Dr Paul Whitcomb, Depression and Post-concussion Syndrome

Depression and Post-concussion Syndrome

Under the heading of depression we include depression syndrome, depression suicide, clinical depression, mental depression, stress depression, depression and fatigue, teenage depression, and bipolar depression.

This is a large subject involving many causes, such as brain injury, mistakes from the past, unfulfilled life—wanting more from life than you have—lack of thankfulness, chemical imbalances, and many others. However, the one we would like to consider here is depression in relation to Meningeal Compression and Fibromyalgia.

Chiropractors have known for almost 100 years that depression and upper cervical problems go hand in hand. We have also known that auto accidents and depression go hand in hand. Assuming that the brain either doesn’t heal or takes some period of time to heal, this has been explained as Post-concussion Syndrome, leaving the victim with symptoms like these:

 

Symptomatology of Post-concussion Syndrome

Cognitive trouble

Fatigue

Memory loss

Emotional Issues

Depression

Headache

Post-traumatic Migraine

Sleep Disturbance

Neurological disturbances

Seizure

Vestibular and Cranial Nerve Symptoms

 

If you examine this carefully it looks very much like Fibromyalgia. This is not to say we don’t believe that Post-concussion Syndrome exists. What we are saying is that Post-concussion Syndrome has often been the diagnosis before seriously considering MC. We now believe that it was often a misdiagnosis, when we’re really dealing with MC. These cases need re-evaluation.

With this new insight into the connection between head and neck injury and Fibromyalgia/MC depression, we have a fresh premise from which to make a differential diagnosis between FMS/MC depression and Post-concussion Syndrome depression. This can be done with our test for Meningeal Compression and Fibromyalgia.

However, even with this information, the etiology of Fibromyalgia depression is still elusive. We understand that the combination of sleep deprivation, fatigue, and the neurological aspects could explain the entire basis of depression, but there seems to be more involved. We have shown that the depression leaves when we remove the pressure from the Meninges; but we also suspect that this pulling and pressure on the Meninges is somehow causing depression independently of the other factors. We believe this because the depression usually leaves during our Meningeal Release Test.

We have watched over and over again the depression of Fibromyalgia patients subsiding within one to two months, with almost predictive regularity. This is accomplished solely with repositioning of the spinal cord through the neck.

We once treated a paranoid schizophrenic with severe upper cervical problems. In one month he said he wanted to stop his meds and return to work at Rockwell International. With his treating doctor’s help he succeeded, went through one month of testing, and was returned to work without further symptoms. This patient had been institutionalized twice and was being evaluated for a third institutionalization when we first saw him. He had a full recovery.