A Superlative Training Experience

Late this summer, I was invited to take the “Train the Trainer” seminar with Dr. Revenko in Texas this November. I have over the years provided training for my clients who purchased the devices from me, and have wanted to be a certified trainer for the Russian Scenar Academy, so I was very excited to get the invitation. In preparation, I reasoned that it would be a good idea to retake a Level 1 training from someone who has that certification, to better understand what the expectations would be regarding providing that training myself.

Through a circuitous route involving meeting people who would actually point the way, I found myself contacting Rick Carleton in Atlanta.

Rick has been involved with SCENAR since 2001 and has been trained by other Russian doctors and by Revenko himself.  So, this past weekend, I took his Level 1 course.

During this training, I realized more fully the two things that have been the most frustrating for me in gaining the expertise I wanted with the SCENAR: training provided by those who don’t speak English or don’t speak it expertly and written manuals that are translated from Russian. Russian does not seem to translate easily to English.

It was freeing to me to be able to ask questions and have a fully understandable response, and if I wasn’t fully clear on the response, I could get a further, more understandable, clarification. Both Rick and his wife, Martene, are delightful to interact with and are obviously highly experienced and skilled with the SCENAR. The manual that they have created is clearly written, well illustrated, and easily understood. By far and away, it is the best manual I have encountered since I have been involved with SCENAR.

I can wholeheartedly recommend Rick Carleton to anyone who is interested in becoming trained as a RITM SCENAR practitioner.

Whiplash and Its Wide Ranging Effects

Neck and shoulder pain are common issues that respond well to SCENAR treatment. Over the last five years I’ve noticed a specific pattern of asymmetries that are associated with whiplash injury. I call it the “whiplash necklace” because the asymmetries appear at the base of the back of the neck in the area where a necklace typically lays. In 100% of the cases where this pattern appears, when I have asked if the client has ever experienced an injury to the neck (such as a car wreck, falling off a horse, or taking an unexpected fall), they share some event where whiplash likely occurred. More often than not, it was never specifically treated.

Most people don’t realize that a whiplash injury can affect more than just the neck and the effects can be long lasting. In the last six months, I have worked with several people who had temporomandibular joint disorder (commonly called TMJ), headaches, as well as tinnitus. I typically found the “whiplash necklace” pattern of asymmetries, and when asked, the clients all had some variety of injury to their necks, many happening as far back as 20 years previously.

It is now been shown that whiplash, TMJ, and tinnitus are linked. Two studies in Sweden in 2004 and 2008 have shown that trauma to the neck affects temporomandibular  function (Swed Dent J 2004;28:29 and Swed Dent J 2008;32:171). Chiropractic adjustment coupled with SCENAR can relieve the symptoms of TMJ and tinnitus.

If you have jaw pain and or ringing in the ears, call us (828-337-6854) and schedule an appointment today!

Pain Awareness Month

Here we are at September again (where did the summer go?) and National Pain Awareness Month. Those of us who have chronic pain are always aware, but this designation gives organizations devoted to helping those struggling with pain an opportunity to provide information, meetings, and conferences in a focused way.

In the last few months, I have had another flurry of a specific complaint in those who have sought natural pain relief from SCENAR: low back pain. Treatments with SCENAR have been largely successful in reducing or eliminating this complaint, and part of the treatment is to advise clients on things they can do to help themselves heal and prevent further episodes. In researching low back pain (the internet is full of resources) there is one site I would like to recommend: The National Pain Foundation. They have an online manual about back pain, what causes it, how it can be managed, and common myths about it. Of all the web resources I’ve seen, this is most concise and comprehensive.

In 1983, I injured my back while working as the circulation manager of a local newspaper. I went through physical therapy and attended a “Back School” held by that office. From that experience I took away three tidbits of information that helped me enormously in managing my weakened back as it healed and grew stronger over the next several years. I have not found these techniques anywhere on the web, so wanted to add them to the awareness of things you can do to help yourself, should you have an injury or suffer with recurring back pain episodes.

1) Think about and change the way you get into and out of a car. My physical therapist was convinced that how we get into and out of a car is the number one behavior that predisposes us to back pain. Most of us get into a car by putting our right foot in first and then in a somewhat controlled fall, land ourselves in the seat. Then we bring in the left leg. That landing of our bodies in the car’s seat produces powerful sideways distorting forces on the vertebrae of the low back. We don’t notice it generally, but it happens nonetheless, and can set us up for later back issues. The best way to get into a car is to sit in the car’s seat first and then bring our legs into the car one at a time as we turn our bodies to face forward. Those who have “bad backs” are usually aware of this, as throwing oneself into a car when the back is sore can produce pain. But, the rest of us go our merry way, without awareness, until our backs begin to complain about the abuse.

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