibited increased activity in the beta and gamma wave frequencies of the brain. Beta waves are associated with active, focused thinking, while gamma waves are linked to high-level information processing. While necessary for certain tasks, a constant state of high beta and gamma activity is a sign of a brain that cannot shut down. It’s a brain that is over-aroused and vigilant.
This scenario leads us to one of the most critical concepts in modern neuroscience: the Default Mode Network (DMN). The DMN is a large-scale brain network composed of several interconnected regions that is most active when we are at rest—when we are daydreaming, reflecting, or letting our minds wander. It is the neurological correlate of introspection, self-reference, and our ability to step back from the immediate demands of the external world. The DMN is our brain’s “default” state, a crucial period of rest, memory consolidation, and mental housekeeping.
Here is the bombshell finding: separate research has shown that, with forward head posture, the Default Mode Network is unable to engage properly. It is not being allowed to enter its restful, restorative state. We are, in essence, neurologically locked out of our own introspective capacity. We are constantly living in “squirrel mode,” our brains perpetually engaged in processing external threats and tasks, never getting the chance to rest and integrate.
The importance of a resilient DMN cannot be overstated. A powerful study conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic examined ICU-intubated patients. They found that individuals who had high resiliency and activity in their Default Mode Network before becoming ill were far more likely to recover and leave the hospital with no long-term neurological damage. Conversely, those with low DMN activity were at a much higher risk. They either did not survive or, if they did, they suffered from significant long-term neurological sequelae. This is the level of importance we are talking about. The DMN is not a luxury; it is a fundamental component of our neurological resilience and our ability to heal.
So, when we see a patient with forward head posture, we are not just seeing a stiff neck. We are seeing a brain that is being robbed of its ability to rest, recover, and reflect. The introspective perspective, the connection to the “me,” is being compromised.
Another elegant study confirmed this from a different angle. Researchers took healthy office workers and had them deliberately hold a forward head posture position for just five minutes. They then compared their neurological and physiological states to when they held a neutral head position. The results were the same: even a brief period of poor posture was enough to create these dysfunctional patterns.
This study added another crucial piece of the puzzle. They found that the forward head posture led to a predictable pattern of muscle imbalance: a shortening of the levator scapulae muscles (which elevate the shoulder blades) and a significant stiffening of the sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle in the neck. This SCM stiffness is particularly important, as there is a growing body of literature suggesting that it can directly affect vagal tone, which we will explore in more detail shortly. We are following the cues, tracing the path of dysfunction from a simple postural habit all the way to a system-wide neurological crisis.
The link between postural instability and neurological dysfunction is not an isolated finding. It appears again and again across a vast spectrum of health conditions. I could spend hours detailing the research, but the theme is consistent. Studies on patients post-ACL reconstruction, for example, show that the injury creates postural instability, which leads to misinformation from the joint proprioceptors being sent to the brain. The brain’s map of the body gets “screwed up,” leading to chronic issues long after the ligament has healed.
This pattern is a common denominator across numerous diagnostic labels that we often think of as separate and distinct. I can place a whole host of conditions in front of the phrase “is associated with poor postural control”:
All of these conditions have been shown in the literature to have a strong association with poor postural control. Now, it is critical to understand the direction of causality here. It is not the postural instability that is the primary cause of autism or ADHD. Rather, the postural instability is an expressive behavior—a physical manifestation of an underlying neurological issue. The core problem is the dysmaturation of neural circuits. The connections within the brain, particularly between the prefrontal cortex (our executive function center) and the cerebellum (our master coordinator of movement and sensory information), are not developing and connecting properly. This leads to poor neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to adapt and learn.
The brain is unable to properly direct motor control downward to the body, resulting in the observable sign of poor postural stability. So, when you see a child with ADHD who can’t sit still or a child with autism who has an awkward gait, you are seeing a window into their brain’s internal state. The postural issue is a symptom of the disrupted neural circuits.
