Break the Matrix

Hey Matt, I can't say whether I've heard anyone improving in the specific way you're describing, but I'm not at all discounting it either. I mean no offense to Dr. Howell but the statement they gave you was the generic one NCR specialists give everyone... it's pretty meaningless. You do have to walk into one of their clinics, and frankly most of them won't run proper diagnostics - they can tell you what they've dealt with experientially however -- but many of them have to deal with liabilities surrounding scope of practice and can't give you full answers or make any medical promises whatsoever. You'd need to see someone like Dr. John Lieurance in Florida, or maybe Dr. Howell himself. I'm sure both have seen many patients like you in the past... it's just a very specific issue, and your theory could actually be incorrect

By far the most likely thing that will improve from NCR relevant to this is mental clarity. Brain fog is usually eliminated over time, it won't go away all at once but can be significantly improved...oftentimes people like me who had it their entire lives didn't even realize it was there. Your whole world is just sort of foggy, and it can be difficult to retrieve information - working memory can be impaired.

If I were you, I'd give it a try: one session. You'll know in a single session whether this actually helps you with mental functioning. At that point you'll realize it's probably a long road ahead of you for a full recovery, or you'll realize this therapy is useless for your condition, but I wish you the best and what you're trying to achieve is definitely achievable.

Thank you very much for your feedback, Ben.

My theory could well be incorrect, it's merely the most likely explanation, to my mind, having closely examined the circumstances and possible causal linkages.

My mother, having worked for some notable Big Pharma companies in her time, was pretty careful with me, given the things she was privy to. I didn't have any of the vaccines that the other children had, and I believe that I was catered for properly, nutritionally speaking, in addition to many visits throughout my childhood to cranial osteopaths, homeopaths, naturopaths, and so on.

To quote from Dr Howell's website...

'Learning disabilities are frequently treated with prescriptions of Ritalin, a nervous system stimulant. The prevailing theory is that neurotransmitter deficiency in the brain leads to malfunctioning of the brain. The immediate solution is to increase neurotransmitter levels throughout the brain with Ritalin to correct the deficiency. This medication often helps, but it does not cure. It increases the levels of some neurotransmitters throughout the brain. The effectiveness of Ritalin shows that learning disabilities are not psychological but are, instead, conditions created by problems with nervous system function. A nervous system stimulant like Ritalin works by changing levels of neurotransmitters in the cerebrospinal fluid in the brain. This means that inappropriate levels of neurotransmitters in specialized areas of the brain cause learning disabilities. When the brain lacks neurotransmitters in some areas, concentration or interpretation of visual or auditory phenomena is impaired. So increasing the level of these neurotransmitters helps to temporarily get rid of the problem.

Then why doesn't everybody with learning disabilities take Ritalin or some similar medication? The problem with administration of Ritalin is the side effects, which are generally symptoms associated with other areas of the brain becoming overdosed with neurotransmitters. If some areas of the brain improve function by increasing levels of neurotransmitters, and if other areas of the brain get side effects by increasing the same, there is a problem of distribution, not a deficiency of neurotransmitters. So the symptomatic treatment of learning disabilities with medication that increases the level of neurotransmitters can never cure the problem because it doesn't address the situation properly.

A cure of learning disabilities must include optimization of fluid flow characteristics in the brain. With optimal flow of blood and cerebrospinal fluid, learning disabilities improve or cease.

The approach of NCR® is to improve the flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) by changing the shape of the skull. As the cranium optimizes, the flow of CSF becomes more and more uniform, removing the problem of poor distribution of the fluids in the brain.'

This seems to be the most likely explanation, for my case.

If I opt to go ahead, I will probably go in for a session with Dr Howell himself, when/if he returns to the UK/Eire at some point in the coming year. A friend of mine suggested 'craniosacral therapy' but given the above, I'm not convinced that it would do anything, in my case.

I think that most people who are diagnosed with 'ADD' or similar, simply take the drugs as prescribed. From my experience, some of them do report a certain degree of benefit, though studies have illustrated that the stimulants have pretty much the same effect on those without ADD, and it just doesn't address the crux of the problem.

A four-day treatment session with Dr Howell in Dublin (new patient) runs at 1300 USD, or at least it did, earlier this year.

Hmmm...