This is precisely where chiropractic care plays such a profound role. Research, including the work of Dr. Haavik and others, has shown that chiropractic adjustments can help regulate somatosensory processing. By delivering a precise, high-velocity, low-amplitude input to the joint mechanoreceptors, the adjustment provides the brain with a burst of clear, coherent information. It essentially helps to reset the system and restore the full picture for the brain. This allows the brain to better synthesize all incoming sensory information and respond more appropriately. It’s about breaking those dysfunctional neural circuit loops and giving the brain a chance to find a more efficient and stable pattern.
The modern world exacerbates this problem. Consider the act of “doomscrolling” on a smartphone. We have to ask: Is it the stressful content of the scrolling that is preventing the Default Mode Network from kicking in? Or is it the forward head posture associated with the act of scrolling? Or is it a vicious cycle of both? The most likely answer is that it’s both. The point is that we are living in a time when our environment and habits are actively conspiring to prevent our introspective selves from thriving. The staggering statistics on chronic disease, anxiety, and depression that I often share at the beginning of my presentations are the direct consequences of this societal-level neurological dysfunction.
You cannot treat the brain without treating the gut—and vice versa—especially after TBI or concussion. Head injuries alter autonomic tone, shift GI motility, disrupt mucosal immunity, and change microbial composition. Dysbiosis then feeds back into neuroinflammation via lipopolysaccharide (LPS), short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and altered bile acids.
In my own TBI recovery, I had to work relentlessly on both ends of the axis: restoring gut integrity, retraining autonomic balance, and rebuilding vestibular and proprioceptive systems. The reason is mechanistic: the injured brain misreads signals, the gut amplifies inflammatory noise, and the vagus cannot carry clean data if mucosal barriers are compromised. Treatment is bidirectional—top-down and bottom-up—until central and peripheral systems align.
Why integrate gut care? Because neuroinflammation is not solely a brain event; it is a whole-system phenomenon. Improving microbial ecology, motility, and barrier function reduces cytokine burden, stabilizes HRV, and supports cognitive clarity.
I often say you cannot treat the vagus nerve without treating the microbiome. The vagus nerve transmits a constant stream of biochemical and mechanical information from the gut to the brain. Microbial metabolites—particularly short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like butyrate, acetate, and propionate—shape epithelial barrier integrity, immune signaling, and enteroendocrine hormone release. These signals influence vagal afferent firing patterns and modulate central autonomic tone.
I am a strong proponent of precision psychobiotics—formulations that combine prebiotics (fiber substrates), probiotics (live microbial strains), and postbiotics (bioactive metabolites) to exert targeted effects on mood, autonomic tone, and neuroplasticity. Strain-level specificity matters more than brand labels; research demonstrates that even within the same species, different strains can produce divergent outcomes.
Clinical vignette: An eight-year-old with severe nail-biting presented with bandages on every finger. This behavior reflected underlying autonomic dysregulation and anxiety. By combining chiropractic adjustment to recalibrate sensorimotor and autonomic inputs with a psychobiotic designed to modulate GABAergic tone and reduce inflammatory signaling, the child’s compulsive behaviors diminished substantially within weeks. Parents reported improved sleep, reduced irritability, and better focus. This is not a miracle; it is the predictable outcome of reorganizing gut-brain communication and neural tone.
This common pattern of postural distortion is clinically known as Upper Crossed Syndrome. When you observe someone with this syndrome, you see the characteristic forward head posture, rounded shoulders, and an increased thoracic kyphosis (hunching). This creates a pattern of muscle imbalances:
As I mentioned earlier, a key component of this is the stiffening of the SCM muscle. Let’s look at the anatomy. The carotid sheath is a tube of fascia in the neck that contains three vital structures: the carotid artery, the internal jugular vein, and the vagus nerve. The SCM muscle lies directly over this sheath. One of the prevailing theories is that chronic stiffness and tension in the SCM put mechanical pressure on the carotid sheath, which in turn irritates or dysregulates the vagus nerve, leading to a state of decreased vagal tone.
This creates a direct link between a simple postural problem and the gut. The vagus nerve is the primary communication highway from the brain to the gut. It controls gastric acid secretion, gut motility, and the release of digestive enzymes. When vagal tone is low, this communication breaks down, which is why there is such a strong association between this postural pattern and conditions like gut dysbiosis, SIBO, and IBS. The brain is not properly managing the gut’s environment.
Let’s bring this all back to chiropractic. What is actually happening when we adjust the spine?
Here’s the evidence-based cascade:
I spent most of February with Dr. Haavik and her incredible team in New Zealand, and the work they are doing is simply amazing. One of their crucial findings in the last couple of years, looking specifically at the cervical spine, confirmed that it did matter whether it was a vertebral subluxation or a non-subluxated segment that was adjusted to produce those significant changes in the prefrontal cortex. This is a critical point. The specificity of the chiropractic adjustment is what differentiates our work from general mobilization techniques. This research should give you immense confidence in the precision and power of what you do.
Now, for one of the most exciting studies Dr. Haavik’s team has released recently. How many of you have seen this study? This is one you need to know.
They conducted a clinical trial involving 12 weeks of chiropractic care. They took blood draws at three key time points:
Why the 16-week draw? They wanted to see if there was any long-term treatment effect that persisted even after the intervention was complete. Are you with me?
Here’s what they found. At 12 weeks, they saw a statistically significant increase in Interleukin-6 (IL-6). Now, many clinicians hear “IL-6” and immediately think “inflammation.” But is that good or bad? The story is more nuanced. There are two primary types of IL-6 signaling: one is pro-inflammatory, driving chronic inflammatory processes, but the other is anti-inflammatory, associated with tissue healing and regeneration.
If you are performing spinal adjustments with the intent of correcting vertebral movement and promoting the healing of soft tissues (ligaments, muscles, discs) around those segments, an increase in the anti-inflammatory form of IL-6 would be a very positive and expected finding. How do we know it was likely the anti-inflammatory type? Because if it were a pro-inflammatory surge, we would have expected to see a corresponding rise in other systemic inflammatory markers, like C-Reactive Protein (CRP), which they did not observe.
But this is what’s so fun. This is the part where you should be getting incredibly excited. At 12 weeks, they also saw a significant increase in Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF).
Why is this so fun? Because, as I mentioned, there are two key areas of the brain deeply implicated in memory, trauma, and stress: the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus. What is the hippocampus famous for? It’s the hub of memory formation, and its degeneration is a hallmark of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
The hippocampus is special. It is one of the only areas of the brain that most neuroscientists agree retains the ability for neurogenesis—the birth of new neurons—throughout our entire lives. (The olfactory bulb is another, but the hippocampus is the main player.) This is a huge component of brain health and plasticity. What is the number one concern in our communities right now? People are worried about stress and their brain health. The wellness space is exploding because people are terrified of losing their cognitive function, of losing their memories. Man, when you lose your memory, it’s no bueno. I know this from my own TBI experience.
And what is the key molecule required for the hippocampus to keep making new neurons? BDNF. It’s like fertilizer for the brain. Are you with me? You guys should be fucking excited right now! Are you getting this? They found hard biomarkers in the blood showing that 12 weeks of chiropractic care increased BDNF. When I saw this study, I just about shit my pants. Literally. I was like, oh my heavens, this is so huge!
This was all happening while I was doing my master’s at King’s College London, which is a top-echelon research institution, no joke. And this kind of research—connecting interventions to molecules like BDNF—is all over the place with them. This is the kind of evidence that allows us to make the connection with other medical and scientific fields.
Interestingly, at the 16-week blood draw (four weeks after care had stopped), they saw no statistical difference in BDNF levels compared to baseline. What does this suggest? It suggests that the benefit may be dependent on ongoing care. What would the results look like if a person continued with maintenance care? We don’t know yet, but it’s a powerful argument for the necessity of consistency. After my TBI, when you forget your own phone number, when you can’t remember basic things, that is scary shit. So, of course, I was all over this research. It is super exciting.
This research was part of a larger investigation into the brain’s Triple Network Model, which I don’t have time to fully unpack without frying your brains even more. But I want to focus on one critical part of it.
The Triple Network consists of three large-scale brain networks that are intensely studied in conditions like autism, Alzheimer’s, and PTSD. It’s a huge-ass, amazing system.
What is the function of the DMN? It is the seat of introspection. See how this all connects? What the fuck did I say was the highest level on that pyramid of regulation? Introspection. Introspection equals highly developed interoception. They are two sides of the same coin. You have to have self-awareness, which requires good internal sensory modulation (including vestibular and proprioceptive input), for the brain to be able to acknowledge what the hell is going on inside your body. The DMN is where we process our sense of self, reflect on our past, and plan for our future. Its dysfunction is a massive area of research in PTSD, depression, and memory disorders. This is huge! (Go see my colleague Trevor; he’s working on some really fun stuff in this area).
Are you getting how important this is? And this is the final, incredible finding from that UK study: the chiropractic adjustment was shown to cause upregulation and altered processing in the Default Mode Network.
In simple terms, what you are doing with an adjustment is fundamentally enhancing the brain’s ability to connect with itself. You are helping the brain move from a state of chaotic reaction to one of calm, coherent introspection. You are turning down the noise and turning up the signal of the self.
Since early 2020, I have warned about the downstream neurocognitive consequences we would see in children and adolescents exposed to pandemic stressors and viral effects. We are now observing these consequences:
My dissertation focused on perineural mast cell–microglia interactions and neuroinflammation in autism-spectrum presentations. The central takeaways remain clinically vital:
Neurons are energy-intensive. The hippocampus, with its constant synaptic turnover and memory consolidation tasks, relies heavily on efficient mitochondrial function.
Clinical note: Low tone in infants and toddlers—difficulty with tummy time lifting, delayed quadrupedal rocking, and late crawling—warrants consideration of mitochondrial etiologies. When paired with chiropractic adjustment for proprioceptive input and motor patterning, nutritional mitochondrial support can accelerate milestone attainment.
Hormone stabilization is inseparable from stress-axis regulation.
Magnesium is pivotal but often misunderstood.
Large trials have shown that multivitamin use can modestly improve memory in older adults, likely by correcting subclinical deficiencies that degrade mitochondrial function and neurotransmitter synthesis. While not a panacea, a well-formulated multivitamin can serve as a foundational layer—especially when combined with specific neurocentric supports. The emphasis, again, is on bioavailability, clean sourcing, and avoiding unnecessary fillers.
So, what do we do about this? Our clinical approach must be two-fold: we need to rebalance and rewire.
First, we rebalance the nervous system in the present moment. We need to interrupt the chronic stress patterns and create a state of safety and regulation. This is where interventions that directly modulate vagal tone are so powerful.
Second, we rewire the nervous system for long-term change. This requires neuroplasticity, which is an active process. Remember the principle from neuroscience: neurons that fire together, wire together. To create new, healthier neural pathways, we need repetition. It is estimated that it takes six to ten thousand repetitions to forge a new neural circuit. This is why a one-off treatment is rarely enough. The healing process must happen over and over again.
Here is a toolkit of evidence-based strategies to achieve this:
Now that you understand the principles and the pathways, you can see why these interventions work. They are not just “relaxing”; they are actively reshaping our neurobiology.
The final, crucial step is to integrate these practices. This is how we truly rewire the brain. Don’t just adjust a patient and have them go straight back to their car to scroll on their phone, immediately re-engaging the forward head posture and the stress response. This is my call to action for all clinicians: Adjust and Rewire. Adjust them, and then have them immediately perform a neuroplasticity-promoting activity. Adjust them, and then have them go for a mindful walk, paying attention to the sensation of their feet on the ground. Adjust them, and then have them do five minutes of deep humming or diaphragmatic breathing in a quiet room. By pairing the powerful neurological reset of the adjustment with an activity that reinforces the new, desired pattern, we are leveraging the principles of neuroplasticity to create lasting change. We are not just chasing symptoms; we are co-creating a more resilient, integrated, and healthy nervous system with our patients.
On 2026-06-27, I consolidated modern findings on neurodevelopment, autonomic physiology, and neuroplasticity to create a practical, evidence-based roadmap for clinicians and patients. This educational post synthesized the latest findings in neuroscience to build a comprehensive model of health, stress, and healing. We began by establishing that the biology of disease is an extension of our fundamental biology of health, heavily influenced by our physical, mental, and emotional states. We explored how prenatal stress and preterm birth can set long-term health trajectories, including emerging connections between conditions like autism and Alzheimer’s. We examined the “turtle zone,” a dorsal vagal shutdown response seen in infants and adults under extreme stress. A core theme was the distinction between the embodied, present-moment self (the “I” of interoception) and the narrative self (the “me”). A strong connection to the “I,” governed by the prefrontal cortex and the brain’s precuneus network, is the foundation of resilience.
We delved into epigenetic inheritance, citing research showing that stress responses can be passed down through generations while also highlighting the hopeful message of neuroplasticity: these inherited patterns can be rewired. A significant focus was placed on forward head posture, detailing how this postural fault disrupts stability, compromises diaphragmatic function, reduces vagal tone, and critically, inhibits the brain’s Default Mode Network (DMN), locking us into chronic stress. We connected this to the gut-brain axis and psychobiotics, explaining how the vagus nerve cannot be treated in isolation from the microbiome. We then outlined the specific neurological impact of chiropractic care, presenting landmark research showing that adjustments influence the prefrontal cortex, modulate the autonomic nervous system, and can increase blood levels of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), a vital molecule for neurogenesis. We also discussed targeted nutritional and supplemental strategies for post-COVID neurocircuit disruption, neuroinflammation, mitochondrial support, and hormonal transitions.
The evidence presented paints a clear and compelling picture: our health is a deeply integrated system where posture, neurology, and well-being are inextricably linked. The traditional model of separating the body into disconnected parts is obsolete. Postural distortions like forward head posture are neurological crises with systemic consequences, affecting everything from our stress levels and gut health to our cognitive resilience. The chiropractic adjustment is a powerful tool for influencing the central nervous system at the highest levels, enhancing the brain’s ability to self-regulate, heal, and perceive the world with greater accuracy. By improving sensory information from the spine, we help restore function to the prefrontal cortex, balance the autonomic nervous system, foster neurogenesis via BDNF, and support the introspective capacity of the Default Mode Network. By understanding the underlying pathways—from the developmental cascade in infancy to the function of the DMN in the adult brain—we can move beyond symptom management and cultivate true, foundational wellness. This work directly addresses the roots of chronic stress, inherited trauma, and the disconnection from self that plague modern society, offering a path toward greater resilience and profound well-being.
(Note: As the original transcript did not cite specific papers by name, this section provides representative references for the concepts discussed. The studies mentioned are based on the work of the researchers described.)
The information presented in this post is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. It is a representation of concepts and research discussed in the field and should not be used as medical advice for any individual’s specific situation. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
All individuals must obtain recommendations for their personal health situations from their own licensed medical providers. Do not disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read in this post. Reliance on any information provided here is solely at your own risk.
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Professional Scope of Practice *
The information herein on "Neurodevelopment, Neurodegeneration, and the Vagus Nerve Neurophysiology" is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional or licensed physician and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make healthcare decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified healthcare professional.
Blog Information & Scope Discussions
Welcome to El Paso's Premier Wellness and Injury Care Clinic & Wellness Blog, where Dr. Alex Jimenez, DC, FNP-C, a Multi-State board-certified Family Practice Nurse Practitioner (FNP-BC) and Chiropractor (DC), presents insights on how our multidisciplinary team is dedicated to holistic healing and personalized care. Our practice aligns with evidence-based treatment protocols inspired by integrative medicine principles, similar to those on this site and on our family practice-based chiromed.com site, focusing on naturally restoring health for patients of all ages.
Our areas of multidisciplinary practice include Wellness & Nutrition, Chronic Pain, Personal Injury, Auto Accident Care, Work Injuries, Back Injury, Low Back Pain, Neck Pain, Migraine Headaches, Sports Injuries, Severe Sciatica, Scoliosis, Complex Herniated Discs, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Pain, Complex Injuries, Stress Management, Functional Medicine Treatments, and in-scope care protocols.
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Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, APRN, FNP-BC*, CCST, IFMCP, CFMP, ATN
email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com
Multidisciplinary Licensing & Board Certifications:
Licensed as a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) in Texas & New Mexico*
Texas DC License #: TX5807, Verified: TX5807
New Mexico DC License #: NM-DC2182, Verified: NM-DC2182
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Multi-state Compact APRN License by Endorsement (42 States)
Texas APRN License #: 1191402, Verified: 1191402 *
Florida APRN License #: 11043890, Verified: APRN11043890 *
Colorado License #: C-APN.0105610-C-NP, Verified: C-APN.0105610-C-NP
New York License #: N25929, Verified N25929
License Verification Link: Nursys License Verifier
* Prescriptive Authority Authorized
ANCC FNP-BC: Board Certified Nurse Practitioner*
Compact Status: Multi-State License: Authorized to Practice in 40 States*
Graduate with Honors: ICHS: MSN-FNP (Family Nurse Practitioner Program)
Degree Granted. Master's in Family Practice MSN Diploma (Cum Laude)
Dr. Alex Jimenez, DC, APRN, FNP-BC*, CFMP, IFMCP, ATN, CCST
(Board Certified: Family Practice Nurse Practitioner—Multistate)*
(Licensed Nurse Practitioner & Chiropractor - Multistate)*
Clinical Director
Digital Business Card
Dr. Maria Cardenas, MD
(Board Certified: Internal Medicine)
(Licensed Medical Doctor)
Medical Director, Clinical Director & Collaborative Physician
NPI # 1164426749
MD License #: J2933
Licenses and Board Certifications:
MD: Medical Doctor
DC: Doctor of Chiropractic
APRNP: Advanced Practice Registered Nurse
FNP-BC: Family Practice Specialization (Multi-State Board Certified)
RN: Registered Nurse (Multi-State Compact License)
CFMP: Certified Functional Medicine Provider
MSN-FNP: Master of Science in Family Practice Medicine
MSACP: Master of Science in Advanced Clinical Practice
IFMCP: Institute of Functional Medicine
CCST: Certified Chiropractic Spinal Trauma
ATN: Advanced Translational Neutrogenomics
Memberships & Associations:
TCA: Texas Chiropractic Association: Member ID: 104311
AANP: American Association of Nurse Practitioners: Member ID: 2198960
ANA: American Nurse Association: Member ID: 06458222 (District TX01)
TNA: Texas Nurse Association: Member ID: 06458222
NPI: 1205907805
| Primary Taxonomy | Selected Taxonomy | State | License Number |
|---|---|---|---|
| No | 111N00000X - Chiropractor | NM | DC2182 |
| Yes | 111N00000X - Chiropractor | TX | DC5807 |
| Yes | 363LF0000X - Nurse Practitioner - Family | TX | 1191402 |
| Yes | 363LF0000X - Nurse Practitioner - Family | FL | 11043890 |
| Yes | 363LF0000X - Nurse Practitioner - Family | CO | C-APN.0105610-C-NP |
| Yes | 363LF0000X - Nurse Practitioner - Family | NY | N25929 |
Dr. Alex Jimenez, DC, APRN, FNP-BC*, CFMP, IFMCP, ATN, CCST
(Board Certified: Family Practice Nurse Practitioner—Multistate)*
(Licensed Nurse Practitioner & Chiropractor - Multistate)*
Clinical Director
Digital Business Card
Dr. Maria Cardenas, MD
(Board Certified: Internal Medicine)*
(Licensed Medical Doctor)*
Medical Director, Clinical Director & Collaborative Physician
NPI # 1164426749
MD License #: J2933
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